Or Mastopexy is a surgical procedure to raise and reshape sagging breasts.
Several factors such as pregnancy, nursing, age and gravity take their toll on the breasts - the skin elasticity is lost , it may loose its sheen and smoothness, breast tissue volume decreases and the breasts do not retain their shape and firmness. As a result of all these changes, some women may find their breasts have sagged, losing their previous fullness or shape.
This is called Breast Ptosis. It could be a True Ptosis where the breast gland has sagged down or it could be a Pseudo Ptosis which is more because of skin laxity.
Often many of these women don’t want a breast augmentation but would like the sagging breasts corrected. This is where mastopexy has its role. But, if the volume of breast tissue lost is significant, breast implants can be inserted simultaneously along with a mastopexy.
A common rule of thumb to know if one needs an augmentation plus lift or only a lift is , if a woman feels happy with the size of the breasts when wearing the bra she does not need an augmentation and only a lift will suffice. But, if she feels that the bra feels empty then she is a candidate for a augmentation with a lift.
The ideal candidates for a breast lift procedure are women with small to moderate sagging breasts. If the breasts are large and they undergo a breast lift surgery, the results may not last long as the heavy breast tissue may pull it back down and breast reduction surgery instead, may have to be considered. Also, women who are planning on having more children should postpone having a breast lift procedure since pregnancy can reverse the results of the breast lift, but the procedure itself does not interfere with breast feeding.
Many a times the breasts are unequally ptosed and in such cases a combination approach has to be performed and is one of the most difficult procedures,while aiming to achieve symmetry in shape and size.
Incisions: The most common method is which gives an “anchor shaped scar” that goes around the areola and a vertical scar in the midline inferiorly and extending on either side into the crease. This follows the natural contours of the breast. The incision outlines the excess skin that will be removed and the top of the anchor will be the new position of the nipple areola complex. Breast lift scars are extensive and permanent - they will take a year to fully mature. In some cases they may even fade to thin lines, but even otherwise they will be well hidden even with minimal clothing
But with newer approaches and methods the scarring is also reduced. The newer methods like Vertical Mastopexy or a Round Block Mastopexy, try and limit the resulting scars to just around the nipples and a small vertical limb. The augmentation if needed is usually done though the same incision.
The procedure involves repositioning the nipple areola complex to the right position and also repositioning the gland into the proper shape and position along with excision of the excess skin envelop. The entire procedure can last from 2 to 4 hours depending on the type of procedure done, and is done under general anesthesia.
Healing will take some time following surgery. You will need to wear a compression bandage over gauze dressings, and a good firm supporting bra for a few weeks.
Problems: Are usually scar related. The scars will take around 6-8 months to mature and care has to be taken and proper supporting bra's must be worn during that period. In some cases the skin quality is so poor that the scars tend to stretch too much which can be a problem which has to be tackled on its merits.
Some discrepancy in the position on the left and the right breast may occur as healing completes which may or may not be rectified depending on the disparity. In some rare cases there might even be problems like nipple loss which may have to be corrected at a later stage. More so in cases of smokers and diabetics or women with previous breast reductions. | 
