This is such a great question that we are going to answer today. Below is a link to my YouTube Video which might help with a visual for the some people.
First you should discuss with your plastic surgeon how much droopiness you really have? People may define droopiness in different ways, but the easiest way to think about it is in the typical way a breast ages. As the breast ages, it typically comes off the chest and is pulled down with gravity sort of spilling over the breast foot print. There are several components of the droopy breast which I break down below.
One is the how much breast tissue itself is over the breast fold (glandular ptosis). There are several photos below which demonstrate the breast sagging below breast fold.
Secondly, I look for if the nipple position is below the breast fold or above the breast fold (nipple ptosis)? In the photos above, Examples 1, 2, and 4 clearly show the nipple being below the fold.
The very last consideration is the overall position of the breast on the chest wall. Some women have a naturally low breast position on the chest wall. This just means that where the footprint of the breast is is relatively low compared to their clavicles and their belly button. In these cases there may be none or very little overhang of their breast fold. It is just the breast is positioned low on the the chest. Unfortunately this would not be fixed with a breast lift. For this group of patients, we will bring the implant down to the breast. See the IG post below:
There is an easy test you can do at home to tell if you might need a lift. General steps are list below:
1. Grab something with a straight edge that's relatively firm and not sharp. A ruler works well here or a clip board. a
2. Slide this up underneath the breast up until it meets the bottom of the breast where the breast meets your chest wall which is your breastfold.
3. Evaluate how much of the breast is overhanging that object.
4. In many cases you will notice some asymmetry between the breasts. This is very normal.
5. If the amount of the breast overhanging is <10-15% of the overall volume then you might be able to use only an implant alone to mask the droopiness. If >50% of the breast is overhanging the breast fold, then those patients are going to be much better served by lifting the breast tissue and the nipple position back onto the implant.
6. Before every breast enhancement consultation, we recommend you do this simple step of looking at before and after photos before your consultation (Dr. Albright has a great video here).
These are just some factors to consider. We recommending meeting with a board certified plastic surgeon as they will review your health history and specific goals to come up with the right surgery for you. If you found this helpful, come check out our other information on social media or our website at alamoplasticsurgery.com. We look forward to seeing you and helping you achieve your goals!