Breast Lift (Mastopexy) Sunshine Coast

The clinical word for sagging is ptosis. Skin tends to lose its stretchiness faster than the tissue underneath, and several things speed that up. Pregnancy is a big one. So is breastfeeding. Big weight changes do it too, as does ageing. Genetics also play a role; some women see changes in their twenties, others not until well after menopause. A useful self-check is the position of the nipple relative to the inframammary fold (the crease beneath the breast). If the nipple sits at or below that crease, or points downward, it’s likely the ptosis is significant enough that a lift would help. Other clues include bras that no longer fit well, or a feeling that the breast tissue has migrated south while the top of the breast has hollowed out. None of this can be diagnosed from a photo or a description, though, which is why we ask you to come in for a clinical assessment at our Maroochydore rooms.

A lift on its own will not add or take away much volume on its own. What it changes is shape and position. After surgery the breast sits higher, the contour feels firmer, and the silhouette looks fuller because the tissue is redistributed rather than pooled at the bottom. Plenty of patients say their breasts look bigger after a lift, even though nothing was added. The reshaping does that. But a lift can’t replace tissue that’s already gone. So if breastfeeding or weight loss has thinned things out and you want that volume back, you’ll need an implant in the same operation. That’s known as an augmentation-mastopexy. If one or both breasts are heavier than you’d prefer, a reduction can be folded into the same plan. We map all of this out at consultation. Note that combined procedures carry their own risks, which Dr Fraser-Kirk will go through with you in detail.

Different patterns suit different degrees of ptosis. The decision comes down to two things: how much loose skin has to come off, and how far the nipple needs to travel to reach its new position. Mild cases sometimes only need a peri-areolar (Benelli) or crescent incision, where the scar hides at the border of the areola. For moderate sag, the lollipop or vertical pattern is more common, adding a vertical line from the areola down to the breast crease. When there is a lot of skin to remove, the anchor (or Wise) pattern is generally needed, which includes a horizontal incision along the inframammary fold. Yes, the more sag you start with, the more scar you tend to end up with; there’s no way around that trade-off. Dr Fraser-Kirk talks you through the options at consultation, including the risks of each approach (wound healing problems, asymmetry, areolar widening, and the small possibility that revision surgery is needed down the track). Individual results vary.

Scarring is unavoidable with any breast lift; the goal is to keep the scars where they are easily concealed and to support them through the stages of healing. In the first few weeks the incisions look red, sit slightly raised, and feel tender. Around weeks six to eight, scars usually look their worst. Pink. Dense. Sometimes purplish. That’s collagen being laid down to seal the wound. Things calm down after that. Scars soften, flatten, and fade in stages. By the 12-month visit most patients are much happier with how they look, but full settling can take up to 18 months. Healing is genuinely individual. Some women end up with scars that are barely visible. Others end up with scars that stay pink or raised. A small minority develop hypertrophic or keloid scars, particularly if there’s a personal or family history of either. The placement (around the areola, down the lower breast, and along the inframammary fold) means most of the scar tucks neatly under bras and swimwear. Silicone tape or sheets, sun protection, and following the post-op scar-care plan all help. Dr Fraser-Kirk hands you a written scar protocol at your discharge appointment.

Most patients head home the same day in a surgical bra, although some (particularly those with combined procedures) stay one night in hospital. The bra is worn day and night for the first few weeks; it’s not glamorous, but it does important work supporting the tissues while they knit into their new position. Pain in the first few days is real, though most patients describe it as more soreness than sharp pain. Prescribed analgesics handle it. Bruising and swelling tend to peak somewhere between day three and day seven before easing back. If you have a desk job, plan on 10 to 14 days off. If your work is physical, plan on longer. Anything that gets the heart racing or stresses the chest is out for four to six weeks. That includes running, lifting, push-ups, and quite a bit of yoga. The breasts continue to settle over several months as swelling subsides and the tissue softens, so don’t judge the final result by what you see in the first few weeks. Follow-up appointments are booked at regular intervals so Dr Fraser-Kirk can monitor your healing and pick up any issues early. Recovery times vary between patients.

Yes, sensation can change. The nerves supplying the nipple sit close to the area being lifted, so most patients experience either heightened sensitivity or partial numbness in the early weeks. For the majority, sensation gradually returns to normal over weeks or months as the nerves recover. A smaller group experience longer-lasting changes, and in rare cases the alteration is permanent: either reduced, lost, or persistently hypersensitive. The bigger the lift and the more the nipple has to be repositioned, the higher the risk. This is something Dr Fraser-Kirk discusses with you specifically at consultation, based on the technique your case calls for.

Most women retain the ability to breastfeed after a lift, but it can’t be guaranteed. The risk to milk supply is greater when the nipple has to travel a longer distance, or when the milk ducts beneath the areola are disturbed during reshaping. Different techniques carry different levels of risk; some preserve more ductal continuity than others. If breastfeeding in future matters to you, raise it specifically at consultation, where Dr Fraser-Kirk will factor that into the surgical plan and be straight with you about what is realistic. As a general rule, we suggest waiting until you’ve finished having children before considering a lift, because pregnancy and breastfeeding afterwards can change the result you’ve paid for.

Suitability comes down to a few factors. Generally, a good candidate is in reasonable general health, at or close to a stable weight, not currently pregnant or breastfeeding, and either finished having children or comfortable with the possibility that further pregnancies could alter the result. Smoking and vaping are deal-breakers. If you smoke or vape, you’ll need to be off nicotine well before the operation and right through recovery. Here’s why we’re so firm on this. Nicotine constricts blood vessels. Constricted vessels deliver less oxygen. Healing tissue without oxygen does badly: wound breakdown, infection, and in the worst cases, loss of skin or nipple tissue. Realistic expectations matter. So does anatomy. A lift will reposition your breasts and reshape them, but it can’t pause biology. Gravity, weight, hormones, and ageing all keep working on the breast in the years that follow. Whether a lift is right for you, and which technique fits your goals, has to be worked out face to face. Not online. Outcomes vary from patient to patient.

Yes. Combining is fairly common. The most popular pairing is a lift with an augmentation, known as augmentation-mastopexy, which sorts out shape and volume in one go. This route often suits patients who have lost upper-pole fullness through breastfeeding or weight loss. A lift can also be combined with a reduction (lifting and reducing in one go), or included as part of a wider body-contouring plan after major weight loss. The trade-offs of combining procedures are real: longer time under anaesthetic, a more complex healing process, and a higher risk of complications such as wound healing problems or asymmetry compared with each operation done on its own. Whether a combined approach is sensible for you depends on your overall health, anatomy, and goals, and Dr Fraser-Kirk will work through this with you in detail rather than make assumptions.

A lift produces a genuine repositioning of the breast tissue, but it doesn’t pause the biology underneath. The breasts go on ageing as they otherwise would: gravity continues to act, skin elasticity continues to decline, and weight changes or further pregnancies can shift the shape over time. Heavier breasts tend to drop again sooner than smaller ones, simply because there is more weight pulling on the supporting tissue. Patients who keep their weight steady and wear good support during exercise generally hold their result longer. How long the outcome lasts varies from person to person; some women remain happy for many years before thinking about a revision, others sooner. Surgery after you’ve finished having children removes one of the main variables that accelerates change. Individual results vary, and revision surgery is sometimes needed.

In most cases a mastopexy is treated as a cosmetic procedure and is not covered. Medicare rebates can apply in specific situations where the degree of ptosis meets defined clinical criteria. There are two relevant Medicare item numbers. The bilateral one is 45558. To qualify, two-thirds or more of the breast tissue (nipple included) must hang below the inframammary fold, and you’ll need photographs to back this up. The unilateral code, 45556, can apply if just one breast is affected, usually in the context of breast cancer or a developmental issue. When a valid MBS item number is assigned, patients with appropriate private hospital cover may also be able to claim hospital and theatre costs through their health fund. Note that a referral from your GP (or another specialist) is required for all patients seeking cosmetic surgery in Australia, in line with current AHPRA guidelines, not only for those claiming Medicare. Our team can discuss whether your situation is likely to meet the criteria at your initial consultation, and we recommend checking your level of cover with your health fund before booking.

Like every operation performed under general anaesthetic, a mastopexy carries risks. The general surgical risks include bleeding, haematoma formation, infection, an adverse reaction to the anaesthetic, and the small but serious risk of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. Procedure-specific risks include wound healing problems (more likely in smokers, diabetics, and those with a high BMI), changes in nipple or breast skin sensation that may be permanent, partial or complete loss of the nipple-areola complex in rare cases, asymmetry between the two breasts, widened or thickened scars, hypertrophic or keloid scarring, fat necrosis, fluid collection (seroma), and an inability to breastfeed in future. Some patients are not satisfied with the aesthetic result and elect to have revision surgery, which is a separate operation with its own costs and risks. The chance of any one of these complications is generally low, but they are real possibilities and Dr Fraser-Kirk goes through them in detail at consultation so you can give properly informed consent. All surgery carries risk and individual outcomes vary.

Cosmetic surgery in Australia is regulated by AHPRA, and there are a few specific steps required before you can proceed to the operating theatre. First, a referral from your GP (or another medical specialist) is mandatory, and we cannot book a surgical consultation without one. The referral is independent of any Medicare claim and applies to all cosmetic surgery patients. At your initial consultation Dr Fraser-Kirk will take a full medical history, examine you, discuss the technique most appropriate for your anatomy, walk you through the risks, recovery, scarring, costs, and realistic outcomes, and answer your questions. You should expect this to take time and to leave with written information to read at home. A mandatory cooling-off period of at least seven days then applies between the date you provide informed consent for surgery and the date the procedure is performed. The purpose of this period is to give you time to reflect, ask further questions, and confirm that surgery is the right decision for you. Patients under 18 are subject to a longer cooling-off period of at least three months and a mandatory mental health assessment, in line with AHPRA requirements. You are free to change your mind at any point. If you have any questions about consent, costs, or what to expect, please contact our Maroochydore rooms before booking.