Most people assume that only women with large breasts can suffer from sagging breasts as a result of heredity, age, weight fluctuations, or breastfeeding. The truth is far from that. Women with smaller breasts can also suffer from breast ptosis, or Boobs-Gone-South syndrome, which is why the savvy plastic surgeon Dr. Louis Benelli pioneered a new type of breast lift that he (modestly) dubbed Benelli Lift.
If the idea of having your nipple rise several inches higher on your chest so that other people think you have taller breasts is appealing, then the Benelli lift may be exactly what you need. The nice thing, as they say, is that the scars are placed around the areola area, so they are virtually invisible. The Benelli breast lift, also known as a concentric or periareolar lift, is also less invasive than most other types of breast lifts and can cost considerably less.
Benelli Breast Lift Basics
The Benelli breast lift (“donut mastopexy”) is basically a cosmetic surgery in which the “bra” of the skin is reshaped. It involves the removal of a small doughnut-shaped piece of tissue found around the edge of the areola. The surrounding tissue is then sutured to the areola using small purse-string sutures, so that the nipple appears raised.
If you think this all sounds a bit off-putting, you’re right! In some cases, the surgeon may also want to give the breasts an additional enhancement by removing another crescent-shaped piece of tissue from the top of the areola (even more unsightly). Some women may also choose to have implants inserted at the same time while under surgery to have not only firmer but also larger breasts. Keep in mind that most surgeons think that an implant is the only way to achieve fullness in the upper quadrant of the breast; this cannot be achieved by mastopexy alone.
The entire operation should take two to three hours and is performed under local anesthesia, although sedation is also used at the same time, so you won’t see your nipple cut off. Women can usually return to work within a week, although some bruising, as well as some redness and a feeling of numbness in the breast area are to be expected. In some cases it is accompanied by a loss of sensation, which can be permanent, and there is always the risk of infection and skin necrosis.
Please note that the tightening of the pouch strings in this procedure may cause wrinkles or even folds in the skin, which in some cases may be permanent. This is why it works better on women who have smaller breasts, also because it can give the breasts a more rounded shape.
If you are considering this operation, it is imperative that you obtain professional surgical advice to ensure that it is truly the right procedure for you. Don’t choose it simply because it’s less invasive or may cost less; that will hardly matter if the result is far from what you want.
benelli lollipop
This type of operation is for people whose breasts are a little more sagging, when the elasticity of the skin is a little more stretched. In this case, the nipple will need to be lifted more to achieve the firmer look. It is good for women who have larger breasts compared to those who just require a simple, streamlined Benelli, but it is not suitable for girls with very large breasts.
The surgeon will make an incision around the entire areola, not just the top, as well as make a vertical scar across the front of the breast. Obviously, the scars will be more noticeable with a lollipop lift, although there will be far less scarring than with a full mastopexy, which would involve an anchor incision and corresponding anchor-like scar. The two incisions in this lift are thought to resemble a lollipop on a stick, hence its name.
precautionary advice
Breast lifts are only realistic options for some people. You are a good potential candidate for a breast lift of any type if you have breasts that are:
* flaccid and/or droopy
* elongated and/or flat
* have lost shape and/or volume
Health considerations must also be taken into account. Only get a mastopexy if:
* you are not a smoker
* are not prone to keloid scarring
* maintain a reasonable weight
* do not plan to lose much weight in the near future
* have realistic expectations about what cosmetic surgery can do for you
* are in good general health
* are free of certain pre-existing health conditions
* enjoy good mental health
Undergoing any type of cosmetic surgery is a difficult decision to make, and one that you should only have made after giving a lot of thought to what you really want. While cosmetic surgery can often improve a person’s self-esteem, there are other ways to achieve a better self-image than reshaping your body through expensive and often dangerous surgical means.
Remember, having a breast lift means trading sagging for scars, so make sure you’re happy with the compensation before doing anything. The type of mastopexy you’ll have will depend on the amount of sagging and the cause, and you’ll also need to choose whether you’re also interested in having a breast augmentation or reduction at the same time.
If you are considering plastic surgery of any kind, do your homework first and have a detailed consultation with a qualified, Board-Certified surgeon who is experienced in performing exactly the type of operation you want to have. Alternatively, if gravity has really taken its toll on your breasts, you could always consider moving to another planet. Uranus is supposed to be nice this time of year.