Will Breast Augmentation Be Successful If Your Breasts Are Sagging?

For patients who want to add volume (and curves) to their breasts or improve their shape, the recommended option is breast augmentation. The Philadelphia area’s Dr. Kevin Cross and Dr. Jackie Lyons—plastic surgeons who regularly perform breast procedures—commonly encounters patients who are considering breast surgery, but are unsure whether a breast augmentation or another type of procedure would be the right choice for them.

Breast augmentation can be highly transformative for patients and has remained one of the most sought after procedures in recent times. Augmentation with implants can restore a more traditionally feminine, curvy upper body after weight loss or increase the size of the bust for patients who have always had small breasts. It can also make the overall body shape appear more balanced and proportional. Achieving beautiful, symmetrical breasts is about more than just their size—their shape should also be considered. 

The size, shape and color of your breasts are influenced by genetics, but they also continue to change during the average woman’s lifetime. One of the most common changes is known medically as ptosis, but in more familiar terms is simply called “sagging.”

Patients frequently ask plastic surgeons whether it will be possible for them to still get implants if their breasts are sagging, which can result from several possible causes. With increased age, the ligaments that support the breasts begin to stretch and lose elasticity. As tissues weaken and fat diminishes in the area, breasts also become less full. This is very common during menopause.

The pull of gravity can also cause breasts to eventually lose some of their firmness, especially for patients with larger breasts. Lack of proper support from a supportive bra is another reason for breast sagging. You need a properly fitting, supportive bra to maintain the breasts’ shape and lift. Smoking, excess sun exposure, and major fluctuations in weight are other factors that can contribute to sagging of the breasts.

It’s best to maintain a stable weight, practice good posture, limit sun exposure, and avoid smoking—but even still, breast changes can develop. Although it’s perfectly normal for sagging to occur, the change can cause anxiety and frustration for many women. 

Whether breast augmentation is a good idea for you if you have breast sagging depends on how severe the sagging is. During your consultation, your plastic surgeon and you will discuss whether augmentation or another type of surgery would be best. Patients who have mild sagging may still be good candidates for breast augmentation with implants to restore volume. If you have severe sagging, you made need an additional surgery or a different type of breast surgery to correct it. A breast lift surgery will be needed for nipples that droop below the lower crease of the breasts. 

Keep in mind that implants help to fill out the breasts, but do not lift them. Breast augmentation also does not remove excess skin, so an implant will not be enough to reduce the sagging in these cases. Surgery will be required to remove the stretched-out skin.

With all this in mind, patients still sometimes ask whether it’s possible for them to just get a breast augmentation with large implants to fill up the loose, stretched skin instead of getting a breast lift. These patients might be hoping to achieve attractive, perky breasts without the need for a lift. The truth is that even if the implants temporarily improved the appearance of breasts with severe sagging, you would likely eventually need to get a breast lift since breast implants can cause increased sagging of the breasts if you have significant sagging.

Another option for adding volume is fat grafting. Eligible patients are those who have enough donor fat and want to add volume to their breasts without implants.

Want to learn more about breast implants, lifts, and further details related to breast surgery? For more information about how you can benefit from breast augmentation, contact the Philadelphia and Main Line area’s Cross Medical Group. Call (215) 561-9100 or submit a contact form to request a consultation if you would like to find out more about cosmetic surgery to enhance the breasts.