How Long Will Breast Enhancement Last?

Plastic surgery is an effectively permanent way to transform your body. Even still, results don’t necessarily last forever, as normal aging processes still occur gradually and over time. That’s why many patients want to know how long their breast enhancement results will last. It turns out that there are some simple and not so simple answers to this question.

Just How Long Will Breast Enhancement Last for Patients?

As always, this blog post is intended to provide a general overview and is not intended to be used as medical advice. Only Dr. Polsen or your plastic surgeon will be able to answer questions that pertain to your specific procedure or results.

There’s one procedure where this question is relatively easy to answer, and that’s breast augmentation. If you undergo a breast augmentation with silicone or saline implants, your results will generally last as long as you keep your implants in. Once you undergo a breast explant procedure, your breasts will generally return to a size similar to their original. So, that particular breast enhancement will last for as long as the implants are left in. Things get a little harder to predict when you move on to other breast enhancement procedures, such as breast lift and breast reduction.

What Happens During a Breast Lift or Breast Reduction

Breast lifts and breast reductions are procedures that have a significant amount of mainstream appeal. Indeed, a breast lift is often performed concurrently with breast augmentation or breast reduction. But a breast lift and breast reduction accomplish two very different things:

• A breast reduction is a surgical procedure designed to eliminate or mitigate excess tissue around the breasts. As you age, excess tissue develops due to a combination of diminished skin elasticity and gravity (weight loss or weight gain is often also partially to blame). In other cases, some women simply develop larger breasts throughout the course of their lives. The larger the breasts, the more strain is put on the body over the years. Breast reduction procedures are usually intended to help women achieve a breast size more in line with what their frame can support, easing chronic pain and discomfort as a result.
• A breast lift is designed to help women appear more youthful. Rather than addressing excess tissue exclusively, breast lift procedures can change the orientation of the breasts. Sagging breasts are a normal sign of aging, but there are a variety of factors that can cause those signs to develop prematurely. A breast lift is employed to correct sag and return the breasts to a more youthful orientation. Breast lifts are also sometimes used to move the nipple to a more youthful-looking position. Breast lift procedures are often performed alongside breast reduction or breast augmentations and are commonly incorporated into a mommy makeover procedure.

In some cases, a breast lift is going to be the preferred option for a patient. In other cases, a breast reduction is going to best serve the patient. During your consultation with Dr. Polsen, you’ll be able to discuss which procedure might best serve your intended goals.

How Long Does Each Procedure Last?

Because the underlying causes of larger breasts or sagging breasts are sometimes created or exacerbated by the normal aging process, it’s natural to wonder just how long you’ll be able to enjoy your results for. Generally speaking, results from these procedures will last at least for a number of years.

But there are some variables that patients should be aware of.

Variables with Weight

One of the most profound variables that patients need to consider are those that have to do with their overall weight. Patients will be able to maintain the best possible results when they maintain a consistent weight after their procedure. Wild fluctuations in weight will typically result in diminishing returns on both breast lift and breast reduction procedures.

Variables in Wardrobe

When it comes to maintaining your breast lift results, most surgeons–including Dr. Polsen–recommend that patients be sure to have the right wardrobe options. This means finding a supportive bra in the correct size. It’s true that many breast lifts will add a certain amount of structure and support back into the breast itself, but using the right kind of bra can help ensure your results will enjoy a longer duration.

Hydration

It might sound a little funny, but ensuring you stay hydrated can actually help preserve your results in the long run. That’s because staying hydrated can improve your skin elasticity. And loss of skin elasticity can lead to sagging breasts and excess skin (again, over time–but you also want to make sure you’re preserving your results over time).

How Long Do Most Patients Enjoy Results?

Results from breast lift and breast reduction procedures are effectively permanent. This means that you won’t have to worry about your results somehow reversing themselves. But the effects of aging will continue to accumulate, even though a breast lift or breast reduction will effectively reset the clock.

Exactly how long your breast lift or breast reduction results will last depends largely on factors that are quite personal and unique. During your consultation with Dr. Polsen, you might be able to get a more accurate window in terms of how long you can expect to enjoy your results. However, most patients continue to enjoy breast lift and breast reduction results for years after their procedure has been complete.

To find out more about breast lift and breast reduction procedures, contact Dr. Charles Polsen at Clear Lake Plastic Surgery to schedule a confidential consultation.