Introduction
Majority of the patients who get the breast lift have large and moderate breast sizes. However, there are also many patients with overly large breasts that have sagged over time. Keep in mind that the larger your breast, the more it is prone to becoming saggy. Excessively large breasts can easily become saggy over time. Besides the aesthetic flaws brought about by breast sagginess, overlarge breasts also carry more weight, which causes physical discomforts and pain for the patient.
If your breasts are overly large and have sagged, you may consider getting the breast lift. However, patients with excessively large breasts are recommended to get a combined surgery of breast lift and breast reduction. By doing so, your breasts will not only become firmer and youthful but also decrease in size, which can alleviate the physical pain associated with the overly large breasts.
Development of overly large breasts
Even though most women desire to have large breasts because they look beautiful and sexy and make you look more feminine and fertile, the condition can affect your life in many ways when the breasts become overly enlarged. Overly large breasts not only look aesthetically unpleasant but also create pain in the neck, back, and shoulders. Furthermore, excessively large breasts come with an increased weight that can make the breasts saggy.
Many people ask as to why the breasts become overly large. Well, the breasts primarily become excessively large due to genetic factors. If someone in your immediate family has overly large breasts, there is a chance you may also develop the same condition. Other causes of overdevelopment of the breasts include hormonal fluctuations in the body, massive weight gain, and the use of medicines like steroids.
Overly large breasts can sag easily
Overly large breasts sag quickly and easily. Keep in mind that the female breasts are primarily made of fat, glandular tissue, and muscles, and it is covered by skin. The breasts become overly large when the fat content increases in the breasts. In some cases, the epithelial tissues experience enlargement that can trigger an overgrowth of the breasts.
The skin that encompasses your breasts need to retain its elasticity so that your breasts can appear firmer and tighter. But when the breasts increase in size, it expands the breast skin. There is a particular threshold to which the breast skin can stretch. When that threshold is crossed, the elastin in the skin becomes weak and damaged. This causes the breasts to sag easily.
Furthermore, factors like pregnancy, weight changes, gravity, and breastfeeding can make the sagginess worse. If you have huge breasts and get pregnant, the hormonal changes taking place in your body will enlarge your breasts, which can affect the skin elastin. These factors also lead to separation of the breast muscles that are also responsible for maintaining the firmness and youthfulness of your breasts.
When overly large breasts become saggy, they look worse than smaller to moderate breasts that become saggy. Severe sagginess can cause very large breasts to hang very low on your body. When the breasts become saggy, you may experience lower self-esteem.
Breast lift for patients with overly large breasts
The breast lift can also be performed on patients with overly large breasts that have become saggy. However, if you have huge breasts that are saggy and causing physical pain for you, you should consider getting a combo of breast lift and breast reduction. Let’s discuss both procedures separately.
To start with, if your breasts are overly large and saggy but the condition is not creating physical pain for you, you may consider getting the breast lift alone instead of the combo procedure. However, keep in mind that overly large breasts are prone to becoming saggy after the breast lift.
The plastic surgeon will determine your eligibility for the breast lift during the pre-operative consultation. He will examine your breasts and ask as to how the condition is affecting your life. He will also measure your breast dimensions and ask you about your aesthetic goals. The doctor will also assess your health to make sure you are fit for the surgery that involves incisions and surgical trauma.
The breast lift is performed under general anesthesia, meaning that you will remain fully asleep throughout the surgery. After the anesthesia is administered, the plastic surgeon will start the operation by placing incisions on the breasts. Since your breasts are large, you may require longer incisions. After making the incisions, the doctor will tighten the loose breast muscles through the incisions.
If your nipples are saggy and pointing downwards, he will remove and implant them higher on the breasts where they can appear firmer and lead forward. Furthermore, if your areolas have expanded, the surgeon will trim the skin from the sides so that they can decrease in size. In the next step, the plastic surgeon will excise the excess skin from the breasts. The excess skin is the primary cause why your breasts have become saggy. He will then suture and close the incisions.
After the recovery period which usually comprises of six weeks, your breasts will become firmer and tighter again. However, there is a risk that gravity and other factors will take a toll on your breasts and make them saggy again because your breasts are overly large. To get sustainable results, you should consider getting a combined surgery of breast lift and breast reduction.
The combo surgery involves the same steps as narrated above, with a few additions. The plastic surgeon will make incisions on the breasts and then use the incisions to remove the excess glandular tissue and fat from the breasts. Liposuction may also be employed if necessary. Keep in mind that the breasts become overly large due to the surplus fat and glandular tissue.
After removing the excess tissue and fat, the surgeon will tighten the breast muscles and then remove the surplus skin from the breasts that is making the breast saggy. Reduction of the areolas and rising of the nipples may also be performed if necessary. The surgeon will suture and close the incisions in the last step, after which the surgery will come to an end.
Recovery and the results
Whether you get only the breast lift or a combo of breast lift and breast reduction, you will have to go through a complete recovery process. The primary recovery takes place during the first two weeks following the operation, but full recovery can take up to six weeks.
During the first two weeks, the patient must be prudent and wait to see the results. You must avoid physical movements during this time and do not sleep on your front or abdomen, as it can apply pressure to the incisions and trigger complications like wound dehiscence.
Furthermore, the patient must avoid strenuous activities for six weeks. Strenuous activities like exercises, weight lifting, stretching, jumping, and swimming can apply pressure to the breasts, which can split open the incisions and lead to infection and poor and abnormal healing. The results of the breast lift will gradually become prominent after many weeks or months.
As the post-operative swelling subsides and the incisions heal, you will notice the improvements introduced to the breasts. The results will emerge in the form of perky, tighter, youthful, and luscious breasts. If you have undergone the combined surgery of breast lift and breast reduction, your breasts will not only look perky and youthful but also smaller in size. Furthermore, the physical pain and discomforts associated with having the overly large breasts will also decrease or disappear.
To enjoy the results on a sustainable basis, be sure to avoid massive weight fluctuations and pregnancy. Weight changes and pregnancy are the primary causes of the development of saggy and overly large breasts. What this means is that these factors can reverse the results achieved with the breast lift or the combo of breast lift and reduction.
Conclusion
Overly large breasts are prone to easily becoming saggy than large, moderate, and smaller breasts. Excessively large breasts come with additional weight, which exerts more pressure on the breast muscles and skin. As a result, the breasts become saggy. Moreover, when women with excessively large breasts become pregnant or experience massive weight changes, the breasts become easily saggy. Overly large breasts are also associated with physical pain in different areas of the body, such as back, neck, and shoulder pain. The breast lift can effectively treat overly large breasts that have become saggy. However, most plastic surgeons recommend the combined surgery of breast lift and reduction for excessively large breasts. I have explained both procedures for the treatment of overly large, saggy breasts in detail in this article.