Droopy Breasts

Patients with droopy breast suffer from a relatively common condition, specifically deflation and descent of the soft tissue envelope and contents of the breast leading to a droopy breast appearance. In most cases, droopiness of the breasts is caused by age and postpartum. The  shrinking of the breast gland (mammary involutional hypoplasia) occurs after breastfeeding and then drooping of the breasts from the weight of pendulous, heavy breasts during breastfeeding. With age, deflation and descent, the droopy breast can appear aesthetically displeasing and is a frequent cause for women with lack of perkiness and projection to seek breast enhancement surgery.

Patients with droopy breasts can be treated with a variety of techniques. The most common procedure for significantly droopy breasts is called a breast lift surgery. Breast lift surgery (also called mastopexy) involves removing skin from around the areola and under the breast and tightening the breast envelope, resulting in an elevation and perkiness of the breast mound and the nipple areola complex.

The advantage of this breast lift procedure is repositioning of the entire breast gland with tightening of the loose, lax skin envelope. One of the disadvantages of the breast lift procedure are the scars that must be placed on the breast. However, with the advances in lasers and other techniques most breast scars following breast lift surgery can be treated and heal very well.

Other treatments that can be used to treat droopiness of the breast, if the droopiness is mild to moderate, include breast augmentation surgery. Breast augmentation surgery involves the insertion of a breast implant either under the gland or under the pectoralis muscle (the muscle responsible for the movement of the shoulder joint). Breast implants can be either silicone cohesive gel filled, round or tear drop shaped or saline, saltwater filled, either round or tear drop shaped.

Recurrence of droopiness of the breast following a breast lift surgery is uncommon but can occur. Recurrent droopiness is most common when a breast implant surgery is combined with breast lift adding to heaviness to the breast and over years of stretching and descent of the loose skin envelope. Recurrent droopiness of the breast can be treated with a repeat breast lift surgery.