Breast Lift vs Breast Augmentation – What You Need to Know

We often talk about breast surgery, as there’s only one such procedure. And while we usually mean breast augmentation, this can get confusing and at times misleading, for, on the plastic surgery market, there are actually multiple types of surgery you can have on your breasts.

In this article, we’ll be focusing on two: breast augmentation and breast lift, as these are easily the most popular. You can also opt for breast reduction (both for females and males) and for breast reconstruction, in the event of surgery, accident, etc.

Breast Lift and Breast Augmentation Explained

As their names suggest, the two procedures do something very different to the breast. Breast augmentation (which is the most popular form of plastic surgery across the US) is the process in which an implant is inserted either under the pectoral muscle or over it, to give breasts a fuller shape. The women who undergo breast augmentation surgery are either trying to balance a size difference between their breasts, achieve a fuller figure, or restore the appearance of their breasts (which may have been affected by weight change, age, pregnancy, and many other reasons).

Breast lift surgery, on the other hand, is a procedure that involves the handling and reshaping of the existing breast tissue to correct sagging, mainly. Like breast augmentation, breast lifts are used to combat the effects of age and genetics, but unlike augmentation, they don’t require external implants.

Some places, like many breast lift Newport Beach clinics, offer a breast lift and breast augmentation combo, which might be required if the patient also wants to improve the size of the breast, and add firmness (which often disappears in sagging, older breasts).

Which Is Right for You?

In order to answer that question, we need to figure out what end goal you’re looking for here.

Generally, breast augmentation is a form of plastic surgery aimed at women who aren’t satisfied with the existing amount of breast tissue. Women with naturally small breasts, or who have lost a significant amount of breast tissue due to a massive weight loss (often the result of disease, dieting or bodybuilding), may opt for a breast augmentation procedure to restore lost tissue and bring them to their desired breast size.

Breast lift procedures, on the other hand, won’t increase your breast size. What they will do is restore the natural youthfulness and bounce of your breasts. Breast lifts are using what you already have and are aimed at women satisfied with the amount of breast tissue they already have. As such, breast lifts will look and feel far more natural than breast augmentation, because they’re simply a remodeling of the existing tissue.

So, if you’re looking to increase what you have, or to add lost volume, you should probably opt for a breast augmentation procedure.

If you want to restore the appearance and feel of your breasts, which may have been lost in time, then you should probably go for a breast lift.

Still not sure? Consult a plastic surgery specialist – they’re the ones best equipped to tell you which procedure you should choose.