Lifting and Revitalizing
Helping patients look and feel their best is the focus of Dr. Katherine B. Santosa's professional life. Dr. Santosa provides Breast Lift operations for patients with reasonable expectations for the enhancement of sagging breast tissue. She strives to deliver the best breast lifts Atlanta has to offer and works with consideration for her patients' well-being and satisfaction in mind. Don't allow sagging breasts to hinder your self-image. Instead, get back to having younger-looking and more flattering breasts. Then, schedule your consultation with Dr. Santosa right away at her practice in Sandy Springs, Georgia.
Age-Reversing Effects
Breast Lifts are a cosmetic procedure involving removing excess skin around the breast to provide a more "lifted" look. Breast Lifts rejuvenate the chest by reversing the effects of age, gravity, and other factors that lead to sagging breasts.
Restoring Confidence
Breast Lifts are an excellent option for individuals who suffer from sagging breasts due to a previous pregnancy, breastfeeding, age, weight loss, and gravity. In addition, a Breast Lift may be perfect for you if you struggle with unflattering, sagging breasts and have realistic expectations from lifting them back into place. You should not get a Breast Lift if you are pregnant, currently breastfeeding, or have any health conditions that could hinder the healing process of your procedure.
Perk Things Up
A Breast Lift can offer many benefits outside of simply restoring sagging skin. Some of the main benefits include:
Consultation
Your results, wellness, and overall experience are of our utmost importance. Dr. Santosa performs Breast Lift surgery in the operating room using general anesthesia to ensure optimal safety and comfort.
Ready for a Lift?
Good Candidates
Good candidates are generally healthy, maintain a stable weight, and want to improve breasts that appear sagging, flattened, elongated, or uneven. You should be nicotine-free and have realistic expectations for your breast shape, recovery, and permanent incision lines. Many patients schedule surgery after breastfeeding has ended and their breast size has remained stable, since future pregnancies and major weight changes can alter their results.
Who Should Wait
Breast Lift surgery may need to wait if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, actively losing a significant amount of weight, or planning a pregnancy in the near future. Dr. Santosa may also recommend postponing surgery until certain medical conditions are well managed or nicotine use has stopped for the required period. During your consultation, she’ll review your health, anatomy, skin quality, and plans for the future to help you choose the right time.
A Matter of Position
Breast ptosis is the medical term for sagging. Plastic surgeons commonly assess it using the Regnault classification, which compares the position of the nipple with the inframammary fold, or natural crease beneath the breast.
Grade 1: Mild Ptosis
The nipple sits at approximately the same level as the breast crease. A modest lift may be enough to improve the breast’s position and shape.
Grade 2: Moderate Ptosis
The nipple sits below the breast crease but remains above the lowest part of the breast. This degree of ptosis usually requires more skin removal and tissue reshaping.
Grade 3: Severe Ptosis
The nipple sits below the breast crease near the lowest point of the breast and may face downward. A more extensive lift is generally needed to reposition the breast tissue and nipple-areola complex.
Pseudoptosis
The nipple remains at or above the breast crease while much of the breast tissue hangs below it. This can create a deflated appearance even when the nipple remains relatively high. Your ptosis grade provides a useful starting point, although breast size, skin elasticity, asymmetry, and remaining volume will also influence Dr. Santosa’s recommendations.
Designed Around You
Dr. Santosa selects a Breast Lift incision technique based on the degree of ptosis, breast size, skin quality, amount of excess skin, and level of reshaping required. She’ll also consider if an implant is needed to replace lost volume.
Periareolar, Benelli, or donut lift: This technique places a circular incision around the edge of the areola. It may suit patients with mild ptosis, smaller breasts, and good skin elasticity while allowing Dr. Santosa to provide a modest lift or reduce enlarged areolas.
Vertical or lollipop lift: An incision circles the areola and continues vertically to the breast crease. This pattern offers greater control over breast shape and is commonly used for moderate ptosis or a more noticeable amount of loose skin.
Anchor or inverted-T lift: Incisions extend around the areola, down to the breast crease, and horizontally along the crease. This approach provides the greatest reshaping ability for severe ptosis, larger breasts, weaker skin elasticity, or substantial excess skin.
Your Goals, Achieved
Dr. Santosa is committed to caring for her patients with a positive outlook and a love for her profession. Dr. Santosa always gets in touch and addresses any questions you may have throughout your entire experience, from the initial consultation to your recovery. She ensures you receive all the assistance you need as you navigate this new experience. Dr. Santosa will work with you to determine your goals for the appearance of your breasts before anything is performed. This lets you be 100% satisfied with your outcome as she helps you set your expectations.
The Lift Takes Shape
Breast Lift surgery is performed under general anesthesia using the incision technique chosen during your consultation. Dr. Santosa removes excess skin, reshapes and raises the underlying breast tissue, and repositions the nipple-areola complex to a more youthful height. Stretched areolas can also be reduced when needed to better complement the new breast shape. Once the reshaping is complete, Dr. Santosa carefully closes the incisions and places a surgical bra to support the breasts during early healing. A Breast Lift generally preserves your existing breast volume, although it can be combined with implants when greater fullness or an increase in size is part of your plan.
Step-by-Step Healing
Recovery depends on the incision technique and extent of your surgery. Most patients wear a surgical or supportive sports bra 24 hours a day for approximately four to six weeks, removing it only to shower unless Dr. Santosa provides different instructions.
During the first week, swelling, bruising, tightness, and soreness are expected. Gentle walking is encouraged, although lifting, reaching overhead, and strenuous activity remain restricted. Drains, if used, are removed once fluid output has decreased sufficiently.
By the second week, many patients feel comfortable returning to desk work and light daily activities. Driving can usually resume once you can move comfortably and have stopped taking prescription pain medication.
Around weeks four to six, Dr. Santosa may clear you to begin light exercise. Running, upper-body training, and high-impact activities may require additional healing time.
At 12 weeks and beyond, most swelling has resolved, and the breasts appear closer to their final position and shape. Incision lines will continue flattening and fading as the scars mature over the following year.
Your Shape, Refreshed
Your breasts will appear higher and firmer immediately after surgery, though swelling and tightness can temporarily affect their shape. As the tissue softens and settles over the following months, your Breast Lift results will reveal a more rounded contour, improved nipple position, and better balance between the breasts.
Results can last for many years, especially when you maintain a stable weight. Natural aging will continue, and future pregnancy or significant weight changes can gradually stretch the skin again. Breast Lift scars are permanent but typically flatten and fade as they mature, with continued improvement commonly seen throughout the first year and beyond.
Breast Lift vs. Breast Lift With Implants
A Breast Lift reshapes and raises your existing breast tissue, making it a strong option if you’re comfortable with your current volume and primarily want to correct sagging. Adding implants allows Dr. Santosa to restore volume that has been lost after pregnancy, breastfeeding, weight changes, or aging while creating greater fullness through the upper breast.
| Breast Lift | Breast Lift With Implants | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary goal | Raise and reshape the breasts | Raise the breasts and add volume |
| Breast size | Generally maintains your natural volume | Can restore or increase breast size |
| Upper breast fullness | Limited by your existing tissue | Creates greater upper-pole fullness |
| Best suited for | Sagging with adequate natural volume | Sagging combined with volume loss |
| Long-term care | No implant monitoring required | Implants require monitoring and may involve future surgery |
Your breast size, skin quality, degree of sagging, and preferred shape will help determine the best approach. If you want a fuller result along with a lift, Dr. Santosa may recommend a Breast Lift With Implants.
Our Atlanta breast lift patients will want to avoid smoking, alcohol, unhealthy diets, and anti-inflammatory medications. You should also avoid strenuous activity, lifting more than ten pounds, and sleeping on your side or stomach for at least two weeks after your procedure. You will see immediate results, but you may know a lot of bruising after your Breast Lift. Your incisions will heal, as well as your bruises and swelling, around three to four weeks post-procedure. Most people feel comfortable enough to return to work after about a week.
Long-Lasting Improvement
During your recovery, Dr. Santosa will provide supplements to help your body heal any bruising faster. She will also contact you for a follow-up appointment the day after your procedure. Dr. Santosa and her team are adamant about ensuring you are not alone during this new experience. So schedule your Breast Lift consultation today.
As time goes on, the scars will be significantly less noticeable, but they will likely be permanent. Dr. Santosa does a remarkable job of concealing scars in natural creases of your body. However, other cosmetic procedures, such as laser treatments, can be used to reduce scar appearance.
Breast Lifts are not considered risky, but some complications can arise. These include scarring, bleeding, hematoma, blood clots, asymmetry, infections, or numbness in the breast tissue or nipple.
Breast Lift procedures vary in cost depending on the patient’s individual needs. During your consultation, Dr. Santosa’s team can provide an accurate estimate and answer any questions about payment and financing. Breast Lifts are typically not covered by insurance.
Discuss your personalized treatment with Dr. Santosa today
Dr. Santosa delivers a well-rounded treatment experience through combined science, compassion, and experience. Begin your journey with trusted board-certified Atlanta plastic surgeon Dr. Katherine B. Santosa in Sandy Springs, and rest assured that you have selected your best path to exquisite results.
At Evelina Plastic Surgery and Aesthetics, we are proud to be a women-owned practice committed to delivering exceptional care and outstanding results. Our dedication to excellence ensures that we stand out as a trusted choice for premier plastic surgery and aesthetic services in the Atlanta-metro area.
