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(501) 224-1044
MASTOPEXY · LITTLE ROCK, AR
Breast Lift
Breastfeeding, weight loss, and time all pull the bustline down, and no amount of exercise pulls it back. A breast lift trims the excess skin and tissue and raises your breasts to where they used to sit; perkier, more youthful, and proportioned to the rest of you. Dr. Suzanne Yee and Dr. Homayoun Pournik perform the procedure at the practice’s accredited surgical center in Little Rock.
2–3 hrs
General anesthesia, home the same day
~1–2 wks
Back to work for most patients
6 wks
Final shape once swelling resolves
What a breast lift changes
A breast lift, or mastopexy, removes excess skin and reshapes the tissue underneath to raise the position of your bustline. It does not change your breast size; it changes where your breasts sit and what shape they hold.
LIFT
Perkiness, back
Pregnancy and breastfeeding leave breasts stretched or sagging; significant weight loss can leave them looking flat. A lift removes the excess skin and restores a perkier, more proportional shape.
POSITION
Nipples pointing forward again
When breasts sag, the nipples often point downward or sit below the natural crease. A lift repositions the nipple-areolar complex and brings symmetry back to breasts that have drifted apart.
COMFORT
The everyday things
Drooping breasts trap moisture and cause chafing. Removing the excess skin ends the irritation; and most women find the new shape means clothes fit the way they are meant to.
Types of breast lift
How much lift you need determines how the lift is done, and whether anything is combined with it. Our team assesses your breasts, your skin elasticity, and your goals, then recommends the approach that fits.
Conventional (anchor) lift
The standard approach for significant sagging. An anchor-shaped incision runs from the bottom of the areola down to the base of the breast and along the breast crease, giving full access to remove excess skin and reshape the tissue.
- Best for: significant sagging
- Incision: anchor-shaped
- Scarring: most extensive, hidden in the crease and around the areola
Periareolar lift
For mild sagging only. A circular incision around the areola does the work, which means minimal scarring, but it cannot achieve as much lift as the anchor technique.
- Best for: mild sagging
- Incision: circular, around the areola
- Scarring: minimal
Lollipop lift
For moderate sagging. A circular incision around the areola plus a vertical incision running down to the breast crease, which looks like a lollipop. It allows more reshaping than the periareolar lift while avoiding the horizontal scar along the crease that the anchor technique leaves.
- Best for: moderate sagging
- Incision: areola plus a vertical line to the crease
- Scarring: none along the crease
Lift with implants
A lift repositions your breasts but cannot make them larger or restore roundness. If breastfeeding or weight loss has cost you volume as well as position, saline or silicone implants placed during the same procedure address both.
- Best for: lost volume and position
- Adds: implants
- Result: perkiness and fullness
Lift with liposuction
In some cases liposuction is used to finely sculpt the tissue around the breasts, refining the contour of the surrounding area rather than the breast itself.
- Best for: refining the surrounding contour
- Adds: liposuction
- Result: a cleaner line
Are you a candidate?
A breast lift suits women whose breasts have lost shape or volume through childbearing, weight loss, or simply time. You may be a good candidate if:
- Your breasts look flat or tubular, or they sag below the natural crease where the breast meets the chest.
- Your nipples point downward, or your areolas have enlarged.
- You are in good general health. Some chronic or immunocompromising conditions rule out cosmetic surgery.
- You do not smoke; it impedes healing and raises your risk of certain complications.
- You are at a stable weight. Significant gain or loss afterward will interfere with your results.
- You have realistic expectations. Dr. Yee and Dr. Pournik will make sure you understand what to anticipate before anything is scheduled.
Lift, implants, or both
This is the decision most patients are actually making. A breast lift repositions drooping breasts, but it cannot significantly change their size or restore roundness. Women who have breastfed or lost significant weight have often lost volume as well as position, which is why combining a lift with implants gets many patients a more complete result than either alone. Our team will tell you honestly which one your goals call for.
What to expect on procedure day
Breast lift surgery is performed as an outpatient procedure at the practice’s Little Rock surgical center. You are given general anesthesia, so you are comfortable and asleep throughout.
Dr. Yee or Dr. Pournik makes the incision based on the plan set at your consultation and the markings drawn before surgery. Depending on how much lift you need, that incision may be periareolar (around the edge of the areola), lollipop (around the areola and straight down to the breast crease), or anchor (the lollipop pattern plus a line along the crease). Your surgeon then removes excess skin, reshapes the breast tissue, and improves symmetry between the two sides. If implants or liposuction are part of your plan, that happens at this stage. To finish, the nipple and areola are repositioned so the breasts look natural rather than merely lifted.
Recovery and results
Recovery from a breast lift is straightforward but not brief. The main thing it asks of you is patience with the chest: no bending over, no straining, and no rushing back to the gym.
- FIRST WEEK
Rest at home. Avoid bending over or otherwise straining the chest while the incisions are healing. - WEEKS 1 TO 4+
Swelling and bruising are expected, and can last a month or more. This is normal rather than a sign that something has gone wrong. - SEVERAL WEEKS
Most patients wear a support bra throughout this period. - 6 WEEKS
Heavy lifting and strenuous exercise resume, not before. - 1 TO 2 YEARS
Scars start red and raised, then flatten and fade to a thin white line. Most breast lift scars are easily concealed, even under a bikini top. - LONG TERM
A lift restores perkiness but cannot stop gravity. As skin elasticity drops with age, some of the new shape will go. Avoiding weight fluctuations and wearing supportive bras during exercise slows it down.
Why choose a board-certified surgeon
A breast lift is a trade between shape and scar. How much tissue is repositioned, which incision pattern is used, and where the nipple lands are decisions made for your anatomy, and they determine whether the result holds or drops again within a few years.
Serious complications are uncommon, but risks exist, including changes in nipple sensation, asymmetry, and scarring that varies by how your skin heals. Dr. Yee and Dr. Pournik review your specific risks at consultation so you can decide with full information.
WHAT SETS OUR TEAM APART?
- Two board-certified surgeons, so your plan is reviewed from more than one experienced perspective
- Combined decades of breast lift, reduction, and augmentation experience, from fellowship-trained technique to 20+ years in practice
- Careful management of tension and scar placement, planned for your skin and anatomy
- Experience with post-weight-loss breast reconstruction, where skin quality changes the plan
Combining with other procedures
A lift is frequently one part of a bigger plan. Implants are the most common addition, restoring the fullness a lift alone cannot. For patients whose bodies changed through pregnancy, a mommy makeover combines breast work with abdominal contouring in a single staged plan.
WHY CHOOSE DR. YEE
Dr. Suzanne Yee, MD, FACS
- Triple Board-Certified Cosmetic Surgeon
- ★★★★★
- 4.8 · 387 Google reviews
Dr. Suzanne Yee is a triple board-certified cosmetic surgeon in Little Rock, AR, who offers a wide variety of surgical and non-invasive treatments. Dr. Yee is affiliated with several prestigious organizations. Her memberships include:
- Fellow of American Board of Cosmetic Surgery
- Fellow of American Board of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery
- Fellow of American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
- Fellow of American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
- Fellow of the American College of Surgeons
- Fellow of American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, Inc.
- Fellow of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
- Fellow of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery
To schedule a consultation at our state-of-the-art surgical center, please contact us online or call (501) 224-1044.
BOARD CERTIFICATIONS & AFFILIATIONS
WHY CHOOSE DR. POURNIK
Homayoun Pournik, MD
- Fellowship-Trained Cosmetic Surgeon
A breast lift is a tissue problem before it is an aesthetic one. How much skin to remove, how far the nipple can safely move, whether what is left will hold its shape; those judgments come from understanding how tissue behaves, not from an eye for symmetry alone.
Dr. Pournik spent twelve years in transplant surgery, performing around 300 organ transplants and becoming the first surgeon to perform robotic kidney transplant in both California and North Carolina. His cosmetic fellowship, through the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, covered roughly 1,800 procedures in a single year, with breast lift, reduction, and augmentation among them, including post-weight-loss reconstruction, where the skin has the furthest to go.
“It’s very hard to scare me in the operating room, because I’ve taken the engine out and put it back in.”
He asks every patient the same question at every follow-up, day one, one week, six months. Are you happy?
BOARD CERTIFICATIONS & AFFILIATIONS
REAL PATIENTS
Before & After
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CONTACT US
Ready for the new you?
A youthful figure does not have to stay in the rear-view mirror. Dr. Pournik will assess your breasts, review your medical history, and talk through your concerns, then build a plan around what you actually want, or tell you honestly if a lift is not it.
Frequently asked questions
Dr. Yee or Dr. Pournik will assess your breasts, go over your medical records, and discuss your concerns to establish whether you are a good candidate. If you are, he builds a treatment plan around your needs and preferences.
Some scarring is inevitable after surgery, though an experienced surgeon minimizes it as much as possible. Scars start red and raised, then flatten and fade to a thin white line over one to two years. Most breast lift scars are easily concealed, even under a bikini top.
A lift restores perkiness but cannot stop gravity. As skin elasticity drops with age, your breasts will slowly lose some of their new shape. Avoiding weight fluctuations and wearing supportive bras, especially during exercise, decreases the risk of sagging.
No. A lift repositions drooping breasts but cannot significantly change their size or restore roundness. If you have lost volume as well as position, combining the lift with implants addresses both.
Dr. Yee and Dr. Pournik generally perform breast lifts on patients 18 and older whose breasts have finished developing. The best candidates are at a stable weight and are not planning further pregnancies, because weight changes and breastfeeding can reverse the lift. If implants are part of your plan, FDA guidelines set a minimum age of 18 for saline implants and 22 for silicone. There is no upper age limit as long as you are in good health, which your surgeon confirms at consultation.
Plan to rest at home for about a week, avoiding bending over or straining your chest. Swelling and bruising can last a month or more. Most patients wear a support bra for several weeks, and heavy lifting and strenuous exercise wait at least six weeks.
Cost depends on the technique used and whether implants or liposuction are combined with it.
