The answer is dependant on the degree of breast droop. In cases of very minor breast droop, a teardrop implant alone can be used in one step to both lift the breast and increase the size. This is uncommon.

If there is significant breast droop an implant alone will only create a bigger droopy breast. In such cases a breast lift will be required. Usually Dr Stradwick can do this simultaneously – a mastopexy augment. However in cases of severe breast droop or revisional cases Dr Stradwick will recommend a staged approach where the breast drooping is corrected first followed by a breast augmentation later.

Provided a natural result is the desired outcome then the size of the implant is really dictated by the dimensions of the existing breast and chest wall. Dr Stradwick will take careful measurements of your breast and chest and recommend an implant based on those measurements.

This will depend on the shape of the existing breast and also the desired result. A teardrop implant may be suitable in a patient with very minor breast droop because when used correctly these implants can correct the appearance of a drooping breast without the need for a surgical breast lift. In most cases of mastopexy augmentation a round implant will be used.

In the majority of cases the answer will be a bit of both. In most cases at least the upper part of the implant is placed beneath the pectoralis muscle. This helps disguise the top of the implant. A visible implant in the upper pole of the breast looks very unnatural and obviously “fake”.

In augmentation mastopexy Dr Stradwick would usually use a textured implant. This is because a textured implant is designed to adhere to the chest wall helping to stabilise the breast. A smooth implant does not adhere to the chest and is designed to move up – and down – which is exactly what you don’t want after a breast lift.

All cases are different and some breasts are more difficult than others. Women with large pectoralis muscles or significant droop can take longer than average. Similarly women with significant asymmetry require more time to achieve the best result. Conversely women with minor droop and who are seeking a modest enlargement can be comparatively straightforward. This is also the reason Dr Stradwick varies the fees for the procedure depending on the complexity of the case.

A drain is a piece of soft tubing that removes blood from around the implant. This is usually removed the day after surgery. Dr Stradwick believes that even in cases when the pocket for the implant appears “dry” ie there is no active bleeding at the end of the operation, there is inevitable leaking from the tissues in the early post-op period. If left around an implant there is evidence that this contributes to the development of capsular contracture.

The answer is usually yes. This depends on whether breast tissue as well as skin needs to be removed. It also depends on whether breast feeding has taken place within the last 7 years.

The breast is a modified sweat gland and therefore just an expansion of skin in many ways. Breast lift alone only involves modifying the breast gland and not the underlying muscles of the chest wall. It is therefore not very painful. However if a simultaneous augmentation is performed the implant is placed under the pectoralis muscle. This involves cutting part of the muscle and is therefore more uncomfortable than a lift procedure alone.

This would depend on the type of work but typically people are back to performing 90% of their usual activities by 3 weeks. It is advisable to organise at least 2 weeks but preferably 3 weeks of recovery time. This includes unpaid housework just as much as paid work.

In a breast reduction the aim is to reduce the size of the breast gland, lift the nipple position and remove excess skin to produce a lighter but also aesthetically pleasing breast.

In a breast lift or mastopexy the aim is to preserve and reshape the existing breast tissue rather than remove it. At the same time the nipple is elevated and excess skin removed. Often the process of reshaping produces a fuller and larger appearing breast.

In both breast lift and breast reduction Dr Stradwick uses a very similar vertical technique with identical scars in both procedures.

Yes. However previous mammograms will no longer be useful comparison because the breasts have changed. A new baseline mammogram should be performed 6 months after surgery for those women eligible for screening.