Will Big Implants Lift My Sagging Breasts?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have saggy breasts and I was hoping to avoid a lift so I would’t have scarring. Is it possible with a bigger implant not placed under the muscle that this can be achieved? I did try on 600cc with a bra and a shirt over and decided I wanted bigger. I was thinking of 800cc. I know I’m not the Dr. and this is something you would know more about. So with some of these things I’ve mentioned. Could you tell me if this can be a possibility. Thank you so much for your time.

A: One of the great dilemmas in breast enhancement surgery is that of the sagging breast. It is a common misconception that an implant is going to lift a saggy breast. While that is true for the very smallest amount of breast sag, it will simply not work for what most women perceive as breast sagging. If an implant can not lift a breast, a bigger implant will not do so either. As a matter of fact, the bigger an implant is in breast sagging, the worse the result may appear afterwards if a lift is not done at the same time.

So in what cases will an implant help lift a breast? Check where the position of the nipple is. If the nipple is at or just below the lower breast fold, some form of a lift is going to be needed. The other way is to do the pencil test. If a pencil placed underneath the breast stays, then a breast lift will be needed as too much sag is present.

In reality, implants help re-expand a deflated breast but it will not really lift a sagging one.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana