Over time, the size and shape of a woman’s breasts can change significantly under the influence of several factors, including pregnancy and breastfeeding, significant weight loss, and ageing. These are the most common causes of breast sagging and droopiness. Fortunately, breast lift surgery, also known as mastopexy, is a highly effective treatment to restore firmer and perky breasts.
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As women seek less invasive alternatives to a breast lift, more and more people are exploring what non-surgical breast lift options are available in the UK. Procedures which involve no incisions, scars or anaesthesia are generally seen as highly attractive for many patients as they do not involve significant recovery or downtime. This means women can return to their everyday activities much quicker than having a breast uplift in London. It is essential to bear in mind that despite there being many different non-surgical breast lift treatments, none of them can produce results that are as long-lasting or effective as a surgical mastopexy procedure.
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At Centre for Surgery, we offer a wide range of non-surgical treatment options for many aesthetic concerns. Our treatment philosophy is always to suggest the least invasive treatment option and the procedure that will give the best results. However, in some cases, surgery is the only way that you’re going to get the best results.
Are there treatments available to lift breasts naturally?
There is an extensive range of treatments that patients often find online with claims of being able to lift breasts naturally. Many patients find they can improve the tone and strengthen their chest wall muscles which may give the impression of a more lifted appearance to the breasts, but this simple intervention does not produce results comparable to breast lift Surgery for droopy breasts. Typical exercises that patients may try include bench presses and push-up exercises to lift breasts naturally. The improvement in posture is often due to strengthening the underlying muscle and not the breast itself. Many patients may also derive benefits from regular swimming. It’s important to remember that to produce improvement, these exercises have to be carried out regularly and consistently over a significant period.
Non-surgical breast treatments which patients may find online include:
- Vampire breast lift – this treatment makes use of a patient’s own plasma, which is drawn from the patient’s blood. Although claimed to improve the appearance of sagging breasts, it has not been proven to have any long-term benefit and should not be carried out on women who have previously had breast cancer or are pregnant or breastfeeding.
- Thread lifts – although thread lifts are most commonly used for face and neck rejuvenation, they have been used to attempt to lift the breasts. As with other parts of the body, thread lifting of the breast is only a temporary treatment and cannot achieve results as good as breast lift surgery.
- Non-invasive radiofrequency (RF) skin tightening – there is a wide range of devices available on the market which claim to tighten the breasts. The treatment can only improve very mild sagging at most and is of no benefit for patients with moderate to severe sagging.
- Laser skin tightening – laser skin treatments are commonly used to reduce the signs of ageing on the face and reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles. As with RF skin tightening, laser skin tightening produces benefits that are modest at best and should not be used for patients with droopy breasts.
- Wrinkle relaxing injections – anti-wrinkle injections have been used for many years to reduce lines and wrinkles in the upper part of the face by producing the activity of the underlying facial muscles. These injections have most recently been used to treat people with shoulder slouching, giving rise to poor posture. As with all the treatments for non-surgical breast lifts, we do not recommend this treatment.
- Breast massage – there is no underlying scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of breast massage in the treatment of sagging breasts.
- Natural remedies, topical lotions and creams – there are a myriad of topically applied treatments available online claim to tighten and lift the breasts. None of these treatments has any proven basis for effectiveness and should be avoided, with many treatments being costly.
Healthy lifestyle interventions should be adopted by all patients, including healthy eating, which will also benefit mental well-being. It is essential to avoid excessive amounts of fatty or fried foods, and focus should be given to consuming green leafy vegetables. Smoking should be stopped as the ageing process can be accelerated by people who continue to smoke, and this may contribute to the premature appearance of droopy breasts. It’s important to wear correctly fitting bras which will help to support the breasts and reduce sagging or drooping. Being professionally measured up by a specialist bra fitter could help to prevent breast sagging in the long term.
There are many non-surgical breast lift treatments that all claim to lift the breasts to reduce the appearance of saggy breasts or droopy breasts without surgery. None of these treatments has any proven long-term effectiveness, with many treatments being costly, and we would recommend avoiding these treatments.
What is BodyTite and is it effective for a non-surgical breast lift?
BodyTite utilises bipolar radio frequency technology to contract skin and the superficial soft tissues, melt fat, and stimulate collagen and elastin production. These effects can contribute to the tightening and lifting of skin found in several areas of the body, which also include the breasts. BodyTite is a highly effective treatment for mild to moderate skin laxity in the face and body. The non-surgical breast lift with BodyTite produces only very subtle results, and many women may find they can achieve a 2 cm lift at best. BodyTite will not be effective for more severe degrees of sagging due to pregnancy or breastfeeding, significant weight loss or the ageing process.
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Is a non-surgical breast lift worth it?
We would advise against any of the non-surgical breast lift treatments mentioned above. In sporadic cases, BodyTite may be effective for younger women in their 20s and 30s with very mild degrees of breast sagging and good skin firmness.
Strictly speaking, the BodyTite treatment should be viewed as a minimally invasive procedure as it does involve the insertion of instruments beneath the skin, albeit with tiny skin incisions. You may require light oral sedation to keep you comfortable during the procedure and need 2 to 3 days of downtime with approximately two weeks of bruising and swelling. Some surgeons have achieved results that last about two years with BodyTite. A surgical breast lift achieves long-lasting and even permanent results that last more than 10 to 15 years. We would generally advise opting for breast lift surgery if you have saggy breasts, as the procedure achieves more predictable results than the BodyTite procedure.
What is the best treatment for sagging breasts?
The only effective treatment for saggy breasts is a surgical breast lift procedure carried out by an expert breast surgeon. Non-surgical breast lift options such as radiofrequency skin tightening or breast massages do not give significant long-lasting results.
There are very few women who will derive any benefit from a non-surgical breast lift, and those that are probably don’t need any treatment at all. It would be better to wait until you develop noticeable breast sagging before undertaking treatment.
Surgery is the only way to carry out a breast lift procedure for the most significant breast lift results. Mastopexy surgery is designed to reshape the breasts and lift the position of the nipples using one of four techniques to optimise breast aesthetics. Women with saggy breasts that have lost volume or appear deflated can be effectively reversed with breast uplift surgery. At Centre for Surgery, our expert surgeons specialise in all types of breast surgery and use the most effective and safest surgical techniques for breast reshaping. In some cases, a breast lift may be combined with breast augmentation for women who would like to increase the volume of their breasts. This procedure is known as a breast lift with implants.
Breast lift scars
Many women choose to have non-surgical breast lift treatments to avoid breast lift scars. This is understandable. However, expertly undertaken breast lift surgery results in barely visible scars as long as patients follow the surgeon’s postoperative instructions in full. Our breast surgeons are experts in the “lollipop” breast lift technique that eliminates the requirement for an incision in the bra crease. With meticulous surgical technique and proactive post-operative care, your breast lift scars will quickly fade over time and become virtually unnoticeable, achieving a significant transformative result that can only be achieved with breast lift surgery.
For more information about breast lift surgery or to book a face-to-face consultation, please get in touch and speak to one of our friendly and knowledgeable patient coordinators at 020 7993 4849 or fill out the contact form below.
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