Breast Ptosis Grades and the Breast Lift

Aging can feel like a nightmare sometimes. Apart from causing countless cringe-worthy fine lines and wrinkles, it leads to frustrating and often dramatic breast sagging. Sagging, or ptosis, is also common in women who have experienced drastic weight loss or were pregnant and breastfed their baby.

Degrees of Breast Ptosis

Breast ptosis is classified into three grades based on the degree of sagging that is present. To self-assess the degree of breast ptosis, you can perform a simple procedure using a ruler.

First, take off your shirt and seek out the inframammary crease. The inframammary crease is the fold line under the breast where it meets the chest. Once you’ve found the inframammary crease, place the ruler and allow the breasts to hang over. Look into the mirror and note the distance between the ruler and the areola.

Grade 1 – Mild: Grade 1 breast ptosis is characterized when the areola is either in front of or slightly over the front of the ruler.

Grade 2 – Mild to moderate: Grade 2 breast ptosis is when the center of the areola is close to 3 cm below the inframammary crease.

Grade 3 – Severe: Grade 3 ptosis is when the center of the areola is more than 3 cm beneath the ruler.

Other Classifications

Three other classifications can also be made based on the ruler test:

Asymmetry with mild ptosis: When the breast hangs low over the ruler and is combined with a stretched areola, the condition is classified as mild ptosis with asymmetry.

Pseudoptosis: Here, the areola appears over the inframammary crease but the breasts sag over the ruler. Pseudoptosis is caused by the presence of large breast lobes.

Low breasts: In a few women, the breast may not sag but appears low on the chest.

The Breast Lift Corrects Breast Ptosis

Breast ptosis can be corrected through breast-lift surgery. During a consultation, your plastic surgeon will identify the most suitable breast-lift technique for correction based on the grade of your breast ptosis and your aesthetic goals. Bear in mind that it is imperative to go in for the surgery with realistic expectations.

The three options we offer in terms of breast-lift techniques are donut mastopexy, lollipop mastopexy, and inverted-T mastopexy. Each of these options involves a different degree of excess-skin reduction and features its own type of incision.

A donut mastopexy reduces a minor to moderate amount of sagging skin. A lollipop mastopexy is ideal for a moderate amount of skin and breasts with Grade 2 ptosis. An inverted-T mastopexy removes the most excess skin and is the typical choice for those with Grade 3 ptosis.

After a breast lift, the breasts appear perkier and more youthful. The breast lift is not restricted to just uplifting the breasts but also includes reshaping and repositioning of the areolae.

Learn About Your Ideal Breast Lift

With the help of Doctor Bivik Shah, a skilled board-certified plastic surgeon, you can take care of that frustrating sagging. Contact us to set up your informative and helpful breast-lift consultation.