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New Breast Lift Surgery Leaves Less Scaring
Dec. 17 - Donna Haudek has 3 young kids. Parenthood, time and gravity have taken their toll on her breasts. "So all that, you know, everything's going south."
Donna's about to have her breasts surgically moved to the north. It's known as a breast lift, or mastopexy.
"I want to look good for me. It's not for anybody else. It's for me. You know, when I look in the mirror I want to see myself looking good."
This is how a standard breast lift is performed. The surgeon makes a keyhole incision, removes the skin at the bottom of the breast, moves the nipple higher, and closes the incision. The result is one scar around the nipple, one at the base of the breast, and a vertical scar running down from the nipple to bottom of the breast. The vertical scar is usually the most visible.
Barry Dibernardo, M.D., surgeon, Mountainside Hospital said, "A lot women don't want to do any kind of lift no matter how far down their breasts are because of that scar, that stigmata of having a lift."
Donna's about to have a new procedure that eliminates that vertical scar. First, the surgeon creates a hole where he thinks the nipple should be. Then he makes a horizontal incision lower down and removes most of the skin. He snakes the patient's nipple under the skin and sutures it into the newly created hole up top. Then he pulls the suture sight down like an apron. Leaving a scar beneath the breast and one around the nipple. But no vertical scar in front.
"It'll make me feel a little bit better that I don't have to see you know, I think it'll heal up better and it won't be so noticeable for me to see."
Dr. Dibernardo says the procedure has 2 benefits. It gets rid of an unsightly scar, and. "We can actually shape the breast tissue and secure it up to the chest wall, we can get a more rounded shape and also get more fullness to the upper breast.
Donna is looking forward to a third benefit: I'll be able to wear a bikini again.
Dr. Dibernardo says the ideal candidates are women in their
late 30's or early 40's who are done having children or breast feeding them.
The surgery costs between $5 and $10,000 and it's not covered by insurance.