Do Breast Implants Fix Saggy Breasts?

No. Here’s why.

Some women optimistically and erroneously believe that breast implants will raise their droopy breasts. This is not true. Implants do increase the projection of the breast and nipple, but do not raise the nipple higher. In some cases, breast implants can lower the breast mound, thereby causing the nipple to appear relatively higher, but the actual nipple height does not change. This page will address what might happen if you choose augmentation alone when you also have breast droop.  You will find that the key element is how much droop you have.

Augmentation Alone in Cases of Mild Droop

Because augmentation does not affect nipple height, women who choose augmentation alone must be prepared for persistently low nipples after surgery. Because most women with mild droop would prefer that over the scars of a lift, this is a reasonable option, provided they understand these issues.  Plus, in some women with mild droop, the implant can sometimes be lowered enough so as to make the nipple appear higher.

Augmentation Alone in Cases of Moderate or Advanced Droop

In cases of moderate or advanced droop, augmentation alone is more likely to result in unfavorable cosmetic results. Because the nipple in these cases is so low, if augmentation alone if performed, it might appear as though the nipple and natural breast tissues are hanging off the implant and that the implant is causing an unnatural bulge in the upper half of the breast (see Figure b, below)

In an effort to avoid this appearance, you might think that lowering the implant further will solve the problem. Unfortunately, lowering the implant in cases of moderate or severe droop can cause a double-bubble (see Figure c, above).

Recommendation

Bulging of the upper half of the breast and/or double-bubble of the lower half can occur in mild droop, but are more likely with increasing degrees of droop. Even so, women with moderate or advanced droop can still choose to have augmentation alone—provided they understand the risks of bulging and double bubble. If after an augmentation alone, they are dissatisfied with the appearance of their breasts and wish to have a lift, they may do so. Because a secondary lift more easily remedies the problem of upper bulging than lower double-bubble, Dr. Loftus recommends that women choosing to have an augmentation alone proceed with the goal of implant placement as low as possible, while not so low as to cause a double-bubble. If in doing so, an upper bulge remains, it can either be accepted or remedied with a lift.