Breast Lift Surgery in NYC

A breast lift, or mastopexy, is surgery that raises and reshapes the breast by removing excess skin and repositioning the nipple. It changes breast shape and position rather than breast size. Dr. Elizabeth Kiwanuka performs breast lift surgery in New York City for patients whose breasts have descended, flattened, or lost upper pole fullness.

You may benefit from a breast lift if your nipples sit at or below the breast crease, your breasts have lost their shape, or you want a higher and more youthful breast position. The most accurate way to know is an in person examination, though our 60 second assessment above is a useful starting point.

No. A breast lift reshapes and repositions the breast tissue you already have. If you also want more volume, the lift can be combined with an implant, with fat transfer, or with autoaugmentation. Lift first, then decide how full.

Yes. Many patients choose a breast lift alone, or a breast lift with autoaugmentation, which restores upper pole fullness using their own breast tissue rather than an implant. No implant is required to improve breast shape and position.

A breast lift with implants combines mastopexy with breast augmentation in a single operation, improving both breast position and breast volume. It is the right choice when you want fullness in the upper pole that your own tissue cannot provide, or when you want to be larger than your starting size.

Autoaugmentation reshapes and repositions your existing breast tissue to restore upper pole fullness without a breast implant. Tissue that has descended into the lower breast is moved upward and secured, adding shape and projection using what you already have.

Breast reduction includes a breast lift. Excess breast tissue and skin are removed while the breast is lifted and reshaped, so the breast is both smaller and higher. This is the right procedure when you are carrying more volume than you want.

Most patients stay close to the same cup size. The breast often looks slightly smaller because it is firmer, higher, and more compact, even though little or no tissue has been removed.

Yes. The nipple and areola are repositioned to a natural height on the lifted breast, and in most cases they remain attached to their own blood supply. The areola can also be reduced in diameter at the same time.

Yes. A breast lift can improve differences in breast shape, size, and nipple position. Some degree of asymmetry is normal in everyone, and the goal is balance rather than a perfect match. Additional procedures are sometimes recommended.

Yes. Mastopexy is one of the most effective procedures for restoring breast shape after significant weight loss, when the skin envelope is left larger than the remaining breast tissue. Autoaugmentation is often useful here, since it rebuilds upper pole fullness without an implant.

Many patients breastfeed successfully after a breast lift, because the nipple stays connected to the breast tissue and its blood supply. No surgeon can guarantee future breastfeeding, and that is true whether or not you have surgery.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding change the size and shape of the breast and can undo some of the lift. If you plan to have children soon, you may prefer to wait, though many patients choose to have surgery and accept that a revision may be wanted later.

Breast lift results are long lasting, though they are not frozen in time. Aging, gravity, weight change, and pregnancy all continue to affect the breast. Technique matters: a lift that is supported by the underlying tissue holds its shape longer than one that relies on skin alone.

No. Breast lift surgery is based on your anatomy, not your age. Many patients are in their twenties and have never been pregnant.

No. Healthy patients across a wide age range undergo breast lift surgery safely after an appropriate medical evaluation. Your health, not your birthday, determines candidacy.

Most breast lift procedures take approximately two to four hours, depending on whether the lift is combined with implants, autoaugmentation, or a breast reduction.

Yes. Breast lift surgery is performed under general anesthesia in an accredited surgical facility. You go home the same day.

Yes. Liposuction of the side breast and bra roll is commonly added to improve the contour of the chest as a whole, so the lifted breast sits against a cleaner line.

No. Dr. Kiwanuka uses a drain free technique. Patients go home without tubes, bulbs, or the daily measuring that drains require, which makes the first week markedly easier.

Most patients describe soreness and tightness rather than severe pain, and it is greatest in the first few days. Kiwanuka Plastic Surgery uses an Enhanced Recovery Without Opioids protocol, so patients recover from breast lift surgery without narcotic pain medication.

Most patients return to desk work within one to two weeks. Light activity resumes early, and exercise is reintroduced gradually over about six weeks. You will have a supportive bra and a clear plan for each stage.

Most patients shower after their first postoperative visit, following the specific instructions given to them. Every patient receives Dr. Kiwanuka's personal cell phone number, so questions during that first week get answered quickly.

Plan to sleep on your back for the first several weeks. Side sleeping is usually reintroduced once the breast has settled and the incisions are comfortable.

Yes. Every breast lift leaves a scar, and there is no such thing as a scarless breast lift. The goal is not to avoid scars but to create the best breast shape while helping the scars heal as inconspicuously as possible. Scars continue to improve over 12 to 18 months.

Depending on how much lifting is required, incisions may circle the areola, run vertically down to the breast crease (a lollipop scar), or add a third line hidden in the crease itself (an anchor scar). The amount of lift you need determines the pattern, not the other way around.

Yes. Incision placement, tension on the closure, and preservation of blood supply all shape how a scar heals, and all of them are decided in the operating room. Dr. Kiwanuka holds a PhD in wound healing and scar biology with 60+ peer reviewed publications, and every patient follows the KPS Scar Protocol through the first year of recovery.

Breast lift surgery at Kiwanuka Plastic Surgery starts at $30,000. The final figure depends on whether the lift is combined with implants, autoaugmentation, fat grafting, or reduction, and on the added contouring your plan includes. You receive a personalized quote at your consultation.

A cosmetic breast lift is not covered by insurance. Breast reduction can be covered when medical criteria are met, and our team helps patients navigate that process, including documentation and appeals.

Dr. Kiwanuka is a breast surgeon and scar specialist in New York City who trained at Harvard Medical School, Brown University, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and who holds a PhD in wound healing and scar biology. Every mastopexy is planned around your anatomy, with drain free surgery, opioid free recovery, and her personal cell phone number for the year that follows.

Book a consultation online or call the office at (212) 440-1700. At your visit, Dr. Kiwanuka examines your anatomy, reviews your goals, uses Crisalix 3D imaging to preview options on your own body, and helps you decide between a breast lift alone, a lift with implants, a lift with autoaugmentation, or a lift with reduction.