It is not unusual for a patient to come in for consultation for a breast lift and wind up getting a breast reduction, and vice versa. The difference is simply the amount of breast tissue, if any, that is removed.

Most patients who are interested in a lift do not want to be smaller; therefore, only skin is removed at the time of surgery. As a result, their size changes very little with the average breast lift. Those who want to be bigger may have implants placed at the same time.

Breast reduction patients typically want to be considerably smaller, so a lot of breast tissue is generally removed. Some, however, simply have a lot of skin and sagging from breastfeeding, losing weight or both. In these cases, it is more of a lift than a reduction.

The difference becomes a very fine line when a patient has a lift and wants to be a little smaller, so some breast tissue is removed. In general, when less than 250 grams or less of tissue is removed, it is considered a lift. When more than that is taken out, it is referred to as a reduction. From and insurance standpoint, however, usually at least a pound (454 grams) of breast tissue must be removed from each breast for them to cover the costs.

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Contact Us to discuss with James D. McMahan, MD, FACS whether a Breast Lift or a Breast Reduction would be your best option.