Some people considering a breast lift may worry that it will negatively impact other areas of their life — specifically, their ability to breastfeed.
For many patients, breastfeeding remains possible after a breast lift. However, there’s no way to guarantee that this will be the case. Whether or not you can breastfeed after a breast lift depends on your anatomy, the surgical technique used, and how much the surgery affects your nerves, milk ducts, and the glandular tissue involved in lactation.
In some cases, a breast lift will not impact whether someone produces milk, but it may affect how much milk they are able to produce.
Given all of these variables, it’s understandable that so many people have questions regarding breastfeeding before a breast lift procedure.
In his Milwaukee, Wisconsin practice, Dr. Mark Bosbous has heard many of these questions before. Today, we’re going to go over the most common concerns associated with breastfeeding and breast lifts, as well as everything you need to know before scheduling a procedure.
How Can a Breast Lift Affect Breastfeeding?
A breast lift, also known as mastopexy, raises and reshapes sagging breasts by removing excess skin, reshaping breast tissue, and repositioning the nipple and areola. Unlike a breast reduction or augmentation, which are meant to change the size of a breast, a breast lift is intended to improve breast shape and position.
There are many parts of the breast involved with breastfeeding. Glandular tissue produces milk. Ducts carry this milk toward the nipple, and nerves around the nipple and areola help trigger the processes involved in milk production and release.
If a breast lift damages enough of those nerves of ducts, the ability to breastfeed may be negatively impacted. This is not only the case for breast lifts; other breast procedures, such as reductions and augmentations, can also affect the ability to breastfeed.
However, it should be noted that some of these issues can be avoided, though not wholly prevented, by using certain surgical methods and techniques.
This is why it’s important to have a conversation with your surgeon not only about your short-term goals with your body, but your long-term ones as well. For example, if you plan to have children and breastfeed them, it’s important to mention that to your surgeon, as that may impact the way they go about your breast lift.
Most of the time, questions like these are standard in the surgical consultation process. Still, you should make a list of all of the questions you have about your procedure prior to the consultation, including your concerns about breastfeeding. From there, your surgeon will be able to respond to these potential issues and lay out a plan for how they can be avoided.
What May Not Change After a Breast Lift?
Reading all of this, you might be scared that a breast lift will prevent you from breastfeeding.
To start, you should remember that a breast lift does not automatically prevent milk production or nursing. Many patients retain nipple sensation and enough functioning ducts and glandular tissue to breastfeed without issue.
Surgery is also not the reason for every future breastfeeding outcome. Breastfeeding difficulties are incredibly common, with around 70% of mothers reporting having issues breastfeeding.
This is not to lessen the impact that a breast lift may have on one’s ability to breastfeed. Rather, it’s simply noting that a breast lift is only one of the reasons why someone may have difficulty breastfeeding.
Conversely, there are many people who undergo breast lifts and are able to produce a full supply of milk for their child without issue. There are also those who can produce only part of what their baby needs via breastfeeding, supplementing the rest with formula or other alternatives.
Should You Wait Until After Pregnancy?
Medically speaking, you do not need to finish having children before undergoing a breast lift. It is generally considered safe to have children after a breast lift, and many patients remain able to breastfeed.
That said, some patients say that pregnancy impacted the results of their breast lift. Breast enlargement during pregnancy can stretch the skin and supporting tissue. After pregnancy or nursing, the breasts may lose volume and begin to sag. These changes can reverse whatever impact the breast lift had, regardless of whether one chooses to breast feed.
Someone planning to become pregnant soon may consider postponing a breast lift. However, it all depends on one’s specific situation. If you are interested in a breast lift, or just have a few questions, reach out today to schedule a consultation.