Breast ptosis in Paris 16 — breast lift (mastopexy)

A breast that droops is a breast in which the gland has descended, together with laxity of the skin. Correction of ptosis, or mastopexy, raises the gland, repositions the areola and removes the excess skin.

Scars are unavoidable in this operation. In consultation they ultimately weigh little against the daily difficulty of no longer recognising the breasts you had, but they must be explained and accepted beforehand, never discovered afterwards.

What is breast ptosis?

Ptosis combines two phenomena: the breast gland descends and loses its upper projection, and the skin containing it slackens without retracting. The areola descends with it.

It is this double component that explains why a simple implant does not correct established ptosis: adding volume inside a stretched envelope does not raise the breast, it weighs it down.

Why consider correction of ptosis?

Because the skin of your breasts is fragile and you can no longer bear seeing them emptied and slack.

Because since your pregnancy, with or without breastfeeding, you no longer recognise your breasts and cannot come to terms with the loss of the ones you had.

Because you have lost a lot of weight and the décolleté has stayed empty.

How does the operation proceed?

This operation reshapes the gland and removes the excess skin. It always takes place under general anaesthesia, with one night in hospital.

Where are the scars?

The extent of the ptosis, and therefore the amount of skin to be removed, determines the number of scars, which may range from one to three:

• one around the areola alone, the technique known as the round block, for mild ptosis;
• a vertical one, running from the bottom of the areola to the inframammary fold;
• a horizontal one in the fold, for significant ptosis.

The number of scars is not a surgeon's preference: it follows directly from the amount of excess skin.

Should an implant or lipofilling be combined with it?

Depending on the case, an implant, lipofilling or, conversely, a reduction in breast volume may be combined with it.

Adding an implant is considered where raising the breast alone would leave an empty upper pole. Lipofilling gives a more gradual result without a foreign body, provided sufficient fat reserves are available.

What is the recovery like?

The operation is generally not very painful. A non-underwired sports bra is fitted before discharge. Stopping all sporting activity is recommended for one month.

The scars are generally quite inflamed a month after the operation, with redness and itching. These phenomena are normal and subside within a few months. Many patients become anxious at exactly this stage: it is the moment when the scar is most visible, and it is not its final appearance.

Who provides care after a breast lift?

Nurses at the practice and the clinic take charge of dressing changes and all local care, with appointments set before surgery. The support bra accompanies the first weeks. The surgeon sees you within seven days, then between day ten and day fourteen, before sutures are removed: that second appointment is also where scars are discussed, since their final appearance takes several months. The whole arrangement is described under post-operative care.

When is the result final?

The shape is final after six months. The scars, for their part, evolve for about eighteen months.

What are the risks?

Besides those linked to general anaesthesia, the commonest specific risks are healing problems, which may result in a wide or even hypertrophic scar, together with a change in areolar sensation. The other risks, such as haematoma or infection, are fairly rare. All are set out in detail in the SoFCPRE information leaflet.

Frequently asked questions

Is correction of ptosis reimbursed?

No when it is isolated and aesthetic in purpose. Reimbursement may be discussed where the ptosis is associated with breast hypertrophy justifying a reduction.

Can the breast droop again after the operation?

Mastopexy does not suspend the action of gravity or the ageing of the tissues. A pregnancy, breastfeeding or a significant change in weight may alter the result obtained.

Last updated: August 2026 · Medical content reviewed by Dr Benjamin Pulvermacker, board-qualified plastic surgeon in Paris 16.

Who this operation suits — and who it does not

It suits breasts that have dropped after pregnancy, breastfeeding, weight loss or simply with time, when the areola points downwards and the upper pole has emptied. It does not suit patients still losing weight (operating before the weight has settled invites a rapid recurrence), those planning a pregnancy in the near future, or those who do not accept the principle of scars: a lift cannot be done without them, and no promise to the contrary is honest.

Limits and specific risks

A lift repositions and reshapes; it does not add volume; an implant or fat transfer can be combined with it, which is discussed precisely at the consultation. Specific risks: widening or asymmetry of the scars, altered areolar sensation, delayed healing at the junctions, partial recurrence of the droop over time, as the skin goes on ageing. An operated breast remains compatible with breast cancer screening.