What does a breast lift do?

A breast lift changes position and shape, and the clearest definition comes from the plastic surgeons' own society.

The direct answer

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons defines the procedure this way: A breast lift, also known as mastopexy, raises the breasts by removing excess skin and tightening the surrounding tissue to reshape and support the new breast contour.

Read the verbs: raises, removes, tightens, reshapes, supports. That is the job as the publisher's definition describes it.

Where to read the detail

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons keeps a main page on the breast lift, a page on who is a candidate and a page of procedure steps. Cleveland Clinic offers its own breast lift overview. Reading both publishers before a consultation in Fayetteville or the wider Syracuse area gives you two descriptions to compare.

The warning sign that changes the answer

If a plan promises a result the ASPS definition does not describe, ask what additional procedure is being proposed and have it named.

The question that usually follows

After the definition, the question most readers face is whether they are candidates. Start with the candidates page above, then bring your answers to the consultation.