Breast Lift versus Breast Augmentation: Deciding Which is Right for You

You want to do some work on your breasts, but you’re wondering which procedure might benefit you more and help you meet your goals — a breast lift or breast augmentation. The first thing to note is that the two procedures accomplish very different goals.

In 2023, more than 300,000 breast augmentation procedures were performed, helping women to increase the size of their breasts. In the same year, more than 150,000 people turned to a breast lift to shift their breasts higher up on their chests. 

If you’re wondering which approach is right for you, Dr. Jonathan Zelken and our team want to outline what each breast-enhancing procedure can accomplish to meet your cosmetic goals.

Breast augmentation — still a top surgery

While liposuction grabbed the top spot in cosmetic surgical procedures in 2023 in the US, breast augmentation wasn’t far behind.

As the name suggests, breast augmentation is designed to give you larger breasts than what you have now, and there are a few ways we can accomplish this:

Breast implants

Far and away, the most popular choice is breast implants, which come in two types: Silicone and saline. 

Silicone breast implants have a great track record and hold their shape well. Speaking of shapes, these implants come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, allowing you to customize your breasts.

Saline implants are easy to insert and require only small incisions as we fill these implants once they’re in position. The downside to saline implants is that should one leak, you can end up with two very different-sized breasts. These implants can also feel less natural than silicone ones. I rarely use saline implants these days.

Fat transfer

Another trend in breast augmentation is fat transfer, a technique in which we inject fat from another part of your body into your breasts. The upside of fat transfer is that it enlarges your breasts in a more organic and natural way.

The downside is that we’re limited to how much we can enlarge your breasts — one cup size is a good rule of thumb as some of the transferred fat doesn’t take.  Therefore, multiple procedures may be required, and some patients have undergone the procedure three times with meaningful enhancement.

For a better idea about the difference between augmenting your breasts through implants or fat transfer, check out this video by Dr. Zelken.

Breast lift — recapturing a more youthful profile

The number four plastic surgery in 2023 was the breast lift, and we predict this ranking will go higher as the population ages.

With a breast lift, we accomplish just that — we reposition your breasts higher up on your chest for a more youthful profile. As you age, as well as after you give birth and breastfeed, breasts tend to sag down. 

During a breast lift, Dr. Zelken can:

• Remove excess tissue
• Position your breasts higher up on your chest
• Reduce enlarged areolas

During a breast lift, we can also reshape your breasts to make them appear more youthful, but we’re using only what’s available, which means there will be no significant changes to their size.

Combining breast procedures

If position and size are both things you want to change in your breasts, you can talk to Dr. Zelkine about combining a breast lift with breast augmentation. This combination procedure is more involved and will require a longer recovery, but it’s a great way to check all your boxes.

To understand which options would work best for your unique breasts, it’s a good idea to sit down with Dr. Zelken to discuss the merits of both the breast lift and breast augmentation.

To get that ball rolling, please call Jonathan Zelken, MD, in Newport Beach, California, at (949) 432-4730. You can also request an appointment using our online booking tool.