"Lollipop Incision" Breast Lift Animated Surgery

The vertical or lollipop breast lift operation is suitable for patients who have a small amount of breast droop and mild skin excess. A "small amount" of breast droop is when the nipple is at, or just slightly below, the level of the infra-mammary fold (the attachment of the breast to the chest wall). Skin excess is judged as the distance from the nipple to the infra-mammary fold under mild stretch. The lollipop lift works well if this distance is short. The lollipop incision lift:

• Elevates the nipple position.
• Allows for reduction of areolar size.
• Tightens the breast by reducing the skin in a horizontal direction.

Limitations of the lollipop lift are that it cannot correct fold height discrepancies (the position of the breasts on the chest wall), and it does not work well for patients with very low positioned nipples or with significant skin excess. The anchor incision breast lift can address all of these issues and is a more powerful lift procedure.

A board-certified plastic surgeon specializing in aesthetic surgery, Dr. Bogdan provides advanced surgical skill for his patients' needs.

How a Lollipop Scar Breast Lift is Performed

First, a circular incision is made around the current areola. The size of this circle allows us to choose if we want to make the areola smaller and more proportionate to the breast. Next, an open circle incision is made on the upper portion of the breast at the desired new nipple location. Vertical incisions are designed from the edges of this open circle down towards the infra-mammary fold. These incisions should ideally avoid pigmented areolar skin. The incisions join at the level of the infra-mammary fold, thus creating a triangle with an apex at the fold. The skin surface between the concentric incisions is removed. (This is typically a very small volume, so the breasts do not appreciably decrease in size.) Finally, the skin on either side of the areola is undermined to allow for transposition of the areola to its new location and advancement of the vertical skin edges towards the midline. The animated video shows these step in detail and should help clarify the procedure. To see more views of the patient shown in the animation, please visit the photo gallery.