Can You Combine Breast Reduction with a Lift or Implants?

Breast reduction is designed to make the breasts smaller, but reducing breast volume is not always the only goal.

You might also want to address sagging, change the position of the breasts or maintain fullness in certain areas. This is why breast reduction may sometimes be combined with a breast lift or, in selected cases, breast implants.

A breast reduction and lift reduces volume while addressing excess skin and sagging. A breast reduction with implants is a different combination that may be considered when the aim is to reduce unwanted breast tissue but add or maintain volume in a particular area.

The right approach depends on your existing breast tissue, skin, breast position and what you actually want to change.

Can you combine breast reduction and lift?

Yes. In fact, breast reduction and breast lift procedures often overlap. A breast reduction removes breast tissue to decrease breast size. A breast lift primarily addresses excess skin, sagging and breast position.

When a significant amount of breast tissue is removed, the remaining breast tissue and skin may also need to be reshaped.

The nipple and areola may also need to be repositioned. For this reason, a traditional surgical breast reduction can incorporate many of the same techniques used during a breast lift.

Why combine breast reduction and lift?

Large breasts can also sag. Reducing the size of the breasts without considering the surrounding skin and breast position may not address all of the changes someone wants.

A breast reduction and lift may be considered when you want to:

• Reduce breast volume
• Address sagging breasts
• Remove excess breast skin
• Change breast shape
• Reposition a low nipple and areola
• Create a breast size that is more proportionate to your body

How much tissue and skin need to be removed depends on your individual anatomy.

Is a breast lift automatically included in breast reduction?

Not always, because there are different ways to reduce breast volume.

Traditional breast reduction surgery often involves a lifting component because breast tissue and skin are surgically removed and reshaped.

Vaser breast reduction works differently.

Our Vaser breast reduction procedure primarily targets fatty breast tissue using ultrasound-assisted liposuction.

Reducing fatty breast volume may result in some tightening in suitable patients, particularly where the skin has good elasticity. However, Vaser does not surgically remove significant amounts of loose skin in the same way as traditional breast lift surgery.

If significant sagging or excess skin is present, a traditional lift may need to be considered separately.

What if you have large, sagging breasts?

If your breasts are both larger than you would like and sagging, the first step is identifying what is contributing to each concern.

Breast size can come from different proportions of:

• Fatty tissue
• Glandular tissue
• Skin

Sagging can also range from relatively mild changes to substantial loose skin and downward movement of the breast.

If the breasts contain enough fatty tissue and the skin has suitable elasticity, Vaser breast reduction may be an option.

If there is significant loose skin or the nipple needs to be repositioned, a traditional breast reduction and lift may be more appropriate.

We explain the differences between liposuction-based breast procedures and mastopexy in our guide to Vaser lipo breast lift vs traditional mastopexy.

Can you have breast reduction and implants together?

Yes, breast reduction and implants can be combined in selected cases. At first, that might sound contradictory. Why remove breast tissue and then add an implant?

The answer is that breast size and breast shape are not the same thing. Someone may have more natural breast tissue than they want overall but still want fullness in a particular area after that tissue is reduced and reshaped.

In that situation, breast tissue may be removed to decrease overall size, while an implant may be used to add or maintain volume in a more controlled location. It is not the appropriate combination for everyone.

Why would someone have breast reduction with implants?

One reason is the distribution of breast volume.

Natural breasts do not always carry volume where someone wants it. Larger breasts may have considerable tissue in the lower part of the breast while having less fullness higher on the chest.

A reduction can remove unwanted breast volume, while an implant may be considered to provide a different distribution of fullness.

A breast reduction with implants may therefore be discussed when the goal is not simply “smaller breasts”, but a particular combination of size, shape and volume.

However, adding an implant also introduces considerations that do not apply to reduction alone, including implant-specific risks and the possibility of future procedures.

Does a breast implant lift sagging breasts?

An implant primarily adds volume. It should not automatically be considered a substitute for a breast lift.

If there is significant loose skin or the nipple sits lower than desired, simply adding an implant does not remove that excess skin.

Depending on your anatomy, adding volume without addressing significant sagging may not achieve the change you are looking for.

This is why it is important to distinguish between breast size, breast volume and breast position.

Our breast lift vs breast implants guide explains this distinction in more detail.

Breast reduction and implants vs breast reduction and lift

Although these combinations sound similar, they address different things.

Breast reduction and lift

A breast reduction and lift is primarily about making the breasts smaller while addressing sagging, loose skin and breast position.

Breast reduction and implants

A breast reduction with implants involves removing unwanted natural breast tissue while using an implant to add or maintain volume in a particular area.

Breast reduction, lift and implants

In selected cases, all three elements may be involved.

Breast tissue can be reduced, excess skin addressed with a lift and an implant used to provide additional volume or shape.

The more procedures being combined, the more important individual surgical planning becomes.

Could fat transfer be used instead of implants?

For some patients, fat transfer may be another option when additional breast volume is desired.

Breast fat transfer uses fat collected from another area of your body rather than a breast implant.

Fat is removed with liposuction, processed and then suitable fat is transferred to the breasts. Fat transfer and implants are not equivalent.

The amount of volume that can be added with fat transfer is more limited, and not all transferred fat will remain permanently. You also need to have enough suitable donor fat available.

If you are considering adding volume while also addressing sagging or breast size, our guide to breast lift with fat transfer or reduction explains the options in more detail.

What about Vaser breast reduction?

Our Vaser breast reduction procedure may be an option for patients whose breasts contain enough fatty tissue to make liposuction-based reduction appropriate.

Vaser uses ultrasound energy to assist in treating fatty tissue before it is removed through small access incisions.

Because it does not involve the same skin-removal techniques as traditional breast reduction, the resulting scars are generally different.

However, Vaser breast reduction is not appropriate simply because someone wants smaller scars.

Your breast composition, amount of sagging and skin elasticity all need to be considered.

If significant loose skin needs to be removed, a different surgical technique may be more appropriate.

How much smaller can you go with breast reduction?

There is no universal answer. The amount of breast volume that can be removed depends on your anatomy, breast composition, the technique being used and the result being planned.

With Vaser breast reduction, approximately a one to two cup size reduction may be achievable in suitable patients, although results vary and a greater reduction may sometimes be possible.

Bra cup sizes are also not standardised between brands, so they are not a precise way of predicting your final breast size.

The consultation should focus on the physical change that may be achievable rather than promising a particular bra cup size.

Will a breast reduction and lift leave scars?

Yes. Surgical incisions leave scars. The extent and location depend on the technique used.

A traditional breast reduction and lift may involve scars:

• Around the areola
• Around the areola and vertically down the lower breast
• Around the areola, vertically down the breast and along the breast crease

These are sometimes referred to as periareolar, vertical or anchor incision patterns.

Vaser breast reduction generally uses much smaller access incisions because fatty tissue is removed using liposuction rather than through larger surgical excisions.

However, scar length should not be the only factor when deciding between procedures. The procedure needs to be capable of addressing the breast tissue, skin and sagging that are actually present.

You can read more about scar patterns in our breast lift before and after guide.

What is recovery like after breast reduction and lift?

Recovery depends on the type and extent of surgery. Swelling, bruising, tenderness and tightness can occur following breast surgery.

A traditional breast reduction combined with lifting involves breast tissue removal and surgical incisions, so wound healing and scar care form an important part of recovery.

Exercise, heavy lifting and strenuous activity generally need to be restricted for a period following surgery.

Your recovery plan should be based on the procedure you actually undergo rather than a generic breast reduction timeline.

Our breast reduction recovery guide covers the recovery process in more detail.

How much does breast reduction cost?

The cost depends on the type and extent of breast reduction being performed.

For the Vaser breast reduction procedure, pricing generally starts from around $6,000, while an average case may cost approximately $10,000 to $15,000.

Your individual cost can vary depending on procedure complexity and associated fees.

Combining a reduction with a traditional breast lift, implants or another procedure changes the treatment plan and therefore the overall cost.

If you are comparing prices and locations, see our guide to breast reduction cost in Australia.

Can Medicare cover breast reduction and lift?

Breast reduction should not automatically be assumed to qualify for Medicare.

Medicare eligibility depends on the reason for surgery and whether the procedure meets the requirements of an applicable Medicare Benefits Schedule item.

Procedures performed solely for cosmetic reasons are generally not eligible for Medicare benefits.

If breast size is causing physical symptoms and you believe your procedure may meet medical criteria, this should be discussed during your consultation and checked against the current Medicare requirements.

We have covered this separately in our guide to Medicare for breast reduction, breast lift and eyelid surgery.

Which combination may be right for you?

The easiest way to understand your options is to separate size, sagging and volume distribution.

If your main concern is that your breasts are too large, breast reduction may be the starting point.

If they are too large and also sagging, a breast reduction and lift may need to be considered.

If you want less natural breast tissue but also want to maintain or add volume in a particular part of the breast, breast reduction with implants may be an option to discuss.

If you want to add a smaller amount of volume without implants, fat transfer may also be considered in suitable patients.

There is no single combination that is right for everyone. Your existing breast tissue, skin elasticity, degree of sagging and the changes you want to achieve all need to be assessed before an appropriate treatment plan can be recommended.

All surgical and invasive procedures carry risks. Results vary between individuals. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.

This article is general information only and does not constitute medical advice. Individual suitability and results vary and should be assessed by a qualified medical practitioner.