Breast lift with implants in Turkey

The simplest test a surgeon uses is where your nipple sits relative to the crease under the breast, the inframammary fold. If the nipple is above the fold and you only want more fullness, implants alone are usually enough. If the nipple has dropped to or below the fold, an implant on its own tends to make the shape worse rather than better: it adds weight to a breast that is already hanging, and the breast slides down over the implant instead of sitting on it.

If the nipple has dropped and the upper part of the breast is also empty, which is the usual picture after breastfeeding or weight loss, that is where a lift with implants is the honest answer. The lift handles the position, the implant handles the volume, and neither one does the other's job.

• Implants alone

  Nipple still above the fold, skin with reasonable tone, and the complaint is volume. Fewer scars, shorter operation.

• Lift alone

  Enough breast tissue to fill the shape once it is repositioned, and the complaint is sagging rather than size. No implant to replace later.

• Lift with implants

  Nipple at or below the fold and an empty upper pole. The most complete change and also the most demanding of the three.

• Neither yet

  Still breastfeeding, still losing weight, or planning a pregnancy. The result will change with your body, so the operation is better later.

If it turns out you need only one of the two, read the breast lift page or the breast augmentation page instead. A clinic that tells you which one you need, including when the answer is the cheaper one, is worth more than a clinic that agrees with whatever you asked for.

• Round implants give upper pole fullness. That is usually what has been lost, so a round implant answers the specific complaint of an empty upper breast.
• Round implants cannot rotate visibly. They are the same shape all the way round, so if one turns in the pocket nothing changes on the outside.
• Teardrop implants follow a natural slope. More volume at the bottom than the top, which some people prefer, but rotation does show, because the shape has a right way up.
• A lift changes the tissue around the implant. The breast is being re-draped at the same operation, so the shape you end up with owes at least as much to the lift pattern as to the implant.
• Both are safe choices. This is preference and anatomy, not right and wrong.

If the natural slope of a teardrop implant is what you want, the breast lift with teardrop implants page covers that combination. Ask your surgeon to show you both shapes in your size before you decide, rather than choosing from a website.

1. 1

   Consultation and measurements

   The surgeon measures nipple position, the fold, skin quality and breast width, and that is what decides implant size and lift pattern. Bring photographs of the shape you want, and expect an honest answer about what your tissue will hold.
2. 2

   Marking before surgery

   Done standing up, because gravity is part of the plan. This is when the pattern is drawn on you, and it is the moment to ask which pattern it is.
3. 3

   General anaesthetic

   Augmentation mastopexy is done asleep. It takes longer than either operation on its own.
4. 4

   The lift and the pocket

   Skin is removed, the nipple is moved up on its own blood supply, and the implant is placed either under the breast tissue or partly under the chest muscle.
5. 5

   Closing under tension

   The envelope is tailored around the implant. This is the technical heart of the operation and the part that decides the final shape.
6. 6

   Waking up and the first days

   Chest tightness, swelling and a surgical bra. Most people stay in hospital one night, then rest before flying.

• Get the plan in writing before you fly. Lift pattern, implant brand, size in cc, profile, and whether the implant goes above or below the muscle. If a quote names none of these, it is a price and not a plan.
• Ask whether they would stage it. And if they would not, ask what makes your case suitable for one operation.
• Ask for the implant paperwork before you leave. Serial numbers and the manufacturer's card. You will need them years from now, and they are hard to get afterwards.
• Plan the stay around the flight, not the flight around the stay. This is a chest operation under general anaesthetic. Ask the surgeon how many days before you fly, and book the return only after that.
• Ask what happens if it needs revision. Who pays, how long the cover lasts, and whether you would have to travel again. Get the answer in writing.
• Arrange follow-up at home. Find out before you go whether a surgeon near you will see you for wound checks and future implant monitoring.

• The first week. Tightness, swelling and bruising, sleeping propped up, and a surgical bra day and night. Arms stay low.
• Weeks two to six. Desk work usually returns early in this window, driving once you can brake without hesitating, and no lifting or upper body training.
• The shape keeps changing. Implants settle and the lift relaxes, so the breast you see at two weeks is not the result. Judging it early is the most common reason people ask for a revision they did not need.
• Scars mature slowly. They are red and firm before they fade. Sun protection and taping, if your surgeon recommends it, are worth the effort during that period.
• Report these immediately. One breast suddenly larger or more painful, fever, spreading redness, a wound that opens, or a nipple that changes colour.

• British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, patient information on breast uplift and augmentation.
• NHS, information on cosmetic breast surgery and what to consider before treatment abroad.
• American Society of Plastic Surgeons, patient guidance on breast lift and augmentation mastopexy.
• Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, guidance on breast implants and implant records.
• Turkish Ministry of Health, register of facilities authorised for health tourism.