Scottsdale – It’s hard to believe that the first procedure describing the concept of auto-augmentation of the breast was described in 1971. The concept is simple: 1. A plastic surgeon designs a breast tissue flap from the inferior or lateral part of a saggy breast, where the volume of the breast is plentiful; 2. The surgeon uses this tissue and sutures  the flap at the upper pole of the breast, where the volume of the saggy breast is deficient; 3. The breast lift is completed using a anchor or vertical pattern, restoring a round shape to the breast and increasing the the upper pole fullness, ultimately eliminating the saggy appearance and producing an aesthetically pleasing result.

This is a very useful breast lift technique, especially for patients with a small saggy breast and the desire to avoid breast implants. I have used the technique since 2001 with good success and have happy patients. Multiple articles describing variations of auto-augmentation breast lift have documented the safety of the technique and have been published throughout the years . An article that documented the efficacy of the breast lift with a focus on the long-term results of the breast lift was badly needed. It took some German plastic surgeons to produce this valuable study. Published in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the article presents an excellent long-term follow-up of 27 patients from 2002 to 2007 that had auto-augmentation breast lift. The results of the procedure are qualified using a simple, reproducible method to document the efficacy of these results.

According to the researchers, the average age of the patients in the study was 48. The average nipple position before surgery was 25.2 centimeters from the sternal notch. Six months after breast lift surgery, the nipple position was 20.2 centimeters, and then at 1 year, the nipple settled ed at 21.3 centimeters. These numbers are consistent with a very positive lift of the nipple and we see from the numbers that the lift holds up to 1 year. Additionally, the study documented a persistent reduction in the distance from the nipple to the inframammary crease. Importantly, both the nipple position and the inframammary crease position were raised relative to a fixed point, and this lift of the breast and nipple was maintained for up to 1 year. The study documents that the amount of breast projection increases with surgery and is maintained for 1 year.

What do all these numbers mean to a plastic surgeon like me? It’s simple, auto-augmentation breast lift works to lift the breast and improve the shape of the breast. This study is important because it documents the improvements nicely, with hard numbers, for which we can rely upon to reassure patients and the results are long-lasting.