After pregnancy and breastfeeding, many women find their breasts have lost volume, sit lower, or both. Those are two different problems with two different answers. Here is how augmentation and a lift differ, what the FDA says about implants, and what to ask a Dallas plastic surgeon.
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Mommy Makeover Dallas is a free referral service, not a clinic or surgical practice. A request sent from this page goes to an independent plastic surgery office in the Dallas area, which sets its own prices and is responsible for its own care.
Volume, lift, or both
Breast augmentation uses an implant or your own fat to enlarge the breasts, restore volume lost after pregnancy or weight loss, or even out a difference in size. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) notes that augmentation does not correct significant sagging; that usually needs a lift.
A breast lift (mastopexy) raises, reshapes and tightens the breasts without changing their size. Cleveland Clinic says results show at once and last several years, though aging, pregnancy and weight change all affect them.
Both together. With lost volume and sagging, some surgeons combine a lift with an implant, often alongside a tummy tuck. Only a surgeon who examines you can say which fits.
| Augmentation | Lift | |
|---|---|---|
| Changes size | Yes | No |
| Raises the breast | No | Yes |
| Uses an implant | Usually; fat is an option | No, unless combined |
| 2024 ASPS fee range, surgeon only | $4,575 to $8,000 | $6,500 to $11,000 |
Implant types
ASPS describes several types. Your surgeon will explain which they use and why.
- Saline: sterile salt water. If it leaks, the implant deflates and the body absorbs the saline. FDA-approved for breast augmentation in women 18 and older.
- Silicone gel: feels closer to natural tissue. A leak can stay inside the shell or pocket without symptoms (a silent rupture), so imaging checks are recommended. FDA-approved for breast augmentation in women 22 and older.
- Structured saline: saline with an inner structure meant to feel more natural.
- Form-stable (often called gummy bear): a thicker, highly cohesive gel that holds its shape. Shaped versions can rotate and may need a longer incision.
- Smooth or textured shell: smooth feels softer and may ripple; textured is meant to stay in place. BIA-ALCL occurs most often with textured implants.
Fat transfer is the alternative to an implant. Cleveland Clinic says fat taken by liposuction is purified and injected, adding about one or two cup sizes. It does not lift sagging breasts, and more than one session may be needed.
Risks the FDA describes
On October 27, 2021 the FDA announced new requirements for every breast implant sold in the U.S.: a boxed warning in the labeling, a patient decision checklist that the surgeon must go over with you before surgery and that you both sign, a patient device card, and updated advice on screening for rupture. Sale of implants is restricted to providers and facilities that use the checklist.
- Not lifetime devices. The FDA says breast implants “are not considered lifetime devices.” The longer you have them, the more likely complications become, and some complications need more surgery. ASPS says implants are typically exchanged or removed about every 10 to 15 years, depending on the patient.
- BIA-ALCL. Breast implant associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma is a T-cell lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system, that the FDA says “appears more often in patients with textured breast implants.” It is not breast cancer.
- Other cancers in the capsule. The FDA has reported squamous cell carcinoma and other lymphomas in the scar capsule around implants, with textured and smooth, saline and silicone implants. The FDA believes these may be rare; their cause, incidence and risk factors are not known.
- Systemic symptoms. The FDA says: “Symptoms such as fatigue, memory loss, rash, ‘brain fog,’ and joint pain may be associated with breast implants.” These symptoms, often called breast implant illness, are still being studied.
- Silent rupture. For silicone gel implants, the FDA says MRI is the most effective way to find a rupture that causes no symptoms, and ultrasound is an acceptable alternative.
ASPS also lists anesthesia risks, bleeding, fluid buildup, changes in nipple or breast sensation, capsular contracture (scar tissue tightening around the implant), infection, poor scarring, implant malposition and the chance of revision surgery. Read the FDA’s own page on risks and complications of breast implants before your consultation.
Risks of a lift
Cleveland Clinic lists asymmetry, sensation changes, poor healing, loss of the nipple or areola, possible inability to breastfeed, and blood clots. Lift scars do not disappear, though they fade.
Want to talk through volume, a lift, or both?
Surgery and recovery
Breast augmentation is done under general anesthesia or IV sedation, and most people go home about an hour after waking. Someone must drive you and, ideally, stay the first night. A lift on its own usually takes 1 to 2 hours. These are general ranges from Cleveland Clinic; your surgeon will give you your own timeline.
| Stage | Augmentation (Cleveland Clinic) |
|---|---|
| Worst soreness | First 5 to 7 days |
| Light activity and desk work | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Back to work | 2 to 6 weeks; at least 6 for physical jobs |
| Full recovery | About 6 to 8 weeks on average |
ASPS adds that a support bra is worn around the clock as directed. Plan help with lifting your children for the first weeks.
What it costs
ASPS reports a 2024 national range of $4,575 to $8,000 for the surgeon’s fee alone for breast augmentation with implants, and $6,500 to $11,000 for a breast lift. Fat transfer augmentation was $5,500 to $9,500. Anesthesia, the facility and the implants are extra. Providers set their own prices, and your provider will give you their own quote. See how a mommy makeover cost adds up.
Questions to ask a Dallas surgeon
These follow the ASPS list of consultation questions:
- Are you certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery?
- Do you have hospital privileges for this procedure, and is the facility accredited?
- Do I need an implant, a lift, or both? Why?
- Which implant shape, size, surface, incision and placement do you suggest for me?
- How many more implant operations can I expect over my lifetime?
- Will you go over the FDA patient decision checklist with me before surgery?
Checking the surgeon
Check certification on the American Board of Plastic Surgery lookup, which searches by name or ZIP code, then look up the physician on the Texas Medical Board license lookup, which shows license status, education and any disciplinary actions. Planning from the suburbs? See Frisco and Plano.
This site gives general information, not medical advice. A licensed provider decides with you whether a treatment suits you.
Questions people ask
Do I need a lift or implants after breastfeeding?
It depends on whether the change is lost volume, sagging or both. Implants add volume but do not fix significant sagging, ASPS says; a lift raises the breast without changing its size. A surgeon who examines you can say which fits.
How long do breast implants last?
The FDA says breast implants are not lifetime devices. ASPS says they are typically exchanged or removed about every 10 to 15 years, depending on the patient’s needs.
What is the FDA boxed warning on breast implants?
Since 2021 the labeling of every implant carries a boxed warning, and your surgeon must go over a patient decision checklist with you that you both sign before surgery.
Can I breastfeed after breast surgery?
Ask your surgeon; ASPS lists how breastfeeding may be affected as a consultation question. Cleveland Clinic names possible inability to breastfeed as a risk of a lift.
Can breast surgery be done with a tummy tuck?
Often, yes. It is the most common mommy makeover pairing. See the tummy tuck page and ask whether one stage or two suits you.
Who will I talk to if I send a request?
An independent plastic surgery office in the Dallas area. Mommy Makeover Dallas is a free referral service, not a medical provider.