Service
Breast lift
A breast lift is an operation that reshapes the breast surgically: excess skin is removed and the breasts return to a higher position. The medical name is mastopexy. It does not increase volume — it changes position and shape.
What concerns does it address?
When a lift, and when a lift with an implant?
- When the volume is there but the breasts sag — a lift is enough.
- When volume has been lost along with the sagging, most often in the upper part — a lift on its own does not bring back fullness. The lift is then combined with an implant or with a transfer of your own fatty tissue.
When is the right time after breastfeeding?
The procedure is planned once the breasts have settled after breastfeeding and your weight has levelled out — for most women about six months after breastfeeding stops, at the earliest.
What exactly is done?
Through an incision around the areola and, depending on the extent, downwards, the excess skin is removed. The gland is reshaped and lifted, and the areola is moved to its new position.
An incision around the areola only — for mild sagging. An incision around the areola and vertically down to the fold ("keyhole") — the most common procedure for moderate sagging. An inverted-T incision — for more marked sagging. When the lower part of the breast is only slightly loose, we gather the gland from inside, without a vertical incision on the skin — a periareolar lift with an internal suture.
When the areola has to be moved by more than about ten centimetres, this is planned with particular care because of the blood supply to the nipple; exceptionally, when the areola has to be moved very far, it is safer to graft the nipple and areola.
At the end of the operation, strips are placed over the incisions and elastic bands over the breast. A special bra is put on while you are still on the operating table; in most cases drains remain, and they are removed in the following few days.
Lift with an implant (augmentation with a lift)
A lift and an implant are most often done together, in one procedure: the breast is lifted and reshaped, and the implant makes up the volume that is missing. They are done in two steps when the sagging calls for a large movement of the nipple, when the skin is thin and has a poor blood supply, in smokers or when a large implant is wanted: first the breast is lifted, and the implant is placed after a few months, when the tissue has healed. The reason is the blood supply to the nipple.
The implant is most often placed under the chest muscle, because this puts less load on an already loose breast and less often causes capsule formation; when the skin is thin, this is the only safe option. A smaller implant is chosen than for augmentation alone — a larger implant on a loose breast is a burden, not a support.
Shape, size and filling of the implant → Breast implants — how to choose?
When is the procedure not suitable?
In smokers the risk of a disturbance of the circulation of the areola and nipple is many times higher, so the smoke-free period is not skipped here.
General reasons for postponing a procedure (pregnancy, breastfeeding, inflammation, a clotting disorder, smoking): When is a procedure postponed?
How do we prepare for the procedure?
Before a lift a breast ultrasound is always done, and in older patients a mammogram as well. A special bra is chosen before the procedure.
Anaesthesia
Before a procedure under general or regional anaesthesia, you are seen by the anaesthetist, who works full time at the clinic; the same doctor is also present during the procedure. The anaesthetic assessment and the anaesthesia for larger operations are included in the price of the procedure. What happens before, during and after anaesthesia is described on the Anaesthesia page.
Recovery
For the first two weeks you do not lift anything heavier than a few kilograms, including a child.
Procedures are grouped into four recovery profiles: A, outpatient (home straight away, no restrictions apart from dressing changes), B, minor procedure (home the same day or after one night, marks are visible for about a week), C, major procedure (one to two nights in the clinic, sick leave and planning in weeks) and D, functional procedure (sick leave and return to work). This procedure belongs to profile C. How long recovery takes and what it depends on is described on the Recovery after surgery page.
What can the procedure not do?
A lift does not prevent the breasts from sagging again over time, after another pregnancy or after a larger weight loss.
The scars are permanent.
Risks
Expected — changed sensation in the areola that returns over weeks to months, tightness when raising the arms. Occasional — asymmetry, longer or complete loss of sensation in the nipple, slight asymmetry of the areola or an inverted nipple, which can be corrected later.
Rare — a disturbance of the circulation of the areola and nipple, most often in smokers: from loss of colour to death of part of the skin; when combined with an implant, an infection around the implant, in which case the implant is removed, the breast heals and a new one is placed later.
Expected, and rare but serious → Risks and complications: what is the course of healing, and what is a complication?
Price
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Breast lift (mastopexy) | €4,500–5,000 |
| Breast augmentation and lift with implants | €5,500–6,500 |
Anaesthesia is included in the price. Procedures at Poliklinika Barbel are paid for privately.
Specialist and team
Specialty: plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery.
When the procedure is done under sedation or general anaesthesia, the anaesthesia is led by a specialist in anaesthesiology, resuscitation and intensive care who works full time at the clinic.
In the operating theatre, the surgeon is assisted by head nurse Martina Šereg, with the help of nurses Kristina Jurešić and Mateja Tomorad, and in recovery the care assistant Mirjana Kovačić is with you. Martina also looks after preparation, scheduling and contact after the procedure.
Who will operate is decided at the examination, based on the findings and the type of procedure. You know the name of the surgeon before the procedure and meet them at the examination.
What happens at the examination?
The first examination lasts 30 to 45 minutes on average. The surgeon examines the area you are concerned about, asks about illnesses, medicines, allergies and previous operations, and talks with you about what you expect. If the procedure is appropriate and likely to help, you receive a plan: which procedure is proposed, under which anaesthesia, what recovery looks like and what is included in the price. If the procedure is not needed or would not give you what you expect, you will hear that at the examination too.
What if the result is not as agreed?
The result of a procedure is assessed at a follow-up visit, once the swelling has gone down and the scar has matured, not in the first weeks. If it differs from what was agreed at the examination, the same surgeon carries out the correction.
→ Poliklinika Barbel's correction policy
In the same visit
- Breast augmentation — when volume has been lost along with the sagging, a lift and augmentation are done in the same procedure, with one recovery.
- Areola and nipple correction — the areola is reduced in the same procedure, because a lift goes through that incision anyway.
Frequently asked questions
Can an implant lift the breasts by itself? Only with mild sagging — when the nipple is up to about two centimetres lower than before — and with a carefully chosen implant under the muscle. In all other cases the implant is a burden, not a support: without correcting the skin and the gland, the breast slides downwards over time while the implant stays in place.
Does the procedure affect breastfeeding in a later pregnancy? The gland is reshaped and some of the milk ducts may be cut, so breastfeeding cannot be promised. If you are planning children, tell us at the examination — in most women it is better to plan the procedure after the last pregnancy.
Why is augmentation with a lift not the sum of two prices? Because it is not two operations but one with elements of both. A part of the price of the lift is added to the price of augmentation — smaller when only the skin around the areola is corrected, larger with a complete reshaping.
Which implant is chosen? A smaller one than for augmentation alone — the volume that the breast can carry without becoming loose again. If you want markedly large breasts along with a lift, this is done in two steps.
Recovery after a breast lift: what do you look out for at home? A special bra, put on while you are still on the operating table, is worn for four to six weeks. While it is worn, you do not sleep on your front and you avoid strain, and for the first two weeks you do not lift anything heavier than a few kilograms, including a child. On average, you can return to training after six weeks. Smoking is a particular risk with this procedure, because it reduces the blood supply to the areola and nipple, on which their healing depends.
How much does the result depend on care after the procedure? The larger the procedure, the more it depends on it, but it always does. Healing takes weeks and months and happens almost entirely at home, so the instructions you receive when you go home, about the wound, physical activity and the scar, are part of the procedure, not a recommendation.
Who is with me if I stay overnight in the clinic after the procedure? You stay overnight when the doctor judges it necessary and this is agreed with you. You then spend the night in a room in the recovery unit, which has a bed, a television and a bathroom. A nurse is with you all night and a doctor is on call. The overnight stay and night care are included in the price of the procedure.
→ How long do you stay in the clinic after surgery?
Medical review: doctors of Poliklinika Barbel · October 2026.