Kevin B. Bounds is a board-certified plastic surgeon who has helped countless women restore a perky bust with breast lift.

You may be a good candidate for this procedure if you meet these criteria:

• You are in good physical health and have reached and maintain a stable weight.
• You are a nonsmoker or committed to giving up the habit for as long as necessary while you heal after a breast lift.
• You feel your breasts have lost shape and volume or sag lower on your chest.
• Your breasts have taken on an elongated contour or may be flatter or pendulous.
• Your nipples fall beneath the level of the inframammary fold (breast crease) when you’re not wearing a bra and may point downward instead of outward.
• You have stretched breast skin and enlarged areolas (the pigmented skin around your nipples).
• One of your breasts is more misshapen or hangs lower than the other breast.

You can perform the “Pencil Test” at home to help you identify if a breast lift is a good option for you. Take a pencil and place it in the crease under one of your breasts. Release your breast tissue and then let go of the pencil. If the pencil stays in place, you likely have some breast ptosis (drooping) that breast lift can correct. However, the only way to know if you are a candidate for this breast surgery is to meet with our plastic surgeon in Virginia Beach.

Types of Breast Lifts

Your breast lift is customized to address the amount of breast sagging, and the type of breast lift will depend on several factors. Some women wish to have breast augmentation with breast implants at the same time as a breast lift. Mild breast sagging may be addressed with breast augmentation or a donut breast lift (peri-areolar breast lift), which utilizes two circular incisions around the areolas that form the shape of a donut.

The lollipop breast lift (vertical breast lift) may be used for moderate breast ptosis. This technique involves circular incisions around the areolas and a vertical line down to the breast crease, creating a lollipop appearance. The anchor breast lift is used for severe breast sagging and requires a third incision in the breast crease, forming the shape of an anchor or inverted “T.” The nipples and areolas are repositioned in a natural-looking, youthful placement and excess skin tissue is removed to accommodate the loss of elasticity. The breast tissue is reshaped and lifted for a firmer, perkier breast contour.

Schedule Your Breast Lift Consultation in Virginia Beach

If you’re interested in a breast lift, contact Dr. Bounds at Plastic Surgery of Virginia Beach to discuss your candidacy. Schedule your consultation by calling (757) 496-7373 or filling out our online contact form.

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Some women’s post-pregnancy breast anxieties center on issues of sagging, stretching and loss of skin integrity. However, trusted Virginia Beach plastic surgeon Dr. Kevin Bounds has found that this is not always true — many new mothers miss the “fuller” look of the breasts they experienced during the months of nursing their baby. In such cases, breast augmentation or breast lift can restore the feel, form and volume that breastfeeding created.

Northern Exposure

“Upper pole fullness” is the term doctors use to describe a fuller, rounded appearance for the upper hemisphere of the breast. Enhancing upper pole fullness can make breasts appear lifted; even as it creates the curves, contours and dramatic dimensions that are a perfect match for plunging necklines. Dr. Bounds is skilled in recreating this fashionable and natural feel with careful selection and precise placement of breast implants. 

To achieve a successful result, a surgeon must consider the profile of the implant, measured as the ratio between an implant’s width and height. High-profile breast implants extend into the upper breast hemisphere, providing a foundation for greater fullness.

A surgeon must also consider a woman’s natural physique, breast base, chest breadth and even the distance between nipples. A shorter distance is preferred, but improved upper hemisphere fullness is still possible with breasts and nipples that are farther apart. Surgical technique is also key. Depending on the dimensions of the torso, implants may be placed in an elevated position, preferably under the chest muscle.

The Breast Lift Option

If a woman has significant sagging, breast augmentation may not be effective in building upper pole fullness. This is especially true if the nipple position is lower than the inframmammary crease at the base of the breast. In such cases, greater fullness and more attractive cleavage is best achieved with mastopexy, or breast lift.

The goal of breast lift is to reverse sagging and reclaim a natural shape by elevating the breasts on the chest. This more youthful positioning can actually produce the illusion of larger volume, even though the breasts may have slightly decreased in size during the procedure. By improving symmetry and returning low or downward-pointing nipples to a natural appearance, breast lift can greatly improve the breast profile, while creating upper hemisphere fullness that is based on projection and elevation, rather than size.

To learn more about breast surgery options, schedule a personal consultation with Dr. Bounds in his Virginia Beach office by calling or emailing today.

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Managing Discomfort

Many women are anxious about the amount of discomfort they might experience after breast enhancement surgery. Fortunately, most are pleasantly surprised that the pain level is not as high as they expect and easily manageable with oral pain medication. To ensure your pain remains manageable, make arrangements to rest and recuperate the first few days by enlisting the help and support of a relative or close friend. The more you can relax in those early days, the better you are likely to feel overall.

Sleeping and Bathing

Sleeping after breast lift surgery should be done on your back or possibly your side. Avoid sleeping on your stomach during the first week or two to prevent additional discomfort and possible interference with the healing process. You may also find it is difficult to raise your hands above your head to wash your hair for the first few days. Be patient, you will be back to your normal bathing routine quicker than you think.

Supporting Healthy Scar Healing

It is important to treat your incisions with extra care in the days following plastic surgery to ensure proper incision healing and minimal scarring. Surgical dressings applied to the area need to be kept clean and dry.  At your first appointment after surgery, those dressings will be removed and you will be given special post-operative garments to wear for a number of weeks.

Keep your incisions out of direct sunlight while they are healing and do not smoke during the recovery process to ensure the best results. Topical products may also be recommended to reduce the amount of visible scarring you experience after your surgery.

Wearing Post-Surgical Garments

When your dressings are removed, you will be given a special support bra that ensures healthy blood flow and proper healing of the area. It is important to wear this garment as instructed by Dr. Bounds. Once you are finished with the support garment, you can switch to your comfortable bras. Avoid underwire bras until Dr. Bounds tells you it is safe to begin wearing them again.

To Find Out More…

Contact Dr. Kevin Bounds at

Phone: 757-496-7373

Address: 1815 Colonial Medical Ct. Virginia Beach, VA 23454

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 “If you don’t want your boobs to hit your knees by the time you’re 30, always wear a bra, even to bed,” Halle Berry has said to a reporter of InStyle magazine. The star, who claims to wear a bra 24/7 and thinks this is the reason for her perky breasts, may be misinformed, though. Why don’t you tackle this true-or-false quiz to see how much you actually know about breast drooping?

1. Breasts droop as women get older

TRUE. During the process of aging, the Cooper’s ligaments stretch and the connective tissue in the breasts consisting of collagen and elastin slowly break down. This results in losing the once so perky-looking breasts. When women go through menopause, fat replaces some of the dense breast tissue, which also contributes to the sagging of your breasts.

2. Bras prevent breasts from drooping

FALSE. We ‘re so sorry to tell you this: Nothing can prevent your boobs from going south. Contrary to what Halle Berry believes, a bra holds up your breasts and shapes them the way you want, but it can’t prevent drooping because drooping is caused by gravity and age. A French researcher even claimed recently that wearing a bra supports breast sagging due to the fact that this weakens the supporting tissue. There is one exception, though: Sports bras help prevent extreme bouncing of the boobs and the breakdown of breast tissue while women do high-impact exercises or running.

3. Your breasts stay perky with the right exercises

FALSE. As breasts are mainly made of fatty tissue and not muscle, there’s actually nothing in the department of tightening and toning. So, all the exercises in the world can’t reduce the sagging. Chest exercises do help improve the looks of your pectoral area by strengthening the Cooper’s ligaments and other surrounding ligaments. This, in turn, may improve the appearance of your girls a little by giving them a livelier look.

4. Breastfeeding is a major cause for sagging

FALSE. In 2008, the Aesthetic Surgery Journal published a study concluding that breastfeeding isn’t a risk factor for ptosis or breast sagging. The real reason is pregnancy itself. Gaining weight during pregnancy often causes ligaments to stretch, which may lead to sagging later. While avoiding drooping altogether is impossible, you can try to minimize it by sticking to a normal, healthy weight gain during pregnancy.

5. Sun tanning and smoking affect the looks of your breasts

TRUE. Any poor lifestyle habit affecting your skin’s elastin and collagen fibers is a significant risk factor in breast sagging. This includes smoking, eating poor, high-fat foods, and overexposure to UV rays.

Breast Augmentation is procedure that can help correct sagging or drooping breasts and bring back a youthful look. Whether you decide to do a breast lift or add implants to increase volume, Dr. Bounds can help you make that determination during your consultation. Call today!

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