“In my practice, I have seen breast lifts as one of the most common procedures performed.”
I dictated that in September. On September 29 the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery published its 2025 global count:
| Worldwide, 2025 | Count | One-year change |
|---|---|---|
| Breast lift | 1,143,862 | plus 48.1 percent |
| Breast augmentation | 1,622,639 | minus 2.2 percent |
| Implant removal | 360,594 | plus 42 percent since 2021 |
| Secondary breast surgery | 592,965 | 28 percent ended with no implant |
Eighth most common operation in the world last year. Fourth this year.
What I See in the Room
“Where the nipple sits relative to the IMF is the entire question. Above the fold leans aug alone, or aug plus a small doughnut lift for better symmetry and perkiness. BodyTite if skin is borderline. At or below the fold leans an honest mastopexy, and an implant alone in that setup will make the heaviness worse.”
That is how I answered a woman on RealSelf this spring, and it is the exam the implant was sold around for years.
What Changed
The first is the incision. “I think a lot of patients are afraid of this surgery because they feel like they’re going to need the full anchor type incision. By offering the circumareolar, or donut, lift for patients whose nipple and areola are above the inframammary fold, this can be a game changer.”
The second is what holds the lift up. “Regardless of the combination of procedures we perform, I do recommend using an internal bra with mesh support, with GalaFLEX or DuraSorb, to give us that support of the breast weight, so that we’re not just relying on skin, which has lost all its elastin and is not reliable long term.”
“The mesh supports the tissues for a period of up to two years. As it dissolves, it leaves behind collagen deposits, so the support remains there even well after the mesh has gone.”
A lift that lasts is a different product from the lift of ten years ago. The world ordered 370,000 more of them.
The Look Women Are Choosing
“A breast lift will always give a perkier look, more upper fullness, and cleavage, but it’s going to have usually a natural slope on top.”
“An implant is very predictable,” and 1.6 million women still chose one. I wrote about where the implant still belongs after Forbes asked whether one of them was the Rolls-Royce. The full read on the lift, with the exam and the cost, is on my practice site, and what nobody tells you about the lift itself is here.
Ready to Talk?
Call the office at (915) 590-7900, text us at 1-866-814-0038, or book a consultation at agulloplasticsurgery.com/appointments. #StayBeautiful
@RealDrWorldWide on Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, @Agullo on X, or @AgulloPlasticSurgery on Facebook.
Statistics: International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, ISAPS International Survey on Aesthetic/Cosmetic Procedures Performed in 2025.