Do I Need a Breast Lift, Breast Augmentation With a Lift, or Just Augmentation? (Updated 12/2025)

Many women who seek breast augmentation actually need a breast lift as well. When the breast skin has stretched and the nipple sits low on the breast, implants alone cannot correct sagging or restore a youthful breast shape.

In my Toronto practice, this can be a difficult conversation at first. It’s common to assume that increasing volume will automatically improve breast position, but implants do not lift the breast or reposition the nipple. Once patients understand how breast anatomy changes over time, it becomes clear why combining a breast lift with augmentation often produces more attractive, balanced results.

That said, not everyone needs both procedures. Some women are satisfied with their breast size and come in specifically seeking a lift, while others have adequate nipple position and skin tone and may benefit from implants alone. In certain cases, combining the two procedures can still improve shape, symmetry, and long-term outcomes.

Determining whether you need a breast lift, breast augmentation, or a combination of both requires an in-person consultation with a Royal College–certified plastic surgeon. Below, I explain how each procedure works and when combining them makes sense.

When to Get a Breast Lift

Women’s breasts can sag for various reasons. Pregnancy stretches the breast skin and, in many cases, the skin’s elasticity doesn’t rebound after a woman has children. Age is another reason for breasts to lose their youthful shape. A breast lift can:

• Reduce excess skin
• Minimize signs of aging breasts
• Create symmetrical breasts when 1 is larger than the other
• Reposition the location of nipples on the breast
• Adjust the size of areolae

The ultimate goal of breast lift surgery is to reshape the breasts so they appear perkier and more youthful, as you can see in the before and after pictures below. The Aesthetic Society explains more about the benefits of a breast lift.

When to Get Breast Augmentation

Getting breast implants can not only increase the size of your breasts, but the procedure can also improve your breasts’ shape and feel. Breast augmentation surgery can also:

• Correct breast asymmetry
• Create breasts that are in better proportion to your body type
• Reverse an inverted nipple

Patients considering getting breast implants at my practice have many reasons for making this highly personal choice. They may have always had small breasts and want to enhance the size of the breasts to feel more feminine or increase the clothing styles they can wear. Or they may want to restore lost volume from having children or because of age.

One of the common themes I hear from many breast augmentation patients is that they feel self-conscious about the appearance of their breasts and believe breast enhancement surgery can improve their self-esteem. You can read more about the top reasons people choose breast implants in my related blog post.

When to Get Breast Implants With a Lift

It’s important to understand that you can’t improve the appearance of sagging breasts with implants alone. In fact, breast implants can make breasts look even saggier because they add weight. When there is minor sagging (called ptosis), breast augmentation alone may be okay. In most cases, however, combining the procedures produce beautiful results. Patients often worry about having incisions on the breasts, but anti-scar creams can greatly fade the appearance of scars.

Request Your Consultation

I perform hundreds of cosmetic breast surgeries every year and can help you make the right decision based on your needs. You can see the types of results I get by viewing before-and-after photos of my actual breast augmentation and breast lift patients. You can also contact us to request a consultation using the online form or call us at (416) 925-7337 (Toronto) or (905) 743-9888 (Oshawa) to schedule an appointment.