The patient may receive a general anesthetic or local anesthetic with sedation. Pain, bruising, swelling, soreness, numbness and dry breast skin are common temporary side-effects after surgery, but discomfort is unlikely to be severe. Loss of feeling in the nipples and breast skin will usually return. Risks include bleeding, infection, thick wide scars, asymmetry and unevenly positioned nipples. Patients can go back to work in a week to 10 days and resume more strenuous activity in about a month.
Scars are permanent, but usually fade and become less noticeable after several months to one year.
The duration of results is variable. Factors such as pregnancy, age, weight fluctuations and breast size affect the longevity of the improvement. Women who have implants along with breast lift may have more enduring results. The best candidates for surgery are men with firm elastic skin. Heavy users of alcohol, marijuana or anabolic steroids are generally not considered good candidates for surgery.