Breast Lift with Implants (Augmentation Mastopexy) in Istanbul

After pregnancy, breastfeeding or weight loss, many women face two problems at once: the breast has descended and the skin has stretched — and the volume, especially in the upper half, has deflated. A breast lift fixes position but not volume; an implant fixes volume but not position. Breast lift with implants corrects both in a single operation — which is why it is one of the most requested, and most transformative, procedures in breast surgery.

Dr. Mehmet Sürmeli, MD, FEBOPRAS · European & Turkish Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon · Member of ISAPS & ASPS · Licensed in Türkiye, Dubai (DHA) and Abu Dhabi (DOH)

Why not just an implant? Why not just a lift?

Put an implant into a significantly drooping breast and you get a bigger breast that still droops — the breast tissue slides down over the implant into what surgeons call the ‘waterfall’ look, with the nipple sitting low. Lift a deflated breast without an implant and it will sit beautifully — but redistributing tissue upward can make a medium-sized breast look smaller, with limited fullness in the upper half. When both problems exist, only the combination gives a breast that is lifted, youthful in position and full where you want it. Whether you truly need the combined operation — or one procedure alone would serve you better — is decided by examination, never from photographs.

Honesty first: this is the most demanding single-stage breast operation

Dr. Sürmeli discusses this openly at every consultation, so it belongs here too. A lift tightens the skin envelope while an implant expands it — two opposing forces balanced in one surgery. That makes this technically the most complex of the aesthetic breast procedures, with a naturally higher chance of needing a small secondary adjustment than either procedure alone. Two honest numbers from this practice: in roughly half of combined cases the surgeon can foresee something that might merit a minor touch-up at the one-year mark — yet fewer than 5% of patients actually choose revision surgery, because the result is one they are happy to live with. You will hear your personal version of these odds before you ever see an operating room.

Part of protecting the result is implant discipline: excessively large implants combined with a lift put dangerous tension on healing tissues. If your wish size is not safe for your tissue, you will be told — and offered what is.

Our technique, told straight

The lift. The nipple is repositioned on a robust tissue bridge that preserves its blood supply and, in most patients, its sensation. The breast is then internally reshaped — supporting pillars of your own tissue are stitched to build a projected, durable cone, so the shape is held from within rather than by skin tension.

The scars — no illusions. This lift uses the anchor (inverted-T) pattern: around the areola, a vertical line down, and a line hidden in the breast fold. There is no scarless version of this operation, and the vertical component is not optional — without it, the internal pillars that hold your long-term shape cannot be built. The scars are permanent but fade and soften substantially over 12–18 months with silicone scar care.

The implants. We use two premium FDA-approved brands — Mentor® and Motiva® — chosen with you at consultation and sizing. Placement is the dual-plane technique: the implant’s upper portion under the chest muscle for natural coverage and a lower risk of hardening, the lower portion behind the gland for natural shape. Implants are inserted with a no-touch funnel technique.

What to expect after — the ‘dropping and fluffing’ honesty

For the first 1–2 months your breasts will look higher, tighter and fuller up top than the final result — that is swelling and muscle tightness, and it is intentional. Over months 2–3 the implants settle, the breast softens, and some of that early upper-pole fullness relaxes away. This is normal settling, not a fading result. Judge nothing before 6 months; the true result is assessable at 9–12 months.

One more honest note: milk production is affected unpredictably by the lift’s internal work — if future breastfeeding is a priority, the timing of this operation deserves careful thought, and we will discuss it plainly.

How long do implants last?

Modern implants are durable but not lifetime devices. Dr. Sürmeli’s standing recommendation: replace the implants if any capsule abnormality develops, or once they reach about 10 years of age — implant technology keeps improving, and each generation is safer than the last. Routine follow-up with ultrasound or MRI keeps an eye on implant integrity over the years.

Traveling from abroad? This is routine for us

A large part of this practice is international — particularly patients from the United States, United Kingdom and Europe. Plan to stay in Istanbul about 7 days after surgery for drain removal, wound checks and your first follow-up. Our patient packages cover 4★/5★ hotel options, airport and clinic transfers, your hospital stay with meals, 24/7 nursing support, medications and your surgical bra. Beyond Istanbul, Dr. Sürmeli also holds medical licences in Dubai and Abu Dhabi — for details about UAE consultations, please contact our patient representatives.

“Augmentation-mastopexy asks two opposite things of the same tissue — tighten and expand at once. It is exactly the kind of operation where you want a surgeon who does it routinely, not occasionally,” says Dr. Sürmeli.

Patient safety comes before everything

Dr. Sürmeli is known for putting patient safety at the centre of his practice. For the combined lift-plus-implant operation the non-negotiables are: absolute smoking cessation well before and after surgery — smoking is the single biggest driver of wound and nipple-healing complications in this operation, and surgery will be declined or postponed if it hasn’t stopped; implant sizes kept within what your tissues can safely carry; breast ultrasound before any breast surgery; individual clot-risk scoring with full preventive measures; and surgery only in fully accredited hospitals with complete anaesthesia monitoring. If the combined operation is not the safe choice for you — staging, a different plan, or waiting — you will be told so plainly. That honesty is part of the care, not a lost sale.

Ready to talk it through?

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