Breast lift was the fourth most common cosmetic operation in the country in 2025, at 156,131 procedures. Dr. Frank Agullo performs it frequently, and says the consultation usually begins with the same question.
“The question often comes up whether they need a lift with an implant, without an implant, with mesh support, without mesh support, and whether fat transfer is an option as well. Really, this question has a lot to do with what the patient actually wants the outcomes to be.”
What size do you want to end up
“Once we’ve identified that a lift is necessary, we ask the patient whether they want to stay the same size or slightly smaller, or if they want to be larger. Of course, if they want to be larger, we will need an implant or a fat transfer to the breast.”
“The biggest difference here is that an implant is very predictable, and fat transfer to the breast is going to be a slight change, very natural, and a little bit unpredictable in terms of how much of the fat actually stays, but we can usually count on about a cup size increase.”
The part patients find surprising
“If a patient just wants to have a breast lift, then they have to understand that they may be the same size or slightly smaller, maybe half a cup size to a cup size, because we are removing that excess skin. The breast will be perkier, but it’ll also be tighter, and it may appear smaller.”
The internal bra
“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.”
Implant size, in practice
“I have an increased number of patients looking for slight changes using implants under three hundred CCs, and even using the Motiva Preserve procedure for a much faster recovery.”
“I think the bulk of patients still use the three hundred to four hundred CC implants, which give them one to two and a half cup sizes depending on their starting point.”
The practice also offers the Mentor MemoryGel Enhance line, the largest silicone gel implants available, running up to 1,445cc, for patients who want considerably more. Sizing is settled in a breast augmentation consultation.
What moves the price
“The prices on a breast lift are going to change depending on what other procedures we perform at the same time. Using an implant and/or internal bra support mesh will increase the cost. If a procedure is going to take longer, that can increase the surgical and operative time cost. And any other procedures that we add on, like sometimes liposuction of the lateral chest with Renuvion J-Plasma, or the axilla and upper back, can increase the cost as well.”
Two things to settle before surgery
“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.”
“A lot of patients having a breast lift with implants are expecting a lot of upper fullness and a very high implant placement, which is just not possible at the same time as a breast lift. 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.”
Dr. Agullo has published the full breakdown, including how the fee is built.
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Source: Commentary from Dr. Agullo’s 2026-09-07 dictation. Volume figure from the ASPS 2025 Procedural Statistics Report.
