Wait until you have finished breastfeeding, then give it around six to twelve months before surgery. The breast keeps changing after feeding stops, and operating before it has settled means planning around a shape that is still moving.
What most women are describing after feeding is not simply sagging. It is loss of volume in the upper part of the breast, skin that has been stretched and not fully recovered, and a nipple that now sits lower on the breast than it did. Those three things need different answers.
What pregnancy and feeding actually change
| Change | What it looks like | What addresses it |
|---|---|---|
| Glandular involution | Emptiness and flatness in the upper breast | An implant, fat grafting, or reshaping your own tissue |
| Skin stretch | Breast sits lower; skin does not spring back | A lift — skin is removed |
| Nipple descent | Nipple points down or sits at the lowest part of the breast | A lift, which repositions the nipple |
| Areola stretch | Wider areola | Reduced as part of the lift |
| Asymmetry | One side noticeably different, often the preferred feeding side | Planned for individually, side by side |
A lift alone, or a lift with volume?
If your size is acceptable and the problem is position, a lift alone does the job. If you have lost real volume and want the upper fullness back, a lift on its own can look flatter than you hoped, because it repositions what is there rather than adding to it. The options then are a lift with an implant or a lift with fat grafting.
Dr Kumar will give you his recommendation rather than a menu, and will show you where the nipple has to move to and what that means for the scar pattern.
Timing, and why it matters
- Finish feeding first. Milk production changes breast volume substantially.
- Allow six to twelve months after stopping. Volume and skin continue to settle over that period.
- Be at a stable weight. Post-partum weight change alters the result in the same way the pregnancy did.
- Think about further children. A future pregnancy will stretch the breast again. A lift is not undone by it, but the result will change.
None of this is a rule that stops you having surgery. Some women choose to proceed knowing another pregnancy is possible, and that is a reasonable decision when it is made with the information in front of you.
Does Medicare cover it?
Sometimes. Item 45558 covers correction of bilateral breast ptosis by mastopexy, but only where at least two-thirds of the breast tissue including the nipple lies below the inframammary fold, with the nipple at the lowest part of the breast contour, and with marked photographic evidence documented in your notes. It is claimable once in a lifetime.
Many women after breastfeeding do not meet that threshold, and a lift done for shape alone attracts no rebate. Figures are the MBS schedule fee and benefit as at 1 July 2026.
Will it affect feeding a future baby?
A lift removes skin and repositions the nipple rather than removing glandular tissue, so it generally interferes less with feeding than a reduction does. It is still surgery on the breast and no surgeon can promise feeding will be unaffected. If you may feed again, say so at the consultation — see also breast reduction and breastfeeding.
Common questions
Can it be done with an abdominoplasty? Often yes, and combining usually costs less overall than two separate operations because you pay for one anaesthetic and one hospital stay. See surgery after pregnancy.
Will exercise fix it? Chest exercise builds muscle beneath the breast. It does not tighten stretched skin or lift the nipple.
What are the scars? Around the areola, usually vertical to the fold, sometimes along the fold. Breast lift scars.
How long is recovery? Desk work at two weeks, full exercise at six. The week-by-week timeline.
Next step
Bring a GP referral — it is required to see Dr Kumar — and you will leave knowing which operation suits you and whether you meet item 45558. Call 1300 267 726 or request a call from his nursing team. More about breast lift surgery and lift or reduction.
The initial consultation with Dr Kumar is $400, with a Medicare rebate of approximately $88 where you have a GP referral. Surgical fees are quoted individually after your consultation, in a written itemised quote.
All surgery carries risks, and individual results will vary. Read more about the risks of surgery here. A GP referral is required to see Dr Kumar.
Dr Rohit Kumar (MED0001630444) Registered medical practitioner, specialist plastic surgeon (specialist registration in surgery – plastic surgery).
