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Breast Lift / Sagging Breast Correction
Breast lift and sagging breast correction in Busan, Korea. Three documented surgical routes, chosen by breast volume, performed by Dr. Kim Ki-tae at TAE.
Breast Lift and Sagging Breast Correction in Busan, Korea
Medically reviewed by Dr. Kim Ki-tae, MD — Board-Certified Specialist in Plastic Surgery, Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons; Director and founder, TAE Plastic Surgery Clinic TAE Plastic Surgery Clinic, Haeundae-gu, Busan
A breast lift in Busan — mastopexy, or sagging breast correction — is surgery that raises and reshapes breasts that have dropped or lost firmness. At TAE Plastic Surgery Clinic in Haeundae-gu the operation is not one procedure but three, and which one you get is decided by how much volume the sagging breast already has. That single variable, volume, is what separates a lift performed alone from a lift performed with augmentation or with reduction.
What Is Breast Lift / Sagging Breast Correction?
Breast lift / sagging breast correction (mastopexy) is a surgical procedure that raises and reshapes breasts that have become droopy or lost firmness.
It may involve removing excess skin, reshaping existing breast tissue, and repositioning the nipple and areola.
The technique is selected according to the degree of sagging, breast size, skin elasticity and overall breast shape.
It repositions existing tissue and removes excess skin, leaving a scar, rather than adding volume with an implant.
The clinic selects the lift method from two things it names explicitly: how far the breast has sagged, and how large it is.
Where indicated, the lift may be combined with breast augmentation or with breast reduction in the same operation.
The reasons people come are consistent: changes in breast shape or position after pregnancy, after breastfeeding, with aging, after significant weight loss, or after a change in breast volume. Patients travelling internationally often add another — they want the surgical plan built for them rather than picked from a list.
The clinic's stated approach is to assess skin condition and the underlying tissue structure together, because the two determine what any single treatment can realistically achieve. On a lift, skin elasticity is the variable that decides how much of the correction will hold, so it is assessed on its own terms rather than folded into a general impression of the breast.
Who Performs Breast Lift / Sagging Breast Correction at TAE Plastic Surgery Clinic
**Dr. Kim Ki-tae
**Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon
Breast lift / sagging breast correction is performed by Dr. Kim Ki-tae, the clinic's founder and sole doctor and the listed performing doctor for the parent Breast Plastic Surgery specialty.
Breast surgery is among his documented core specializations. The relevant expertise for this operation is not device familiarity but method selection — the clinic's framework for sagging correction is a three-way decision, and the person making it is the person operating.
Dr. Kim Ki-tae holds the Board-Certified Specialist designation in Plastic Surgery issued by the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. He graduated from Inje University College of Medicine and trained as a Clinical Fellow in the Department of Plastic Surgery at Pusan National University from March 2003 to February 2004. He founded TAE Plastic Surgery Clinic in 2005 and has practised there ever since.
He chairs the Academic Committee of the Laser Plastic Surgery Research Group at the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, sits on that society's Academic Committee, serves on the Legislation Committee of the Korean Association of Plastic Surgeons, and is General Affairs Director of the Busan Medical Association. He is a full member of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, an international member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and a full member of the International Confederation for Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery.
TAE Plastic Surgery Clinic is a single-doctor clinic, so the surgeon who assesses you is the surgeon who treats you. The doctor page carries his full profile, and this operation is listed under Breast Plastic Surgery.
Breast Lift / Sagging Breast Correction Options and Types Available
The clinic publishes three routes and states the condition each one is for. This is the page's central table, and it is also the page's decision boundary.
| Route | Who it is for | What the clinic does |
|---|---|---|
| Sagging Breast Correction alone | Breasts with adequate volume that have sagged | Vertical incision method, no implant inserted |
| Sagging Breast Correction + Breast Augmentation | Small and sagging breasts | Implant-based volume enhancement combined with sagging correction, through an areolar incision |
| Sagging Breast Correction + Breast Reduction | Excessively large and sagging breasts | Breast size reduced while sagging is corrected, using a method similar to breast reduction surgery |
Read the middle column first. The clinic is not choosing between these on the basis of how bad the sagging is — it is choosing on the basis of how much breast is there. Adequate volume means a lift on its own, and the incision is vertical. Too little volume means an implant goes in as part of the same correction, and the incision moves to the areola. Too much volume means tissue comes out, and the operation starts to resemble a reduction.
That last case is where this page hands over. If your primary problem is breast weight — the physical load rather than the position — the operation you are looking for is Breast Reduction, which includes sagging correction in its own right. If your primary problem is volume with no meaningful drop, it is Breast Augmentation. This page owns the middle: position is the complaint, and volume is the variable that decides the route.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Breast Lift / Sagging Breast Correction?
A lift may suit you if
You have breast sagging caused by pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, aging or rapid weight loss.
Your breasts have sufficient volume but have sagged.
Your breasts are small and sagging, and you want both lifting and volume enhancement.
Your breasts are large and sagging, and you need reduction as well as lifting.
You have lowered nipples or areolas, or reduced breast firmness.
A lift may need to be postponed if
Pregnancy or breastfeeding applies to you now.
An uncontrolled chronic condition is present, or any other condition raising surgical risk.
There is active infection at or near the treatment area.
The result you are expecting is not a realistic one.
The final decision is made by the doctor after an individual assessment of your overall health, your breast condition and your suitability for surgery. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons publishes independent patient information on this operation, including what a lift does and does not change (ASPS).
What to Expect: Procedure, Recovery, and Results Timeline
The consultation is measurement-heavy. The surgeon assesses breast size, shape, skin quality, nipple and areola position, symmetry, and the degree of sagging in relation to the inframammary fold. Medical history, previous breast procedures, medications, pregnancy and breastfeeding history, and any plans for future pregnancy are also reviewed. Out of that comes a discussion of which lift technique applies and whether augmentation or reduction should be part of it.
Preparation covers a few specific things. Breast measurements and photographs may be taken for surgical planning. You may be advised to hold a stable weight in the run-up to surgery, because weight fluctuation changes breast shape and affects the long-term result. Stopping smoking and nicotine is advised. Medications and supplements are disclosed, and any required tests or breast imaging are completed as recommended.
The operation runs in five stages. The surgeon determines the degree of sagging and plans the incision and reshaping technique. Incisions are made according to the selected approach. Excess skin may be removed and the breast tissue is repositioned into a higher, more supported contour. The nipple and areola are moved to a more natural position where that is needed. The incisions are closed and the shape is assessed — and if it was planned that way, the lift is combined with augmentation or reduction at this point.
A lift commonly takes around two to three hours, depending on the degree of sagging and the technique. Combining it with augmentation or reduction adds time. Anaesthesia is typically local with sedation. Where the operation is more extensive, general anaesthesia is used instead. Which applies to you is settled at consultation.
| Stage | What to expect |
|---|---|
| First few days | Swelling, bruising, tightness and mild-to-moderate discomfort are at their peak |
| Week one to ten days | Light activity resumes progressively; most swelling and bruising begin to settle |
| Two to three weeks | Most swelling has resolved, and a visible change is usually apparent |
| Two to four weeks | No heavy lifting, no strenuous exercise, no alcohol or smoking, no pressure on the breasts |
| Weeks to months | The breasts continue settling; the contour looks progressively more natural |
| Around three months | Residual swelling has resolved and the settled result can be judged |
Immediately after surgery the breasts may look swollen, or sit higher than the intended final position. That is expected and it resolves. The clinic describes the three-month result as long-lasting to permanent, with exact duration varying by individual skin, tissue and healing characteristics. It also states the limit plainly: a lift does not stop natural aging, and pregnancy, breastfeeding, major weight change and declining skin elasticity can cause further sagging or shape change over time.
Aftercare means keeping the area clean and protected as instructed, sleeping with the head elevated where that applies, and turning up to the scheduled checks. Every patient is given the clinic's written guidance, which sets out the day-by-day detail.
For patients flying from the United States: plan roughly one to two weeks in Korea. Clearance to fly generally comes once early swelling and bruising have begun settling and the surgeon has reviewed you — often past the one-week mark, but the date is individual and confirmed by the treating doctor. Follow-ups check the incisions, swelling, breast position and overall healing, and the schedule is set from how recovery is actually going.
The clinic has not published a price or a price range for this procedure, so none is stated here, and cost is confirmed at consultation.
Combining Breast Lift / Sagging Breast Correction with Other Treatments
Breast Augmentation — increases breast size using implants while the sagging is corrected, for small and sagging breasts.
Breast Reduction — reduces breast size while correcting sagging, for excessively large breasts.
Trinity Breast Surgery — the clinic's combined implant-based programme, where augmentation is planned alongside other techniques.
Safety, Precision, and Clinic Standards
The clinic has operated at the same address in Haeundae, Busan since 2005. TAE Plastic Surgery Clinic is a Registered Medical Institution for Attracting Foreign Patients, certified by the Ministry of Health and Welfare under the Medical Overseas Expansion and Foreign Patients Attraction Act. TAE Plastic Surgery Clinic publishes neither case volumes nor complication rates for this procedure, and this page claims neither. The clinic has not published an approved-claims list for this procedure and this market, so this page states no efficacy or outcome claim beyond what the clinic itself documents.
The clinic reports approximately 240 surgical procedures and approximately 3,600 non-surgical treatments a year; these are clinic-wide totals across everything it offers, not figures for this procedure.
The risks belong on this page one at a time. Temporary swelling, bruising, tightness, discomfort and numbness can occur. Changes in nipple sensation are possible. Infection, bleeding and fluid collection are recognized complications. Wound healing can be delayed. Scars can be unfavorable or widened. Breast asymmetry can occur. Nipple position and sensation can change. Breast shape can change again over time. Rarely, complications affecting the blood supply to the nipple or the breast skin may occur.
Scarring deserves a direct sentence rather than a footnote, because it is the trade-off that distinguishes this operation from augmentation. A lift leaves a scar; that is inherent to removing skin. What the scar looks like depends on the technique used and on individual healing, and the clinic states that scar appearance is not something it can promise. Nor is a specific breast size, exact symmetry, or a permanently unchanged breast shape.
Patients weighing surgical against non-surgical options should note that the UK National Health Service publishes plain-language information on cosmetic procedures, including what surgery involves and how to think about the risks (NHS). Neither the NHS nor ASPS is affiliated with this clinic, and neither endorses it.
The Bottom Line
A lift repositions existing breast tissue and removes excess skin; it does not add volume.
The clinic runs three documented routes, and the one you get is decided by how much breast volume is present, not only by how far it has dropped.
Adequate volume means a vertical-incision lift with no implant. Small and sagging means an areolar incision with an implant. Large and sagging means reduction as part of the correction.
The operation commonly takes around two to three hours, and longer when combined.
A visible change usually shows within two to three weeks; the settled result is generally judged at around three months.
A scar is part of the deal, and aging, pregnancy and weight change can bring sagging back.
FAQ
Who is a good candidate for a breast lift?
Patients with sagging or drooping breasts, lowered nipples or areolas, or reduced breast firmness may be suitable. It is particularly relevant when breast size is adequate but the breasts have descended. The clinic then decides between a lift alone and a lift combined with augmentation or reduction.
How long does the operation take?
Around two to three hours is common, depending on the degree of sagging and the lifting technique. Additional time is needed when the lift is combined with augmentation or reduction. The clinic confirms the expected duration for your plan at consultation.
What anesthesia is used?
Local anaesthesia with sedation is typical, and general anaesthesia is used where the operation is more extensive. Which one applies follows from the planned extent of surgery. It is settled with you at consultation.
When will I see the result?
A visible change is usually apparent within the first two to three weeks, as most swelling resolves. The breasts continue settling for weeks to months afterward. The clinic describes the settled result as typically seen at around three months.
Do I need a lift or an implant?
If the breast has dropped but has adequate volume, a lift alone is the clinic's stated answer. If it is small and sagging, the clinic combines the lift with an implant. If it is large and sagging, reduction becomes part of the correction. That decision is made from examination, not from photographs.
Will the result last?
The clinic describes the settled result as long-lasting to permanent, but it is explicit that a lift does not stop aging. Future pregnancy, breastfeeding, significant weight fluctuation and declining skin elasticity can all bring back sagging or change the shape. Exact duration varies by individual skin and tissue characteristics.
What scar will I have?
The incision pattern follows the technique chosen for your case — the clinic names a vertical incision for a lift alone, and an areolar incision where an implant is added. Scarring is inherent to removing skin, and its final appearance depends on technique and individual healing. Completely scar-free healing is not something the clinic promises.
What photographs and records should I send first?
The clinic may request clear breast photographs from several angles, along with your relevant medical history, details of any previous breast surgery, your current medications, and any available breast imaging or examination reports. The exact requirements depend on the clinic's consultation process. Online consultation is available for this first review.
Book a Consultation at TAE Plastic Surgery Clinic
Breast lift and sagging breast correction in Busan is performed at TAE Plastic Surgery Clinic, and the consultation is where the three routes narrow to one. English-speaking assistance is available for both online and in-person consultations, and consultations are arranged through the clinic's contact page. TAE Plastic Surgery Clinic is at 4th Floor, Gunam Building, 27 Gunam-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea, and opens Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 18:00 and Saturday from 09:00 to 13:00, closed Sundays and public holidays.
Disclaimer
This page is for general informational purposes and does not constitute individualized medical advice. Candidacy, technique, anaesthesia and outcome can only be determined in an in-person consultation with a qualified doctor. Individual results vary.
References
American Society of Plastic Surgeons — Breast Lift
NHS — Cosmetic procedures