August 22, 2026 | Breast Lift
A patient presented last week (who had undergone massive weight loss) and told me simply how she would like to have her breasts lifted, but did not want any ‘foreign objects’ in her chest for the rest of her life. So I suggested a suitable method, an auto augmentation breast lift requiring only tissue of her own that is not part of a separate implant.
What Auto Augmentation Actually Is
What is an auto augmentation? The lifting process involves the movement/shaping of the patient’s own tissue to expand volume towards the upper poles, using existing breast tissue or even lateral chest tissue. In practice, I perform lifts under this method and use lateral wall tissue to rebuild any existing volume where it is most needed. To reinforce the result, I use GalaFLEX mesh (effectively an internal bra) to preserve a circular shape without loss of high volume at the ends. It is a method that works ideally to give the effect without implants.
Who Is a Good Candidate
A good candidate will desire an improved lifting shape with some extra volume without implants. Patients who seek such a method have typically undergone major weight loss without leaving behind enough support or tissue for reshaping purposes; a bad candidate should assume that using heavier fullness at upper pole areas is not possible from implants while gaining proper cleavage/much rounded shapes, so much flattening over time leads to the creation of more organic than fuller breasts through auto augmentation.
The Procedure Itself
How is the procedure carried out? A standard mastopexy involves incisions being made across a Wise pattern together with circumareolar and vertical; alternatively called by patients the anchor incision. With tissues on the chest wall which need extension across it laterally for better shaping, then lifts are made to the skin while applying the sutures, as well reinforced by my placing high-placed, more superiorly set GalaFLEX in order to provide improved results as volume settles effectively upwards on target areas.
Implants or Auto Augmentation, Not Both
Do I choose implants or auto augmentation? This really separates what you need by comparison with auto augmentation. It involves the use of one’s own tissues to achieve desired reshaping rather than incorporating an implant simultaneously during any other lift type.
Recovery
What will be the form of my recovery from auto augmentation breast lift? My patients typically recover as if they have undergone a standard breast lift, requiring about seven days for basic duties but allowing resumption of full physical activities such as jumping or heavy lifting within four weeks of surgery. Both breasts will be drained for up to a week; the surgery involves wearing a bra without wire that I provide two of to change. It is advised against wearing push-up bras; however, then after around a month, one is free to return to buying proper bras that really do match the resultant size.
What Lasts and What Does Not
What lasts, and what is not permanent? With such procedures, and with implants, the result will last long term, and what changes it has more to do with the individual patient than with the operation itself, but weight gain as well as a future pregnancy could change results.
Why Choose Dr. Agullo
Why me? My name is Dr. Agullo. I am double board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery, and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. I am Mayo Clinic fellowship-trained. Alongside this, I am a Clinical Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, and Castle Connolly has named me a Top Doctor for thirteen consecutive years. Auto augmentation is one particular method I prefer for patients as part of my services, and it is mainly down to understanding the true usable tissue volume a patient has.
Ready to Talk?
If you want a lift with a little more volume, and you would rather use your own tissue than an implant, let’s talk about whether you’re a candidate.
Call (915) 590-7900, text 1-866-814-0038, or book online at agulloplasticsurgery.com/appointments. #StayBeautiful
@RealDrWorldWide on Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, @Agullo on X, or @AgulloPlasticSurgery on Facebook.
Cross-links
- Editorial version on drworldwide.com: “The Lift That Borrows From Itself: An Auto Augmentation Read” (link once live)
- Med spa side on swplasticsurgery.com: “No Implant, Still Fuller: The Auto Augmentation Lift at Southwest Plastic Surgery” (link once live)
