Since 1998 · Zagreb & Daruvar
Breast Lift in Croatia
After pregnancy, breastfeeding, or weight loss, breasts can lose volume and sag — and those two changes do not always call for the same procedure. The examination establishes whether you need a lift, restored volume, a combination of the two, or no procedure at all.
After pregnancy, breastfeeding, or major weight loss, breasts can lose their fullness, sag, or change in both ways. Exercise cannot correct these changes — but not every one of them calls for a lift, either. That is why the examination first establishes whether the issue is the position of the breast, lost volume, or a combination of the two.
Is this for me?
What a breast lift is — and what it is not
A breast lift, medically known as mastopexy, is a surgical procedure that removes the excess of stretched skin, firms and reshapes the breast tissue, and moves the nipple and areola to a higher position matched to the breast’s build. If the areola has enlarged over time, it can also be reduced in the same procedure.
It is just as important to understand what a lift cannot achieve. The procedure alone does not substantially increase breast volume and does not restore pronounced fullness to the upper part of the breast. If that is precisely your goal, the lift can be combined with an implant or your own fat tissue.
A lift changes the position and shape of the breast, but on its own it does not restore lost volume in its upper part.
Honest about the diagnosis
Sagging and lost volume are not the same change
At the examination we assess the position of the nipple relative to the fold under the breast, the amount of excess skin, and the existing volume and distribution of breast tissue. On that basis we distinguish three possible findings.
With sagging, the nipple sits below the level of the fold under the breast, excess skin is present, and a lift may be indicated. With lost volume, the position of the nipple can remain preserved while the breast loses fullness; the desired change can then be achieved with an implant or your own fat tissue. The third group is breasts that naturally sit lower without signs of sagging, for which a mastopexy is not necessarily the right procedure.
Distinguishing these findings matters because it determines which method may best suit your build and expectations.
How we work
Breast lift methods
The technique is chosen according to the amount of skin that needs to be removed and the planned height of the nipple lift. The goal is to choose the smallest extent of incision that allows adequate reshaping, because too short an incision with more pronounced sagging does not allow enough skin to be removed.
- Duration
- 1–2 hours
- Anesthesia
- included in the price; the type is agreed with your surgeon
- Recovery
- 2–6 weeks
- Performed by
- Duško Maletić, MD, MSc, and Mario Bartol, MD
Lift with an incision around the areola
With mild sagging, a circular incision around the areola can be enough. This technique leaves the smallest extent of scarring, but the amount of skin that can be removed is also limited, so it is not suitable for every finding.
Lift with a vertical incision
With moderate sagging, the incision around the areola continues vertically toward the fold under the breast. This allows a larger amount of skin to be removed and the breast to be reshaped more substantially, with a relatively limited extent of scarring.
Lift with an inverted-T incision
With pronounced sagging, especially after major weight loss, a horizontal incision in the fold under the breast is added. This technique leaves the largest extent of scarring, but it allows a larger excess of skin to be removed and more extensive shaping of the breast.
Laser-assisted lift
Breast reduction and lift with liposuction and laser lipolysis
In some women the breast is built mostly of fat tissue and the skin has kept good elasticity. With that finding, a reduction can be performed without extensive incisions and without moving the nipple. Through a few openings of about three millimeters, thin cannulas and a laser fiber are introduced. The laser energy breaks down the fat cells, after which the treated fat tissue is removed with vibrating cannulas. At the end of the procedure, the subcutaneous tissue is warmed with the laser in a controlled way to encourage gradual tightening of the skin. Depending on the extent, the procedure is performed under general or local tumescent anesthesia.
After the procedure, a special bra is worn for a few weeks. The swelling subsides and the skin gradually adapts to the reduced volume over roughly three months, so the final shape is not assessed before then. If excess skin remains after that period, an additional procedure of smaller extent can be considered.
What this method can and cannot do
Published data support the use of this method for mild to moderate volume reduction and mild sagging, with a small number of recorded complications. In a classic reduction, the breast tissue is cut and the nipple is moved together with the tissue that supplies it with blood. With liposuction and laser lipolysis this is not done, so the odds of extensive scarring, longer-lasting changes in sensation, and difficulties with breastfeeding are lower. These are more favorable odds, not a guarantee that those complications cannot occur.
The method has clear limits. Liposuction cannot reduce the areola or move the nipple to a higher position, so more pronounced sagging requires a classic surgical procedure. If the skin has lost its elasticity, removing fat tissue can reduce the breast’s weight and volume, but sufficient tightening and reshaping of the skin cannot be expected. That is why the method is recommended only after an examination and imaging that establish the composition of the tissue.
In a breast lift, the role of this method is narrower than in breast reduction. It can reduce the weight of the breast and contribute to skin tightening, so it is used with milder sagging. It cannot move the nipple or reduce the areola, which is why more pronounced sagging requires a classic surgical procedure.
Lift with augmentation
When volume is lacking alongside the sagging, the lift can be combined in the same procedure with the placement of an implant or a transfer of your own fat tissue. You can read more about these methods on the breast augmentation page.
Why us
Why choose us for your breast lift
Since 1998
More than 27 years of experience in aesthetic surgery, with the same family working here across two generations.
Assessment before any decision
The examination shows whether the result you want is better served by a lift, restored volume, or a combination of procedures.
Anesthesia is included in the price
Anesthesia is included in the price, and you agree on its type with your surgeon at the examination.
Lift and augmentation in one procedure
When volume is lacking alongside the sagging, a lift can be combined with an implant or your own fat tissue.
Four operating rooms with air-recuperation systems
The recuperators purify the air and contribute to controlled conditions in the operating rooms.
A private room and 24-hour care
You recover under constant medical supervision, and in Daruvar an apartment is also at your disposal.
An anesthesiologist in-house
Ines Maletić, co-founder and anesthesiologist, follows the procedures from preparation to waking.
The surgeons who operate
Breast lifts are performed by Duško Maletić, MD, MSc, and Mario Bartol, MD.
A realistic assessment
When a breast lift is not the right procedure
- If what is mainly missing is volume, and the sagging is mild. A lift on its own will not restore fullness, so augmentation with an implant or your own fat tissue may be more appropriate.
- If you are planning a pregnancy. Pregnancy and breastfeeding can stretch the skin again and change the result, so the procedure may be postponed.
- If the breasts are too large and sagging. A breast reduction, which includes a lift, may then be more suitable.
- If your body weight is still changing substantially. The result lasts longer when body weight is stable.
How long the result lasts
How long the result lasts
A lift gives a long-lasting result, but it does not stop the tissue’s natural changes. Aging, gravity, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and major weight changes continue to affect the breasts after the procedure. In women with a stable body weight who are no longer planning a pregnancy, the result can last for years.
The weight of the breast also matters. A larger volume, especially if an implant is placed alongside the lift, can put additional strain on the tissue over time — so the size is not chosen by appearance alone, but also with the skin’s long-term support in mind.
Open about the risks
Scars, changes in sensation, and possible complications
Scars after a breast lift are unavoidable and permanent. Depending on the technique, they sit around the areola, in a vertical line toward the fold under the breast and, when needed, in the fold itself, so a bra covers most of them. They mature and fade over six to twelve months, and their appearance differs from person to person. Smoking can impair healing, while a tendency toward hypertrophic scars can affect how pronounced they become.
Sensation in the nipple can change after the procedure. It most often returns within a few weeks, but in a small number of women part of the change can remain permanent. Bleeding, infection, slower wound healing, and asymmetry are also possible. Their risk is explained at the examination in relation to the planned technique and your individual finding.
Recovery
Recovery
The first day. You spend the night after the procedure in our inpatient unit, in a private room, with 24-hour care. In Daruvar, an apartment is also at your disposal.
The first week. Tenderness and swelling are most pronounced at the start. A special bra is worn, you sleep on your back, and larger arm movements and lifting are avoided.
Weeks two to six. The tissue continues to heal, the swelling subsides, and the breasts gradually soften and settle into their more final position.
Over the following months. The shape of the breasts gradually stabilizes, while the scars continue to mature and fade over six to twelve months.
Who we are
Who will be taking care of you
Breast lifts are planned and performed by Duško Maletić, MD, MSc, and Mario Bartol, MD, who have worked together at the Polyclinic for years.
Duško Maletić, MD, MSc, has been a specialist in surgery since 1984 and in urology since 1988, and trained in aesthetic surgery in Prague, Switzerland, the United States, Italy, and Austria. He founded the Polyclinic in Daruvar in 1998. Since 2008 he has held the status of Expert Clinical Lecturer at the Fotona academy, takes part in educating physicians from other countries, and is the author of six professional books in Croatian, English, and Italian.
Mario Bartol, MD, has been a specialist in surgery since 2005 and a subspecialist in traumatology and orthopedics, and since 2007 a permanent court expert. He has been a member of the Polyclinic’s professional team since 2008, the year laser procedures were introduced at the Polyclinic.
Anesthesia is led by Ines Maletić, co-founder of the Polyclinic and a specialist in anesthesiology, reanimatology, and intensive care. She follows the patient from the pre-anesthesia workup and preparation, through the procedure, to supervision during the initial recovery.
Alongside the physicians are nurses who take part in the preparation, the stay after the procedure, and the follow-ups. Continuity of care is provided by a team that follows the patient from the first examination to the final follow-ups, in Zagreb and Daruvar. The Polyclinic has been operating since 1998, today with two generations of the same family, and has four operating rooms with air-recuperation systems as well as rooms for postoperative recovery.
The consultation, the examination, and your medical data are confidential and subject to medical secrecy.
Meet the whole team
Price
Price and the first step
The price of a breast lift is €6,000.00, while the liposuction procedure is listed in the price list as breast liposuction and costs €3,500.00. The price includes the examination and consultations, preoperative preparation, the procedure with anesthesia, a stay in a private room with 24-hour care, a compression bra, and the follow-up examinations.
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Breast lift
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Breast liposuction
Anesthesia is included in the price, and the type is agreed with your surgeon.
See the full price listThe appropriate method is determined after the examination, because the position of the breast, the quality of the skin, and the amount of existing tissue cannot be fully assessed from a photograph alone. All prices are available in the price list, and you can browse the other breast procedures in the Breast Surgery section.
Patient reviews
What our patients say
Reviews taken from our Google Business profiles, Zagreb and Daruvar, translated from Croatian.
★★★★★
“My experience with breast augmentation with Dr. Maletić in Daruvar was excellent. I am extremely satisfied with the result. All the nurses are very kind and professional. I absolutely recommend them.”
★★★★★
“Since high school I watched the double chin I inherited from my father grow more and more pronounced, and 15 years later the double chin is gone. A big thank you to Dr. Maletić and the whole team for fulfilling my wish. The procedure was painless, as was the recovery, and the results were visible after only a few days. The entire team was exceptionally kind and cheerful, and the atmosphere very pleasant. I left the polyclinic satisfied, and when I saw two days after the swelling went down that the double chin was gone, my satisfaction knew no bounds. I warmly recommend Polyclinic Maletić.”
★★★★★
“All praise for Polyclinic Maletić in Daruvar! I had a lip augmentation with fillers and I am very satisfied with the result. I would especially like to commend Dr. Mario Bartol, who is exceptionally kind, professional, and has a wonderful approach to patients, which made me feel comfortable and safe throughout the treatment. All the nurses are also very kind, helpful, and professional. I warmly recommend them to anyone considering aesthetic treatments!”
★★★★★
“Laser acne treatment is the only treatment that has helped me, and I would not choose any other facial treatment over it. Dr. Ines is one of the kindest people I have ever met and always has useful advice. Kind staff and top-level service — I warmly recommend her to everyone!”
★★★★★
“I had a wart on my face removed by laser. A very professional service with excellent results. The wart was quite large, but after just one treatment it was gone. All recommendations!”
★★★★★
“I recently had a varicose vein procedure. All praise to the entire team.”
★★★★★
“Blepharoplasty, 4D laser, and double chin. Perfect. All recommendations!”
★★★★★
“The best team of physicians, exceptionally professional and kind. I have been loyal to Polyclinic Maletić for more than 10 years and I am always satisfied with the results. Thank you.”
★★★★★
“I came to Dr. Maletić with my big problem and a lot of stress. I was met with such warm empathy and kindness, and patience in answering all my questions. Thank you, Dr. Maletić, for your advice and honest support. I know I can always turn to her for advice, and that means a lot to me. The staff of the Zagreb polyclinic are also very helpful and kind. Thanks to them as well.”
★★★★★
“Dr. Maletić’s practice, both in Daruvar and in Zagreb — and I have had several procedures — I can only recommend, because I felt very comfortable there and in expert hands!”
Questions and answers
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a breast lift and breast augmentation?
A lift changes the position and shape of the breast, while augmentation changes its volume. A lift removes the excess of stretched skin, firms and reshapes the tissue, and moves the nipple and areola to a higher position matched to the breast’s build. The size does not change substantially. If fullness is lacking in the upper part of the breast, a lift can be combined with an implant or your own fat tissue.
Can I have a breast lift without implants?
You can. If you are happy with the volume but bothered by the position of your breasts, the lift can be performed by reshaping your own tissue alone. If you also want extra fullness in the upper part of the breast, the lift can be combined with an implant or your own fat tissue. The choice depends on the examination, your build, and the expected result.
How long does the result of a lift last?
The result is long-lasting, but it is not permanent in the sense of stopping the breast’s natural changes. Gravity, aging, major weight changes, pregnancy, and breastfeeding continue to affect it. It lasts longest in women with a stable body weight who are no longer planning a pregnancy, and regularly wearing a well-chosen bra can offer additional support.
What scars remain after a lift?
The extent of the scars depends on how much skin needs to be removed. With mild sagging, an incision around the areola can be enough. With moderate sagging, a vertical incision toward the fold under the breast is added, and with pronounced sagging, a horizontal incision in the fold itself. The scars are permanent; they mature and fade over six to twelve months, and a bra or swimsuit covers most of them.
Can I breastfeed after a breast lift?
A lift does not, as a rule, remove glandular tissue, so the ability to breastfeed most often remains preserved, although this cannot be guaranteed. Pregnancy and breastfeeding after the procedure can stretch the skin again and change the result. For that reason, women planning a pregnancy soon may be advised to postpone the procedure.
What tests are needed before the procedure?
Before any breast procedure, an ultrasound is performed and, where needed, a mammogram and magnetic resonance imaging, to rule out breast disease and assess the tissue composition. Standard preoperative tests are also required: laboratory results, an ECG, and an examination by the anesthesiologist.
How long does recovery take?
Tenderness, swelling, and tiredness are expected in the first few days, and the night after the procedure is spent at the Polyclinic under supervision. Most women return to office work within two weeks, while training and physically demanding work require a longer break. Full recovery takes two to six weeks, and the final shape of the breast develops gradually over several months.