Body area
Chest and breasts
Breasts often deflate and drop after a large loss, and loose skin can wrap around to the side of the chest and back. What non-surgical treatment can and cannot do, what a breast lift involves, and when a Medicare item may apply.
What changes in the chest and breasts
Breasts are partly fat, so they often lose volume with a large loss, and the skin envelope that held them does not shrink to match. The result is breasts that look deflated and sit lower, with the nipple dropping towards or below the fold underneath. After very large losses the loose skin often continues around the side of the chest and onto the back, forming rolls under the arm and along the bra line. Surgeons grade these changes on the same kind of scale used for other areas. [1]
Men are affected too. After large weight loss many men are left with loose chest skin and some residual breast tissue, sometimes with the nipple sitting lower than before, and a roll of skin at the side of the chest.
What non-surgical treatment can and cannot do
Very little, for this area. Energy devices can improve the texture of crepey skin on the chest wall, but they do not lift a breast or remove the envelope of skin around it, and filler and bio-stimulators are not used to restore breast volume. Strength training for the chest and back improves posture and the shape of the muscle underneath, which helps how clothes sit, but does not change the skin.
A well-fitted bra or supportive garment makes more practical difference day to day than any device. The non-surgical limits post explains why devices hit their ceiling quickly when skin is genuinely surplus.
Surgical options
Breast lift (mastopexy) repositions the nipple and removes excess skin so the breast sits higher and firmer. After weight loss, many surgeons extend it to deal with the skin that wraps around the side of the chest. Some people choose to add volume at the same time with implants or fat transfer, which changes the operation, the cost and whether any Medicare item applies.
Upper body lift removes rolls of skin along the bra line and the back, sometimes combined with a breast lift. [7]
For men, surgery generally removes excess chest skin and any residual breast tissue, repositions the nipple where needed, and deals with the side-of-chest roll. Whether a Medicare item applies depends on the exact procedure, so ask the surgeon which item numbers their plan uses.
The surgical options guide covers recovery, risks and how to choose a surgeon.
Medicare and private cover
Item 45558 covers a breast lift on both sides for severe drooping. It is not specific to weight loss, but it can apply after it. The published criteria say at least two-thirds of the breast tissue, including the nipple, must sit below the fold under the breast, with the nipple at the lowest point of the breast, documented with photographs from the front and both sides. It can be claimed once in a lifetime. [2]
Unlike the skin removal items, which sit in the Weight loss surgery category, item 45558 sits in the Breast surgery (medically necessary) category of private hospital cover, which is included from Bronze policies upwards. [3] [4] The Medicare post explains how items and cover fit together.
Where no Medicare item applies, the operation is cosmetic and 10% GST is added to every part of the bill. [8]
What it costs in Australia
| Price | |
|---|---|
| Breast lift under item 45558, total out-of-pocket with cover, one surgeon | approximately $14,500 [5] |
| Cosmetic breast lift, total including GST, same surgeon | approximately $22,500 [5] |
| Breast lift or reduction, after Medicare rebate, another practice | from $13,095 [6] |
| Upper body lift, surgeon's fee | $19,990 to $34,990 [7] |
The first two lines make the point about cover clearly. The larger operation that meets the item criteria costs the patient less than a shorter cosmetic lift, because Medicare and the fund contribute and no GST applies. [5] The costs by procedure page explains what else moves a quote.
Timing
As with every area, let your weight settle first. Breast volume in particular can keep changing for months, and a lift planned on a shape that is still changing may need revisiting. If rashes under the breast fold are a problem now, see your GP; they are treatable and worth recording.
Frequently asked questions
Not meaningfully. Energy devices can improve crepey skin texture on the chest, but they do not lift a breast or remove the skin envelope. A well-fitted bra makes more day-to-day difference. Surgery is the only thing that repositions the breast.
It may. Item 45558 covers a breast lift on both sides for severe drooping, where at least two-thirds of the breast tissue including the nipple sits below the breast fold, documented with photographs. It is not limited to weight loss. Your surgeon assesses whether it applies.
Surgery generally removes excess skin and any residual breast tissue and repositions the nipple where needed. Whether a Medicare item applies depends on the exact procedure, so ask the surgeon which item numbers their plan uses.
Other areas
Sources cited
- Song AY, Jean RD, Hurwitz DJ, et al. A classification of contour deformities after bariatric weight loss: the Pittsburgh Rating Scale. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2005.
- Australian Government, MBS Online. Item 45558: correction of bilateral breast ptosis by mastopexy. Checked 23 September 2026.
- Australian Government, privatehealth.gov.au. Product tiers: clinical categories required in Gold, Silver, Bronze and Basic hospital cover.
- Australian Government Department of Health. Private health insurance clinical category definitions, 1 March 2025.
- Dr Bernard Beldholm, FRACS specialist surgeon, Maitland NSW. Breast lift (mastopexy) cost. Checked 23 September 2026.
- Breast & Body Clinic (Dr Michael Yunaev, specialist breast and general surgeon), Sydney. Cosmetic surgery prices. Checked 23 September 2026.
- Dr Mark Kohout, specialist plastic surgeon, Sydney and Orange NSW. Body surgery pricing. Checked 23 September 2026.
- Australian Taxation Office. GST and medical services: cosmetic procedures where no Medicare benefit is payable are not GST-free.
Written by
Dan d'Auvergne-Massie· Editor, Skin After Weight Loss
Lost 36kg on a GLP-1 protocol and spent the next two years researching what actually tightens skin after rapid weight loss. Works professionally in the peptide industry. Not a doctor: every clinical claim on this site is sourced.
Last updated by the editor: