Increase breast size, improve the shape or firmness of breast and create a totally natural appearance is a trend for today in most women. Trend choices cover the curves however several are designed to enhance them.
The most significant features on a woman’s body are breasts. Breast enhancement is a method that can influence how women may feel about one’s figure and also one’s self-esteem.
Breast surgery has a various reasons for most women. These reasons may be that the breast is under developed or because of differences in sizes of the breast or from changes in pregnancy or breast feeding or due to weight loss. Some women may have an average breast size but just desire to have them fuller. Your personal plan includes selection of type, shape and size of your breast implant that wish to achieve. Positioning of the breast implant is determined by your natural breast tissue, health and lifestyle choices.
What is Breast Augmentation surgery?
Breast Augmentation
also known as Augmentation Mammoplasty, is the surgical placement of breast implants to increase the size, change the shape, and improve symmetry of the breasts for cosmetic reasons. As a primary reconstruction, Breast Augmentation is applied to affect post-mastectomy breast reconstruction, or to correct congenital defects of the breast, or for the purposes of male-to-female gender reassignment surgery.
Breast Augmentation does not correct severely sagging breasts. Breast Lift may be required in combination with Breast Augmentation if you desire to have fuller and not sagging breasts. Breast Lifting can often be done at the same time with Breast Augmentation.
Ideal Candidate
One or more factors may indicate a good candidate for Breast Augmentation:
- You are physically healthy.
- Age 18-60 years old.
- You have realistic expectations.
- You are bothered by the feeling that your breast is too small.
- Your breasts differ in size or shape.
- Disappointed with your breast losing shape and volume after pregnancy, breast feeding, weight loss or aging.
- Breast failed to develop normally.
Risks and Complications
Every year thousand of women undergo successful Breast Augmentation Surgery, in spite of this should be aware of risks and any potential complications that might be happen.
- Bleeding
- Unfavorable scarring
- Infection
- Anesthesia risks
- Poor healing of incisions
- Changes in breast or nipple sensation, though changes are usually temporary.
- Capsular contracture for few weeks or months
- Implant leakage or rupture as a result of trauma in the chest
- Wrinkling of the skin over the implant
- Fluid accumulation
- Blood clots
- Pain, which may persist.
- Possibility of revisional surgery
- Symmastia is commonly referred to as “breadloafing” or “uni-boob”, occurs when two implants touch one another in the center of the chest.
Some women with breast implants reported problems in certain connective tissue and immune-related diseases. In this case not only those women with breast implant have these disorders. So in this case, several large studies have proven that women with breast implants do not have a significantly increased risk of autoimmune or other systemic diseases.
Procedure
The procedure takes one to two hours. Frequently, local anesthesia and intravenous sedation or general anesthesia is used for your comfort during breast augmentation surgery. Your doctor will recommend the best choice of you.
The choice about incision and implant placement is best done after a physical examination and discussion with your plastic surgeon. The incision placement is determined on many factors, your own body type, size of the implants being placed, and what the plastic surgeon is most comfortable with doing. Incisions are made in unnoticeable areas to reduce visibility of scarring. Incision options include:
- The Inframammary Incision
The incision is the most common method with a breast augmentation procedure. The incision is made underneath the breast fold in the natural crease.
- Axillary Incision or Transaxillary Incision
The incision is located in the arm pit. This incision is highly specialized, and it is best to go to a plastic surgeon that performs this incision all the time.
- Areola Incision or Peri-Areola Incision
The implants are inserted through an incision at the lower perimeter of the areola.
Options for Breast Implants
Saline breast implants are filled with sterile salt water. They can be filled with varying amounts of saline which can affect the shape, firmness and feel of the breast. The advantage of saline if the implant shell leak, a saline breast implant will collapse and the saline (salt solution) is dissolved by the body. Because breasts can continue to develop until a woman reaches her late teens or early 20s, the FDA requires that women be at least 18 years old to get breast augmentation with saline-filled implants. The breast manufacturers suggest that saline implants should be replaced somewhere between 12 – 15 years.
Silicone breast implants are filled with an elastic gel. Silicone implants do provide much more like natural breast tissue. If the implant leaks, the gel may remain within the implant shell, or may escape into the breast implant pocket. All studies make an effort to link silicone to connective tissue diseases and autoimmune diseases, have failed to prove any connection. You may need to visit your plastic surgeon regularly to make sure the implants are functioning properly. An ultrasound or MRI screening 3 years after the surgery to check possible silent rupture and to assess the condition of breast implants.
Because breasts can continue to develop until a woman reaches her late teens or early 20s, the FDA requires that women be at least 22 years old to receive silicone implants.
The method of inserting and positioning the implants depends on the type of implant, degree of enlargement desired, your body type, and your surgeon’s recommendations. The breast implant is inserted into pocket either:
- Behind the breast tissue and pectoralis major muscle (submuscular)
- Behind the breast tissue or over the oectoral muscle (submammary/subglandular)
Positioning of the breast implant depends on the type of breast, the amount of normal breast tissue, nipple position and expected outcome of the patient. The most common type is submuscular placement which gives the best result for most patients.
Incisions are closed with layered sutures in the breast tissue, skin adhesive or surgical tape to close the skin. Eventually the incision lines will fade.
You can see the result immediately after the surgery. Your new figure should continue to improve as you recovered and appreciate the fulfillment you desired.
Recovery Period
Most plastic surgeons do a simple breast augmentation without drains, yet if the surgeon had unexpected bleeding during the surgery then sometimes it is best for the patient to have drains. You and your caregiver will be given detailed instructions about your post-surgical care including drains if they have been placed, the normal symptoms you will experience, and any potential signs of complication.
Compression garments can help in the actual healing process as well so that the breast has a support and positioned correctly. Most plastic surgeons will tell the patient when it is time for him/her to wear an under-wire bra (some are given at 6 – 8 weeks post-operative).
It is very important that a responsible adult will be available to care for you during the first 24 hours following surgery, so that they can monitor your condition and help you in anyway necessary.
Feeling tired, stiff and sore for a few days after surgery, first three to four days is the most painful but oral pain relief is given to help you minimizing the pain. The breast area will remain swollen and sensitive to physical contact for at least a month or more. A feeling of tightness in the breast area is very common, as your skin adjusts to your new breast size.
It will take several days to return to normal activities after your breast augmentation, it is important to your recovery that you should get up and move around. After breast augmentation, it is often possible to return to work within just a few days or a week, depending on the type of activities.
Physical activity should be avoided for at least the first week following surgery. After that, care must be taken to be extremely gentle with your breasts for at least the next month.
Are breast implants for a lifetime?
Breast implants are NOT guaranteed to last a lifetime. They all have the potential to leak or rupture and they do not change as a woman’s body ages over time. Nobody can tell how long your implants will preserve their function and appearance that is why it is very important to keep an ongoing professional relationship with your plastic surgeon.
You need to have follow up after one year of your implant placement to make the just to make sure that the implants is functioning properly even if you have no concern. Breast exams and mammogram screening are advised yearly.