Plastic Surgery Cosmetic Surgery

Breast augmentation is changing the shape of the world. Also known as augmentation mammoplasty, breast augmentation has been a growing area of plastic surgery every year for the past 10 years.
These articles provide information about breast augmentation, breats implants, various types of breast surgery and other related topics.
One of the defining characteristics of beauty, femininity, and sexuality of the human figure is the female breast. For whatever personal reason, many women want to have breast enhancement to create a larger, fuller, and shapelier bust line.
Breast augmentation has been available in the United States for over 40 years. During breast augmentation, implants are inserted through an incision - usually made just above the breast crease, around the pigmented skin surrounding the nipple, or in the armpit - and placed into a “pocket” created by the surgeon behind the breast tissue or the chest muscle to add volume and enhance shape to small or underdeveloped breasts, or to restore volume lost as a result of weight loss, childbirth, or aging.

What is breast augmentation?
Augmentation of the breast consists of insertion of a silicone bag (prosthesis) under the breast (submammary) or under the breast and chest muscle (subpectoral) and then filling the bag with saline (salt water). This prosthesis expands the breast area to give a fuller breast (increased cup size), give a better contour, and give more cleavage.

How is the incision made?
The incision (cut) may be placed at various locations such as: under the breast at the breast fold; periareolar which is at the edge of the areola (brown area consisting of nipple and areola); within the areola; in the armpit (axillary); or in the umbilical area.
The thinnest scar is usually in the areola. The umbilical incision approach is used with an endoscope (tube with a light for visualization and placement of the breast implant).

What are smooth and textured implants?
The smooth surface implant requires a large pocket and is associated with a 10% incidence of capsule contracture (tightening of the scar around the implant causing firmness or hardness). The smooth implant has only an occasional occurrence of rippling or wrinkling which gives the overlying skin a wavy appearance.

A textured (roughened surface) implant is associated with a 3% incidence of capsule contracture but has a 7-9% occurrence of rippling.
What are the choices of implant positions? The easiest surgical placement of the breats implant is under the breast tissue (submammary).
A slightly more difficult surgical placement is under the chest muscle (submuscular or subpectoral) but this position is associated with a lower incidence of capsule contracture and slightly less occurrence of rippling. There is more pain postoperatively than with a submammary placement.

Breast augmentation can enhance your appearance and your self-confidence, but it won’t necessarily change your looks to match your ideal, or cause other people to treat you differently. Before you decide to have surgery, think carefully about your expectations and discuss them with your surgeon.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 9th, 2007 at 4:45 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.