« Plastic Surgery Home « Breast Plastic Surgery Procedures
Breast Enlargement, also known as Augmentation Mammoplasty
What You Need to Know About Breast Augmentations Plastic Surgery
Breast Mammoplasty, also known as breast enlargement or breast augmentation plastic surgery, is one of the most common procedures performed annually by members of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Women may choose to under go breast augmentation surgery for various reasons. These personal reasons may center around breasts that are perceived to be under developed or because of differences in the sizes of the breasts or from changes after pregnancy or breast feeding. Some women may be happy with their breasts but just want them made fuller and larger.
To learn more about breast augmentations or other plastic surgery procedures, we encourage you to explore our web site and contact our plastic surgery office at 904-396-0023.
|
|
Often after weight loss, aging or childbirth, a woman's breast volume and shape may change. This too can lead to a woman to seek a breast augmentation or breast enlargement. Breast implant surgery performed by cosmetic plastic surgeons is the most popular way to improve breast shape and size. Breast enhancement using breast implants can give a woman more proportional shape and may improve self-esteem.
One or more of the following feelings or conditions may indicate that you are a good candidate for breast augmentation or breast enlargement plastic surgery:
• you are bothered by the feeling that your breasts are too small
• clothes that fit well around your hips are often too large at the bustline
• you feel self-conscious wearing a swimsuit or form-fitting top
• your breasts have become smaller and lost their firmness after having children
• weight loss has changed the size and shape of your breasts
• one of your breasts is noticeably smaller than the other
Every woman has particular reasons why she decides to have a breast augmentation procedure performed and it may not be listed above. This is because choosing to have a breast augmentation procedure is a personal decision and should only be made by you. You and Dr. Glassman should discuss these reasons in a private, one-on-one consulation in the comfort of his plastic surgery office.
During the breast augmentation or breast enlargement consultation by our Jacksonville plastic surgeon, Dr. Glassman, you will be asked about your desired breast size and anything else related to the appearance of your breasts that you feel is important. This will help Dr. Glassman, who will be performing your breast augmentation plastic surgery, to understand your expectations and determine whether they realistically can be achieved.
Dr. Glassman, our breast enlargement plastic surgeon, will examine your breasts and perhaps take photographs for your medical record. He will consider such factors as the size and shape of your breasts, the quality of your skin and the placement of your nipples and areolas (the pigmented skin surrounding the nipples). If your breasts are sagging, a breast lift, also known as Breast Mastopexy, may be recommended in conjunction with the augmentation.
You should come to the consultation prepared to discuss your medical history. This will include information about any medical conditions, drug allergies, medical treatments you have received, previous surgeries including breast biopsies, and medications that you currently take. You will be asked whether you have a family history of breast cancer and about results of any mammograms. It is important for you to provide complete information to Dr. Glassman, Jacksonville plastic surgeon, and his surgical staff at the Glassman Plastic Surgery center.
There is no scientific evidence that breast augmentation increases the risk of breast cancer. The presence of breast implants, however, makes it more technically difficult to take and read mammograms. This may be a special consideration for women who perhaps are at higher risk for breast cancer because of their family history or other reasons. Placement of the implant underneath the pectoral muscle may interfere less with mammographic examination, but other factors may also need to be considered with regard to implant placement. Our Jacksonville plastic surgeon, Dr. Glassman, will discuss this with you.
If you are planning to lose a significant amount of weight, be sure to tell our breast enlargement plastic surgeon, Dr. Glassman. He may recommend that you stabilize your weight prior to undergoing breast augmentation surgery.
If you think that you may want to become pregnant in the future, you should mention this to Dr. Glassman, your Jacksonville plastic surgeon. Pregnancy can alter breast size in an unpredictable way and could affect the long-term results of your breast augmentation or breast enlargement. There is no evidence that breast implants will affect pregnancy or your ability to breast-feed, but if you have questions about these matters, you should ask him.
The goal of Dr. Glassman and the entire Glassman Plastic Surgery staff is to make your surgical experience as easy and comfortable for you as possible.
In some instances, Dr. Glassman may recommend a baseline mammogram before surgery and another mammographic examination some months after surgery. This will help to detect any future changes in your breast tissue. Following breast augmentation, you will still be able to perform breast self-examination.
If you are a smoker, Dr. Glassman asks that you stop smoking well in advance of surgery. Aspirin and certain anti-inflammatory drugs can cause increased bleeding, so you should avoid taking these medications for a period of time before surgery. He will provide you with additional preoperative instructions.
The breast augmentation, or breast enlargement, is usually performed on an outpatient basis. If this is the case, be sure to arrange for someone to drive you home after your breat enlargement surgery and to stay with you at least the first night following surgery.
Your breast augmentation or breast enlargement surgery may be performed in a hospital, free-standing ambulatory facility or office-based surgical suite.
Medications are administered for your comfort during the breast implant surgical procedure. Frequently, local anesthesia and intravenous sedation are used for patients undergoing breast augmentation breast augmentation or breast enlargement, although general anesthesia may be desirable in some instances.
When your breast enlargement plastic surgery is completed, you will be taken into a recovery area where you will continue to be closely monitored. Your breasts will be wrapped in gauze dressings or a surgical bra.
You may be permitted to go home after a few hours, unless you and Dr. Glassman, Jacksonville plastic surgeon, have determined that you will stay in the hospital or surgical facility overnight.
A day or two after surgery, you should be up and about. Any dressings will be removed within several days, and you may be instructed to wear a support bra. Dr. Glassman will probably permit you to shower between three and seven days following surgery. Stitches will be removed in about a week.
Some discoloration and swelling will occur initially, but this will disappear quickly. Most residual swelling will resolve within a month.
At the conclusion of your breast augmentation or breast enlargement procedure, you may be placed in a surgical dressing that may include a support bra or garment. You should follow your Dr. Glassman's directions as prescribed. Prior to your discharge, 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.
Options for your recovery after undergoing breast augmentation or breast enlargement include:
• At Home: When discharged, you will be released to the care of a responsible adult with safe, licensed transportation home. The adult may be a family member, friend or hired caregiver and must be competent to understand your recovery instructions and to monitor your health. Your caregiver must commit to stay with you at all times for a minimum of 24 hours after surgery.
• At Licensed Recovery Facility: You will be released to the care of a licensed post-surgical recovery facility where nurses or specially trained medical professionals will monitor your health and comfort until you are able to return home and capably care for yourself.
• At Hotel or spa: You may wish to recover at a hotel or spa location, where licensed healthcare professionals will monitor your recovery around the clock as recommended by your plastic surgeon.
• At Overnight Hospital Stay: An overnight hospital stay may be offered to you or may be recommended. In this case your surgery will be performed at the hospital where you will stay overnight. You will be released from the hospital to a capable caregiver to continue your recovery at home, or to a licensed recovery facility.
You should be walking under your own strength immediately after your breast augmentation or breast enlargement plastic surgery. It is very important that you walk a few minutes every few hours to reduce the risk of blood clot formation in your legs.
The first two to five days following your breast augmentation or breast enlargement plastic surgery you may feel stiff and sore in the chest region. Any dressings will be removed within several days, and you may be instructed to wear a support bra. Your breasts may feel tight and sensitive to the touch, and your skin may feel warm or itchy. You may experience difficulty raising your arms. You should not lift, push or pull anything, or engage in any strenuous activity or twisting of the upper body. Some discoloration and swelling will occur initially, but this will disappear quickly. Most residual swelling will resolve within a month.
It is important to follow all patient care instructions as directed.
While it will take several days to return to more normal activities after your breast enlargement, it is important to your recovery that you 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 that are required at your job.
Physical activity should be avoided for at least the first couple of weeks following surgery. After that, care must be taken to be extremely gentle with your breasts for at least the next month.
How Breast Augmentation is Performed
Individual factors and personal preferences will help you and Dr. Glassman, plastic surgeon, to determine your appropriate breast implant size, the location of incisions, and whether the implants will be placed on top of or underneath the chest muscle.
More about Breast Implants for your Breast Augmentation Plastic Surgery Procedure
Breast augmentation enlargement is designed to increase the size of small or underdeveloped breasts. Breast implant surgery can also restore and enhance your breast volume if it has decreased as a result of pregnancy and breast feeding. In addition, breast implants can serve one or more of a number of purposes; breast cancer victims can use breast implants for reconstructive purposes after mastectomy, or women with asymmetrical breasts may use a single breast implant to balance the difference in size.
The availability of FDA-approved silicone gel implants will create new options for women considering breast surgery for the first time and for those who have had previous surgeries but are seeking new replacements or revision. Now, all women over 22-years-old, seeking cosmetic breast augmentations and women seeking breast reconstruction surgery will be able to select silicone breast implants.
Types of Breast Implants used for Breast Augmentation or Breast Enlargement?
The size and type of breast implant recommended for you will be determined by your goals for breast enhancement, your existing body frame, and mass, your existing breast tissue, and the preferences you and your plastic surgeon discuss. All breast implants include a solid silicone rubber outer shell, called a lumen.
Breast implant options include:
• Saline breast implants: Filled with sterile salt water. Saline implants may be pre-filled to a predetermined size. Saline implants may also be filled at the time of surgery to allow for minor modifications in implant size.
• Silicone filled breast implants: Filled with soft, elastic gel. All silicone breast implants are pre-filled and may require a longer incision for implant placement.
New scientific data on the safety of breast implants is rapidly being collected. In the future, it is possible that additional types of filler materials may become available as advancements take place. Surgical techniques for breast augmentation and breast implants themselves are continuously being refined, increasing the safety and reliability of the procedure. Dr. Glassman will be able to provide you with the latest information about the breast implant industry.
One of the advantages of a saline-filled implant is that because it is filled with saltwater after being inserted, only a small incision is needed. Often, an incision of less than one inch is made underneath the breast, just above the crease, where it is usually quite inconspicuous.
Another possible location for the incision is around the lower edge of the areola. A third alternative for the breast implant is to make a small incision within the armpit.
Once the incision is made, the surgeon creates a pocket into which the breast implant will be inserted into the breast. This pocket is made either directly behind the breast tissue or underneath the pectoral muscle which is located between the breast tissue and chest wall.
Understanding Risks Involving Breast Implants and Breast Augmentations
Every year, many thousands of women undergo successful breast augmentation surgery; however, anyone considering surgery should be aware of both the benefits and risks.
I understand that every plastic surgical procedure has risks, but how will I learn more so that I can make an informed decision?
The subject of risks and potential complications of surgery is best discussed on a personal basis between you and Dr. Glassman, or with a staff member in your surgeon's office.
Some of the potential complications that may be discussed with you include reactions to anesthesia, blood accumulation that may need to be drained surgically and infection. Although rare, an infection that does not subside with appropriate treatment may require temporary removal of the implant. Changes in nipple or breast sensation may result from breast augmentation surgery, although they usually are temporary.
When a breast implant is inserted, a scar capsule forms around it as part of the natural healing process. The capsule may sometimes tighten and compress the implant, causing the breast to feel firmer than normal. Capsular contracture can occur to varying degrees. If it is severe, it can cause discomfort or changes in the breast's appearance. In such cases, more surgery may be needed to modify or remove the scar tissue, or perhaps remove or replace the implant.
Breast implants are not lifetime devices and cannot be expected to last forever. If a saline-filled implant breaks, its contents are harmlessly absorbed by the body within hours. A definite change in the size of the breast is clearly noticed. Rupture can occur as a result of trauma to the chest, but more commonly it occurs spontaneously with no apparent cause.
Surgery will be required to replace the implant, if desired.
If you are at an age when mammographic examinations should be conducted on a periodic basis, it will be important for you to select a radiology technician who is experienced in taking x-rays of augmented breasts. Additional views of your breasts will be required. Dr. Glassman, in some instances, may recommend other types of examinations such as ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging. It is possible that the presence of breast implants could delay or hinder the early detection of breast cancer.
Some women with breast implants have reported problems including certain connective tissue and immune-related diseases. Women without implants also have these disorders, so the key question is whether breast implants increase the risk of developing the conditions. Several large studies have been completed that provide reassurance that women with breast implants do not have a significantly increased risk for these diseases.
To find out more about breast augmentations or types of breast implants utilized by Dr. Glassman, contact the Glassman Plastic Surgery office today to schedule an appointment!
