For breast augmentation, a plastic surgeon places implants filled with special silicone, salt or biocomposite material, breast implants under the large chest muscle or under the breast tissue. Modern implants can serve a patient's entire life, and most manufacturers give their implants a lifetime warranty.
Why should a woman enlarge her breasts?
Breast augmentation is done for:
- Enlarge small breast naturally
- Restore breast size and shape after pregnancy, weight loss or breastfeeding
- Restore symmetry when breasts are asymmetrical
- Breast reconstruction after breast removal surgery
Plastic surgery includes reconstructive and aesthetic surgery.
Reconstructive breast surgery is performed as part of breast cancer treatment. Aesthetic breast surgery is performed to improve the appearance. Breast augmentation is usually an aesthetic surgery.
In 2007, a study by researchers from the University of Florida showed that breast augmentation through cosmetic surgery increases women's self-esteem and their feelings and sexuality. Allows you to get a higher paying job, achieve more recognition.
What are breast implants?
A breast implant is a medical device that is placed under the chest or under the large chest muscle to enlarge, reconstruct, or create an aesthetic shape of the breast.
Breast implants may contain silicone, salt or other compound.
There are three main types of breast implants:- Salt implantsare filled with sterile salt, which is simply sterile saline water. The solution is inside a silicone shell. These implants can be filled with different amounts of saline. This affects the sensation experienced when squeezing the mammary gland, it can be either softer or harder, at the request of the patient, in addition, different density will determine the different shape of the breast. If the saline implant is damaged and leaks, the solution will not cause harm to the patient, as the saline solution is natural for the body and will simply be absorbed by the body without any trace, the only drawback is that the implant will have to be changed after volumeof the breast will decrease. Silicone Gel ImplementationsIf the silicone implant leaks, the gel will either remain in the sheath or fall into the breast implant pocket. And it will not spread throughout the body. Modern implants, even if the cortex is damaged, do not spread. These implants are most often used today.
- Alternative composite implantsare rarely used and can be filled with either biodegradable material or soybean oil or any other material.
What should be decided before the operation?
Breast augmentation is a surgical procedure, so patients should carefully consider whether they really need this procedure.- it is necessary to choose where the implant will be placed - under the pectoralis major muscle or under the glandular tissue. Your surgeon will help you choose this. Most often, implants are placed under the muscle.
- Before the operation, the surgeon together with the patient chooses the required size of the implant. This is done either with the help of special sizes that are inserted into the bra, and the patient can assess the size and comfort of his dress. In addition, the patient, together with the doctor, chooses the density of the implant, its shape (round or anatomical). Manufacturer of implants.
- The surgeon and patient should discuss incision options.
The following options are available:
- Cut under the breast, made in the fold under the breast;
- Transaxillary incision in the armpit;
- Cutting around the edge of the areola, (periareolar) or through the areola (transareolar).
The choice of incision depends on several factors, including magnification, patient anatomy, implant type, and surgeon-patient preference.
In addition, the patient must choose the type of anesthesia, this operation is often performed under general anesthesia. But if the patient wishes, it is in principle possible under local anesthesia.
How is the operation going?
After the patient falls into a medical sleep, or after performing local anesthesia, the surgeon makes a skin incision in place, according to the type of access agreed with the patient, with a length of about 4, 5 centimeters and then with the helpof special tools forms a pocket, in which an endoprosthesis is placed.
The pocket can be formed either directly under the breast tissue or under the large breast muscle (this is discussed with the patient before surgery):
- With an armpit pocket, it is placed under the large chest muscle.
- The submarine or subglandular pocket is simpler, with the pocket forming in the space between the mammary gland and the large pectoralis major muscle.
Suture the wound
In their practice, plastic surgeons often use so-called cosmetic sutures, or, more precisely, intradermal sutures, usually several rows of strands are applied, which more often do not need to be removed, over time they disintegrate on their own. In addition, a plastic surgeon may use a special surgical adhesive and special sterile tapes to tighten the edges of the wound so that the scar is less noticeable in the postoperative period.
The dashed lines will be visible at first, but over time they will almost disappear.
Evaluation of Results
Surgery can lead to edema, hematoma (bruising), but this should disappear within two to four weeks. Usually, the final result is formed no earlier than 3-6 months from the operation. Therefore, the patient will be able to decide if the procedure meets her expectations only after a while.
Recovery period
The recovery period lasts 1 month. During this period, there are some restrictions that will be shown to the patient by the doctor and a special memo will be issued for their correct implementation. Pain bothers the patient only the first day after surgery, in order to relieve pain, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used. In rare cases, narcotic analgesics. Then the pain practically disappears. It remains a small concern. After surgery, you should not swim in open or closed waters, take a bath, sleep on your back, raise your arms, engage in active sports and hard physical work. All these restrictions are temporary, for 1 month. Then the patient can live as calmly as he lived before the operation, you can fly in an airplane and dive by diving. The most important thing in the postoperative period is wearing special compression footwear. Underwear should be worn strictly for 1 month after surgery, and then for another 3 months when playing sports, strenuous physical activity.
The day after surgery, the patient can leave the clinic if he wishes. The patient is monitored once a week, for the first two weeks, then after a month. Then three months later. And then an annual check.
Suction fibers are usually distributed within 6 weeks. The patient will care for the bedding independently at home. This is not difficult at all.
If the patient has non-absorbable sutures, an additional visit will be required to remove them.
After the operation, the surgeon will not only show you how to behave in the postoperative period, but will also provide you with an extract with recommendations, which will say:
- How to take care of your breasts after the procedure;
- How to use prescribed medication;
- When you come for the next visit;
- When you call your doctor.
You should seek immediate medical attention if you experience:
- any signs of infection, such as fever above 38 degrees, fever or redness in the chest area;
- severe chest pain, or a sharp increase in breast size /
What are the risks of this operation?
Any surgery increases the risk of sudden death from myocardial infarction, stroke, thromboembolism during or immediately after surgery. But, fortunately, such complications are extremely rare. And in modern clinics there is all the resuscitation and anesthesia equipment that minimizes these risks to almost zero.
Some of the risks and complications associated with breast augmentation:
- Painful mammary glands;
- Inflammation of the breast;
- Feeling in the breasts, nipples may change temporarily or become more or less pronounced;
- Implant breakdown;
- Bleeding;
- Fluid accumulation (seroma).
A specific complication of this operation is capsular contracture - a thick capsule forms around the implant. Which can deform the mammary gland or make it extremely painful and dense. During the consultation, the surgeon will tell you in detail about this complication and how to avoid it.
Also, cosmetic sutures can become red, thick and painful, or flat and wide. This can lead to a second operation to remove such wounds.