Breast augmentation, or breast augmentation or augmentation mammoplasty, is a surgical procedure aimed at increasing the size, shape, or fullness of the breast.
For breast augmentation, a plastic surgeon places implants filled with special silicone, saline or biocomposite material, breast implants under the pectoralis major 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 would a woman need to enlarge her breasts?
Breast augmentation is done for:
- Enlarge naturally small breasts
- Restore breast size and shape after pregnancy, weight loss or breastfeeding
- Restore symmetry when the 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 at the University of Florida found that breast augmentation through aesthetic surgery increased 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 mammary gland or under the pectoralis major muscle to enlarge, reconstruct, or create an aesthetic breast shape.
Breast implants may contain silicone, saline, or other compound.
There are three main types of breast implants:
- Saline implantsare filled with sterile saline, which is simply sterile salt water. The solution is inside a silicone shell. These implants can be filled with different amounts of saline. This affects the sensation experienced when pressing on 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 mammary gland. If the saline implant is damaged and leaks, the solution will not cause any harm to the patient, since the saline solution is natural for the body, and will simply be absorbed by the body without a trace, the only negative is that the implant will have to be changed as the volume of the mammary gland will decrease.
- Silicone Gel Implantsconsist of a silicone outer shell filled with silicone gel. If 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 shell is damaged, do not spread. These implants are most commonly used today.
- Alternative Composite Implantsare rarely used and can be filled with either biodegradable material or soybean oil or some other material.
What needs to be decided before surgery?
Breast augmentation is a surgical procedure, therefore patients need to 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 operating doctor will help you solve this. Most often, implants are placed under the muscle.
- Before the operation, the surgeon together with the patient selects the required implant size. This is done either with the help of special sizers that fit into the bra, and the patient can assess the size and comfort of wearing it. In addition, the patient, together with the doctor, chooses the density of the implant, its shape (round or anatomical). Implant manufacturer.
- Surgeon and patient should discuss incision options.
The following options are possible:
- Incision under the breast, made in the fold under the breast;
- Transaxillary incision in the armpit;
- Incision around the edge of the areola, (periareolar) or through the areola (transareolar).
The choice of incision depends on several factors, including the magnification, the patient's anatomy, the type of implant, and the surgeon-patient's preference.
In addition, the patient must choose the type of anesthesia, this operation is often performed under general anesthesia. But if the patient wishes, in principle it is possible under local anesthesia.
How is the operation going?
After the patient plunges into a medical sleep, or after performing local anesthesia, the surgeon makes a skin incision in the place, according to the type of access agreed with the patient, about 4. 5 centimeters long, and then, using special tools, forms a pocket, into whichan 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 axillary pocket, it is placed under the pectoralis major muscle.
- The submammary or subglandular pocket is simpler, with the pocket being formed in the space between the mammary gland and the pectoralis major muscle.
Suturing the wound
In their practice, plastic surgeons often use the so-called cosmetic, or, more correctly, intradermal sutures, usually several rows of threads are applied, which most often do not need to be removed, over time they dissolve on their own. In addition, a plastic surgeon can use a special surgical glue and special sterile strips to tighten the edges of the wound so that the scar is least noticeable in the postoperative period.
The cut lines will be visible at first, but over time they will almost disappear.
Evaluating Results
Surgery may lead to edema, hematomas (bruising), but this should go away 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 whether the procedure meets her expectations only after some time.
Recovery period
The recovery period takes 1 month. During this period, there are certain restrictions that will be told to the patient by the doctor and a special memo will be issued for their exact implementation. Pain worries the patient only the first day after the operation, for the purpose of pain relief, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used. In rare cases, narcotic analgesics. Then the pain practically goes away. A slight inconvenience remains. After the operation, you should not swim in open and closed waters, take a bath, sleep on your back, raise your arms high, engage in active sports and hard physical work. All these restrictions are temporary, for 1 month. Then the patient can live peacefully as she lived before the operation, you can fly on an airplane and dive with scuba diving. The most important thing in the postoperative period is wearing special compression underwear. The underwear must be strictly worn for 1 month after the operation, and then for another 3 months when playing sports, heavy physical activity.
The next day after the operation, the patient can leave the clinic if she wishes. The patient is monitored once a week, in the first two weeks, then after a month. Then three months later. And then an annual check-up.
Absorbable (absorbable) threads usually dissolve within 6 weeks. The patient will take care of the seam 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 tell you how to behave in the postoperative period, but also provide you with an extract with recommendations, where it will be written:
- How to take care of your breasts after the procedure;
- How to use prescribed medications;
- When to come for the next visit;
- When to call your doctor.
You should seek immediate medical attention if you experience:
- any signs of infection, such as a fever above 38 degrees, fever or redness in the chest area;
- severe chest pain, or a sharp increase in the size of the breast /
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 anesthetic equipment that minimizes these risks to almost zero.
Some of the risks and complications associated with breast augmentation:
- Painful mammary glands;
- Breast inflammation;
- Feeling in the breasts, nipples may temporarily change or become more or less pronounced;
- Implant rupture;
- Bleeding;
- Fluid accumulation (seroma).
A specific complication of this operation is capsular contracture - a thick capsule is formed 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, even cosmetic stitches can become red, thick and painful, or flat and wide. This can lead to a second operation to remove such scars.