Breast Augmentation
Breast Augmentation, also known as Breast Enlargement is one of the most preferred plastic surgeries amongst women. Breast plays a big role in a females appearance although its main role is to breastfeed. For those who are not happy with the look of their breasts and feel insecure about it, breast augmentation is a good option to go.
In what cases can Breast Augmentation be performed?
For women who think their breasts are small, breast enlargement surgery can be performed to correct the body proportion, especially hip-to-chest ratio. After pregnancy breast augmentation can be performed as the breasts shrink during the pregnancy. (In some cases sagging may occur and for those cases breast lift can be preferred.)
- If there is an asymmetry in the size of breasts, enlargement can be preferred. (It is very normal to have slight asymmetry but if the patient is not happy, with breast augmentation their sizes can be matched.)
- In some cases it can be performed in order to reconstruct breasts. (After breast cancer, inherently lack of breast tissue etc.)
- Protesis implants that had been placed before can be worn down or a complication may occur inside the breast, in this case another breast augmentation surgery can be performed.
What are the techniques for Breast Enlargement surgery?
There are 2 main techniques to perform a Breast Augmentation surgery.
- Breast augmentation with fat transfer
- Breast augmentation with implants
Breast Augmentation with Fat Injection
Breast enlargement with fat injection is widely preferred by those who do not want to have silicone protesis. In order to perform this technique, patient has to have excess body fat, which will be removed by Liposuction in order to be injected in the breasts. Once extracted the body fat with liposuction, it is centrifuged and separated. The useful part of the separated fat is injected into the breast. This centrifuged body fat is rich in mother cells and when it is injected, it has a positive effect in improving the skin quality.
As some part of injected fat is absorbed naturally, 50-60% of the injected part stays inside the breast and enlarges its proportion.
Within time, as injected fat can be absorbed, the effect of fat injection may decrease. It can not be performed for every type of breast. Patient needs to have excess fat to be extracted and if he/she wants to have elevated breasts, fat injection is not the most ideal technique. For this reason, implants are more popular for a solid breast enlargement.
Breast Englargement with Implants
Breast implants, also known as silicone protesis, are divided into a few categories according to their shapes, sizes and materials. Click here for more details about breast implants.
How are Breast Implants placed?
There are 4 different spots in terms of incisions for a placement of implants.
- Periareolar: A thin incision around areola can heal very easily, however breast milk ducts can be cut.
- Inframammary Incision: Incision is made under the breast and the scar cannot be noticed.
- Transaxillary: An incision made to the axilla (armpit) to place the implants with endoscope without producing visible scars on the breast.
- Transabdominal: An incision made to the abdomen and the implant is placed endoscopically.
Each placement method has its own pros and cons. Your surgeon, after an examination, will inform you about the method that suits your body.
Healing process after Breast Enlargement
Breast implant procedure takes nearly 1-2 hours. Patient can be discharged on the surgery day or the day after. It is necessary to rest for 2 days. Patients do not have so much pain, but a rare feeling of having a filled breast may bother until the patient gets used to it. First two days patient can have slight swelling, but this swelling reduces within time. If the implant was placed beneath the muscle, movement can cause slight pain during the first few days. A small bandage is placed onto the incision and patient wears a sports bra onto this bandage to apply pressure. 3 Days after the surgery patient can take a shower without removing the bandage. Patient should wear the sports bra for a month. In 3-4 days patient can go back to normal life. Patient should keep away from physical activities for 2 months in order to avoid any possible damage caused by movement.