Breast augmentation is an aesthetic procedure that allows a woman to achieve her desired breast size. You can get an increase in one size in a non-operative way: with exercises, creams, use of corrective underwear, etc. But these methods do not help everyone, and not all women have enough patience (the results of popular methods do not appear before six months later). For a quick effect and a significant enlargement of the glands, you will have to undergo the operating room of a plastic surgeon.
Breast augmentation surgery
Mammoplasty is the name of an operation related to the field of reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. Breast augmentation is carried out according to the indications:
- Aesthetic: when there are no deviations in the proportions and shape of the breast, but the woman experiences psychological discomfort due to her bust.
- Medical: when the breast is totally or partially absent (after surgery or injury), malformed (for example, there is a disproportion).
Breast augmentation is done through the installation of implants or the introduction of fat cells. The second method is new (it was carried out for the first time in 2004 in Tokyo) and is used in only a few clinics in the world. The first type of surgery is ubiquitous: in all major cities there are dozens of institutions offering breast replacement. The procedure can be done with a simultaneous breast lift to shape the breast.
The tactics of the operation are compiled individually for each patient. The type of incision (under the breast or through the armpit), the option of placing the biomaterial (under the muscle, glandular tissue, mixed), as well as the shape of the implant are determined by the characteristics:
- development of the major pectoral muscles;
- the presence or absence of mastoptosis (acquired decrease in the mammary glands);
- thickness and elasticity of the skin and subcutaneous tissue;
- the presence of deformation of the sternum and ribs.
Women undergoing mammoplasty should be prepared for a temporary breast augmentation. After a couple of years, the implants wear out (they become less elastic), the size of the mammary glands decreases again, and the shape is lost. Reoperation occurs approximately every 7-10 years (exact expiration date depends on material).
Choice of implants
Implants differ in the type of filling. The following materials are used in mammoplasty:
Silicone fluid
It has a consistency similar to vegetable oil. It allows to achieve a significant increase (up to 4 sizes and more), but poorly corrects the shape, additional adjustment is required. The main disadvantage is that the content easily changes position on the bust, which makes the mammary glands appear different. Silicone breasts look more unnatural.
Cohesive gel
This material is harder than silicone and feels like jelly. Breasts with such an implant look more natural, there is less risk of losing their shape. Cases of casing breakage and content leakage are excluded. Less - in a short shelf life (will have to be changed every 5-7 years) and relative severity (so increasing by more than 2 sizes is not recommended).
Highly cohesive gel
Material with the consistency of jam. It is considered the safest for breast implants. Provides a natural shape to the breasts. Less - in high "shape memory" - with prolonged exposure to the mammary gland (for example, with constantly falling asleep with the stomach down), a persistent deformation is formed that cannot be corrected.
Saline water solution
The most outdated and unreliable material. The risk of complications is very high. As early as 8 months after the operation, the salts crystallize and can pierce the implant shell. Saline solution continues to be used in cosmetic surgery due to its low cost.
Round or teardrop shaped implants will be offered to women to choose from. They differ in form. The second variety is considered anatomically correct.
Round implants are recommended for small corrections (for 1 increase in size), more suitable for correcting the shape (for example, after childbirth or after feeding). If it is used to create a significant bust, it will end up looking unnatural (the mammary glands will stick out too much).
Drop-shaped implants have an asymmetrical shape: the upper edge is thinner and thickens towards the bottom. Its appearance is as close as possible to the natural female breast. A relative disadvantage is its dense texture (necessary to maintain the shape), therefore, when feeling, you can guess that the bust is artificial.
Preparation and performance of the operation
Mammoplasty is performed only for absolutely healthy women. For 5-10 days, the patient must undergo a complete medical examination to rule out contraindications. Mandatory are:
- laboratory tests (blood for clotting, general and biochemical tests for infections and inflammation);
- ECG;
- fluorography;
- Breast ultrasound;
- examination by a therapist, mammologist, gynecologist.
The operation to increase the size of the breast is canceled in case of mastopathy and other diseases of the mammary glands, infectious diseases of any genesis, untreated neoplasms, blood clotting disorders. The age limit is 18 years; mammoplasty cannot be performed earlier due to incomplete body training. Another contraindication is incomplete breastfeeding.
In addition to health checks, preparation for breast augmentation includes not taking hormones and medications with salicylates (14 days before surgery). Do not smoke or drink alcohol 10 days before the surgical procedure.
The operation is performed under general anesthesia. During mammoplasty, the entire surface of the breast and the site of future tissue dissection are treated with an antiseptic to avoid penetrating the wound and spreading the infection. The duration of the procedure is 60 to 130 minutes.
The cost
Breast augmentation can only be done for a fee. Prices are determined by the costs of:
- preliminary examination of specialists and analysis;
- direct work of the surgical team;
- anesthetic drug;
- endoprosthesis (the price of implants depends on the material and size);
- hospital stay and postoperative care (must be in clinic for 1-3 days).
The price is also influenced by the qualifications of the doctors. The more experienced specialists perform the operation, the higher the cost of suture or sutureless breast augmentation.
Possible complications
Before the operation, it is necessary to carefully weigh the pros and cons, since mammoplasty has a significant disadvantage - it is a high risk of negative consequences of breast augmentation. If the operation was performed on a patient with contraindications, the safety rules were violated during the operation or during the recovery period, then complications may occur:
- bruises;
- lymphorrhea (accumulation of tissue fluid in the subcutaneous tissue of a sutured wound);
- keloid scarring (as a result, a scar forms that protrudes above the skin);
- infectious infection;
- rupture or displacement of the stent;
- fibrous formations.
Even with compliance with the rules, the risk of a consequence of breast augmentation such as rejection of the implant installed by the body is not excluded. The only way out of this situation is the complete removal of the endoprosthesis and the long-term elimination of the resulting consequences.
Rehabilitation
Any surgical correction of the breasts requires a long-term recovery. Complete rehabilitation protects against complications. In the first week, it is recommended to stay in bed (1-3 days in the hospital, the rest of the time - at home). Pain in the first days after mammoplasty is normal due to skin tension and postoperative edema, but gradually they weaken and disappear (by the end of the 10th day, the symptoms should definitely disappear).
Immediately after the operation, the woman should take antibiotics to prevent infection (the course is 5-10 days, depending on the prescribed drug). A month or a month and a half after mammoplasty, she should wear special compression underwear, which will fix the correct shape of the renewed breast and accelerate the healing of the surgical wound.
An important recommendation concerns physical activity. For 2-3 months, she should not lift weights of more than 3 kg, she should not play sports (including stretching and running). She can have sex after 7-10 days (depending on how she feels), but for the first 8 weeks, she uses only the classic missionary position: face up.
Photo: before and after
According to statistics, about 65% of requests for mammoplasty services are associated with loss of breast shape after delivery and breastfeeding. In addition to the face lift, women also request a volume increase (1 to 2 sizes).
Without medical indications, women more often turn to surgeons to eliminate the lack of a figure such as breasts that are too small (including those with size zero). Even without a photo before and after the operation, it is clear that these women need a mammoplasty to get rid of their doubts. Natural bust sizes 2 and 3 are the least frequently covered.
According to statistics, in 2017 more than 2. 5 million breast augmentation surgeries were performed in the world. Of these, only in 11% of cases huge implants were installed to increase the bust to size 5 (more than "six" orders only 5%). The most common is the median 3 (more than 71%).
The most common breast augmentation method is silicone-free (with helium implants) through the armpit. If five years ago round stents were preferred (about 85%), now women prefer naturalness and choose teardrop-shaped implants.
Non-surgical augmentation methods.
It is impossible to achieve significant gland growth without surgery. It can only strengthen the pectoral muscles, correct posture, add a little adipose tissue, improve skin elasticity; at best this will give an increase of 1 size, but more often it will just correct the shape. The main method of breast augmentation are sports exercises plus creams. Wearing corrective underwear allows you to achieve a visual fit - push-up bras lift your bust, making it appear one size larger.
Training
Regular exercise will strengthen the muscles, tone and "lift" the mammary glands. As a result, the bust is tightened and adds a bit of volume. The main disadvantage is that this process is very long and laborious. To achieve a pronounced effect, you will need at least 6-10 months of daily chest exercises (20-40 minutes each).
The five simplest exercises you can do at home are rotating with your arms extended, closing your palms in front of your chest, pulling your arms back, lifting anything in front of you and behind your head, lifting your chestthe prone position. Add dumbbell swings to this workout.
Food
Scientists have shown that a higher consumption of legumes and cereals, as well as any food rich in protein, contributes to the growth of the mammary glands. But such a diet will only be useful for girls during puberty. With a formed figure, it will not be possible to induce breast growth with nutrition (with a diet, you can only reduce the amount of adipose tissue, that is, reduce the bust).
Popular methods
There is a lot of information on the Internet about non-traditional methods to increase breast volume. Be careful with home experiments, as many of them are dangerous. For example, many forums discuss the popular method of breast enlargement using toothpaste. Supposedly, if it is mixed with a cream and applied every day, due to irritation of the tissues in 1-2 months, the mammary glands will grow in one size, or even more. This is a myth, you cannot get anything but a burn from this method.
An even more dangerous tip is to inject saline into the chest with a syringe. Such injections give a slight increase in the bust for 1-2 days. But the cost of temporary beauty will be serious problems such as the rapid development of tumors.
Of all the ridiculous advice at first glance, the most innocuous is a breast augmentation with the power of thought. Of course, there will be no real increase in volume from automatic training. But self-hypnosis makes the woman more confident: the lady straightens her shoulders and back, making her breasts appear larger visually.
Results (photo)
Of all the non-medical ways to change the appearance of the bust, sports are the most effective. But the result will be noticeable no earlier than six months later (subject to regular training).
Second is self-training and posture correction. As you can see from the photo, the chest size has not formally changed, but due to the straight back, the tucked abdomen, and the stretched shoulders, the bust looks more attractive.
If it is not enough for a girl to shape the bust and the visual effect of a tight breast, then she cannot do without an operation. Only implants can add multiple sizes. But before going to the operating table, it is necessary to weigh the pros and cons, to assess whether the desired beauty is worth the possible postoperative complications and whether a woman is ready to change stents every 5-7 years.