Relatively recently, a new branch of medicine has emerged - cosmetic surgery, the purpose of which is breast implantation. According to statistics, most often the fair sex, dissatisfied with the size of their breasts, resort to the services of plastic surgeons. Breast augmentation operations are carried out using special implants.
Indications for this may be:
- The patient's desire to increase the size of the breast and give it a more attractive shape.
- Breast reconstruction after radical mastectomy (removal), due to various pathologies.
- Asymmetry of the mammary glands.
- Congenital anomalies and anatomical defects.
- Consequences of trauma.
When a woman decides that she needs breast augmentation surgery, she faces 3 main tasks, on which a positive result will largely depend: the choice of a clinic, a specialist surgeon and types of breast implants.
The choice of a specialist.
How to choose the right clinic and plastic surgeon? In the big cities there are many clinics that offer plastic surgery services. There is a fear of meeting unscrupulous specialists and then, for many years, paying with your health and frayed nerves. In legal practice, there are many precedents in which they were held accountable and forced to pay material and moral damages.
It should be remembered that the cost of good implants and the work of a team of doctors is quite high. You should not buy at various promotions and discounts, if an operation is offered at a much lower cost than the market average, then it is better not to risk your health and refuse.
There are several criteria for a competent choice of clinic:
- The institution has the corresponding permits and licenses, its specialists have received specialized training and present notarized copies of university graduation, specialization courses.
- The clinic has all the necessary equipment, including resuscitation and intensive care devices.
- The operation is performed by a team of surgeons, resuscitators, operating nurses.
- The cost of services includes post-operative care and supervision.
- The clinic has good reviews from patients and is respected in the medical community.
- The doctor talks in detail about the nuances of the operation and the service agreement, including a section on possible complications.
- The clinic carefully checks the patient's health before setting the date of the operation.
Thus, the clinic and the plastic surgeon who will perform the operation have been determined. It remains to choose breast implants.
Choice of implants
What are they? Breast implants are a shell filled with a certain composition.
As a filler are used:
- saline;
- gel;
- mixture of solutions.
Saline breast implants at the current stage of development of cosmetic surgery are practically not used. They are not able to provide a long-term cosmetic effect - over time, folds and tubercles appear on the surface of the breast. The gel content in the implant cannot move as freely, so it is preferred.
The latest generation of implants from leading Western manufacturers is based on a special gel that does not move when the position of the body changes. As a result, the breast retains its attractive shape for many years.
Gel breast implants have:
- Durable silicone fiber outer shell.
- Filled with cohesive gel that has a jelly-like consistency.
- When it breaks, the gel does not leak into the breast tissue, but stays inside.
It is important to choose an anatomical implant that fits the natural shape of the patient's breasts. With a flat chest, it is recommended to install tear-shaped implants, with sagging - round. The surgeon and the patient must come to a common decision about mammoplasty and implants. In good clinics, it is proposed to create a 3D model, which allows evaluating the result of a future operation.
In addition to the shape, the size of the implants is selected. In modern models, one size corresponds to 150 ml of gel fill. If it is planned to increase the size of the breast by two sizes, then implants with a volume of 300 ml are selected.
There are special cases where the surgeon injects the filler into the shell during the operation. He makes an individual decision on the amount of gel to be injected based on:
- body proportions,
- chest Width,
- current breast size
- skin density.
After placing the implant in the breast, over time a capsule of connective tissue forms, which penetrates into its pores. The breast becomes naturally soft to the touch and does not deform over time. In some patients, a very dense capsule is created that hardens the mammary glands. Over time, this can cause them to lose their shape.
Implant location
How are implants placed during surgery? The location of the implants in the breast determines the shape of the mammary glands. How quickly and well they "take root" in the body depends on their correct choice.
There are several ways to place the implants:
- Above the pectoral muscle. Patients quickly and easily pass the rehabilitation period, the edema disappears in a short time. The contraction of the pectoral muscles does not cause the deformation of the implant. But over time, it can become a dense connective capsule, making mammography difficult.
- Below the pectoralis muscle. In this case, the implant will not interfere with mammography, it will not be filled with a dense capsule, but may be deformed due to contraction of the mammary glands.
- Intermediate position between the fascia of the pectoralis muscle and the tissues of the mammary gland. This allows you to securely fix the implant and avoid negative effects.
Breast implantation is performed in a clinic, usually under general anesthesia. The surgeon makes an incision under the armpit, under the breast crease, or around the areola. In this case, less noticeable scars remain. The duration of the operation, depending on the complexity, is 1-2 hours.
Recovery period after mammoplasty
On the first day after the operation, the patient remains under the supervision of doctors and medical staff in the clinic. With normal health, she is discharged after dressing on the second day. On the 5-7th day after the operation, control examinations are carried out and, if necessary, bandages are made, and on the 10-14th day, the sutures are removed. The rest of the rehabilitation period, in the absence of complications, is carried out by the patient herself.
She must:
- wear special compression underwear prescribed by a doctor,
- limit the physical load on the shoulder girdle,
- in the process of recovering to engage in a regular way of life,
- protect the chest from injury from overheating and hypothermia,
- gradually return to sports.
The entire rehabilitation period, when the edema completely disappears and the results of mammoplasty can be evaluated, is 4-6 months.
Risks of breast augmentation surgery
Mammoplasty belongs to the category of complex operations, after which general surgical complications may occur:
- bleeding. The risk of bleeding is increased by poor blood clotting, sometimes an unsewn blood vessel or a broken suture can be the cause.
- Infection. The field of operation for mammoplasty is extensive, an infection from the surrounding skin can penetrate the wound.
- The formation of dense scars. Sometimes disfiguring scars form at the site of the sutures. They are removed by excision.
In addition to general surgical complications, there are specific ones inherent to breast augmentation operations:
- implant rupture. In rare cases, this happens due to violations of the patient's regimen during the rehabilitation period or as a result of implant defects.
- Breast deformity with round implants. It occurs if the patient ignores the use of compression underwear or due to incorrectly chosen tactics for installing the implant.
- Loss of sensation in the nipple and areola. The reason is a violation of the integrity of the nerve endings.
- Edema due to impaired lymphatic drainage.
- The formation of a dense capsular membrane, which can deform the breast with anatomical implants.
alternative breast augmentation
Is there an alternative to breast augmentation surgery? The use of cosmetics - creams, gels, ointments does not give positive results. You cannot enlarge your breasts this way. In addition, the hormones they contain can cause a state of imbalance that is very difficult to correct.
The lack of volume and asymmetry can be compensated by wearing a special bra. But still, only breast augmentation surgery can restore a woman's self-confidence and attractiveness.