A new branch of medicine has appeared relatively recently - aesthetic surgery, the purpose of which is breast implantation. According to statistics, most often the fair sex, dissatisfied with the size of their breasts, resorts to the services of plastic surgeons. Breast augmentation surgeries are performed using special implants.
Indications for this can be:
- The patient's desire to enlarge the breast and give it a more attractive shape.
- Breast reconstruction after radical mastectomy (removal) due to various diseases.
- Asymmetry of the mammary glands.
- Congenital anomalies and anatomical defects.
- consequences of trauma.
When a woman decides that she needs breast augmentation, she faces 3 main tasks on which a positive result largely depends: the choice of a clinic, a specialized surgeon and types of breast implants.
The choice of a specialist
How to choose the right clinic and plastic surgeon? In big cities, there are many clinics that provide plastic surgery services. There is a fear of running into unscrupulous specialists and then paying for them with their health and strained nerves over many years. There are some precedents in legal practice when they were held accountable and forced to pay for material and moral damages.
It should be remembered that the cost of good implants and the work of a medical team is quite high. You should not get involved in various promotions and discounts. If an operation is offered at a price much lower than the market average, it is better not to risk your health and refuse.
There are several criteria for a competent choice of clinic:
- The institution has permits, appropriate licenses, its specialists have undergone specialized training and present notarized copies of the degree from the university, as well as specialization courses.
- The clinic has all the necessary equipment, including resuscitation and critical care equipment.
- The operation is performed by a team of surgeons, ventilators, and scrub nurses.
- The cost of services includes postoperative care and monitoring.
- The clinic has good patient reviews and is respected in the medical community.
- The doctor talks in detail about the nuances of the operation and the service contract, 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 were determined. It remains to choose breast implants.
choice of implants
What are you? Breast implants are a shell filled with a specific composition.
As a filler are used:
- saline solution;
- Gel;
- mixture of solutions.
Saline breast implants are practically not used at the current stage of development of aesthetic surgery. You can not achieve a long-term cosmetic effect - over time, folds and tubercles appear on the surface of the chest. 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 body position changes. As a result, the breast retains its attractive shape for many years.
Gel breast implants have:
- Durable silicone fiber outer shell.
- Cohesive gel filler with a gel-like consistency.
- If it breaks, the gel does not get into the breast tissue, but remains inside.
It is important to choose an anatomical implant that matches the natural shape of the patient's breast. With a flat chest, it is recommended to install teardrop-shaped implants with a floppy curve. The surgeon and the patient must make a joint decision about mammoplasty and implants. In good clinics, it is proposed to create a 3D model, which will make it possible to evaluate 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 filler. If it is planned to increase the breast by two sizes, then implants with a volume of 300 ml are selected.
There are special cases when the surgeon injects the filler into the shell during the operation. He makes an individual decision on the amount of gel to inject based on:
- body proportions,
- chest size,
- current breast size
- skin density.
After inserting the implant in the breast, a connective tissue capsule forms over time, which penetrates into the pores. The breast feels naturally soft and does not deform over time. In some patients, a very dense capsule develops, which makes the mammary glands hard. Over time, this can cause them to lose their shape.
location of the implants
How are implants positioned 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 its correct choice.
There are several ways to place implants:
- Above the pectoral muscle. Patients survive the rehabilitation period quickly and easily, the edema subsides in a short time. The contraction of the pectoral muscles does not cause any deformation of the implant. But over time, it can grow into a tight connective capsule, making mammography difficult.
- Under the pectoral muscle. In this case, the implant does not interfere with mammography, it does not become overgrown with a dense capsule, but it can be deformed due to contraction of the mammary glands.
- Intermediate layer between the fascia of the pectoral muscle and the tissue of the mammary gland. This allows you to securely fix the implant and avoid negative effects.
Breast implant surgery 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 is 1-2 hours, depending on the complexity.
Recovery time after mammoplasty
On the first day after the operation, the patient remains in the clinic under the supervision of doctors and medical staff. With normal health, she is discharged after dressing on the second day. On the 5th -7thThe day after the operation, check-ups and, if necessary, bandages are carried out and on the 10th -14thTag the stitches removed. The rest of the rehabilitation period is carried out by the patient herself without any complications.
She must:
- wear special compression underwear prescribed by the doctor,
- Limiting the physical load on the shoulder girdle,
- in the recovery process, to engage with a habitual way of life,
- Protect the chest from overheating and hypothermia injuries,
- gradually return to sport.
The total rehabilitation period, when the edema disappears completely and the results of mammoplasty can be assessed, is 4-6 months.
Risks of breast augmentation surgery
Mammoplasty belongs to the category of complex operations, after which general surgical complications may arise:
- bleeding. The risk of bleeding is increased by poor blood clotting, sometimes an unsewn blood vessel or a torn suture can be the cause.
- Infection. The surgical field of mammoplasty is extensive, infection from the surrounding skin can get into the wound.
- The formation of dense scars. Disfiguring scars sometimes form at the suture site. They are removed by excision.
In addition to general surgical complications, there are specific characteristics of breast augmentation operations:
- rupture of the implant. In rare cases, this happens due to violations of the patient's regime during the rehabilitation period or due to implant defects.
- Breast deformity with round implants. Occurs when the patient ignores wearing compression underwear or due to an incorrectly chosen tactic for inserting the implant.
- Loss of sensation in nipple and areola. The reason is a violation of the integrity of the nerve endings.
- Edema due to disturbed lymph drainage.
- The formation of a dense capsule membrane, which in the case of anatomical implants can deform the breast.
Alternative breast augmentation
Is there an alternative to breast augmentation? The use of cosmetics - creams, gels, ointments will not give positive results. You cannot enlarge your breasts this way. In addition, the hormones contained in it can cause an imbalance that is very difficult to correct.
Lack of volume and asymmetry can be compensated by wearing a special bra. Still, only breast augmentation surgery can restore a woman's confidence and attractiveness.