Richard V. Dowden, M.D., C.M., F.A.C.S.

Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery

Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery, Inc.
6770 Mayfield Road, Suite 410
(Mayfield Heights) Cleveland, Ohio 44124
(440) 449-7470

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about
breast enlargement:

What is a "Spectrum" implant?

"Spectrum" implants are designed to allow increasing or decreasing their volume in the office even after surgery. They are identical to some standard saline implants, that is they have a thin tube attached by a special valve in the implant. For use as a standard implant, the tube is removed right there in the operating room as soon as the implant has been filled with saltwater.

But for use as an adjustable implant, the tube is left attached, and a special fill-port is connected to the tube. The fill port and the tube are left under the skin, situated where the plastic surgeon can locate the port by touch later. Then, in the office, a little local anesthetic can be injected into the skin, and using a needle in the self-sealing port, saltwater can be added to, or removed from, the implant without surgery. Months later, when the desired final size has been achieved, a minor surgical procedure is done, where the port and tube are removed, sealing the valve, and leaving the implant in.

When would "Spectrum" implants be used in their adjustable configuration? There are many situations in which they would be appropriate:

  1. When matching a normally-developed breast on the other side, for example after mastectomy, or for a developmental asymmetry.
  2. When the skin is too tight to permit an extremely great size increase, for example 34A to a 34F, that would otherwise require two separate implant stages.
  3. When the patient needs, for a short time, to be able to change her breast size from week-to-week, an example being certain modeling situations.
  4. When the underdevelopment of the breast is localized, to one area and skin expansion is needed to correct it.

The "Spectrum" 1400 style is most often used as a regular implant as discussed above. It has been a dependable and long-lasting implant.

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6770 Mayfield Road, Suite 410
(Mayfield Heights) Cleveland, Ohio 44124
(440) 449-7470

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Last Update: 7:27 PM on 06/01/2008
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