Breast Augmentation (Breast Enlargement)

Contents:

• General Information
• Advantages
• Disadvantages
• Frequently Asked Questions (loads another page)
• Photos
• RE: inserting implants via the navel. (loads another page)
• To Home page.

General information about breast enlargement:

Breast augmentation, technically known as augmentation mammoplasty, is a surgical procedure to enhance the size and shape of a woman's breast for a number of reasons:

• To balance a difference in breast size
  
• To correct a reduction in breast volume after pregnancy or weight loss
  
• To enhance the body contour of a woman who feels her breast size is too small.
  
• To enlarge and help lift a breast that is excessively relaxed.
  

The implants can be inserted via a small incision in any of a variety of locations:

• under the breast near the crease
• around the edge of the colored nipple-areola
• high in the underarm area
• inside the navel ('transumbilical breast augmentation' or 'TUBA') (The incision inside the navel is so tiny that this incision is suitable for saline implants only, not for silicone gel.)

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Advantages (See Frequently-Asked Questions for details)

The advantages of breast enlargement in general are:

• a breast that never developed sufficiently can be made larger.
• a breast that lost volume with pregnancy can be made larger again.
• a relaxed breast is lifted to some degree.
• the woman is able to wear the clothing she desires.
• relief from having to repeatedly focus on her small breast size.
• often an increase in self-assurance, or a regaining of self-confidence.

• less time under anesthesia than the other incisions.
• generally a faster recovery than with the other incisions.
• very large implants can be used because there is no breast incision that could pull open from breast skin tension.
• no tell-tale scar on the breast, only a tiny one inside the navel.

Further, there are additional advantages specific to doing the breast enlargement through the navel in front of the muscle:

• less postoperative pain than with any other method.
• the recovery is more rapid than with any other method.
• there is no cutting in, on, or behind the breast.
• the chance of any complications is the lowest of any method.
• there is the lowest chance of losing nipple sensitivity.

And there are advantages specific to doing the breast enlargement through the navel behind the muscle:

• less postoperative pain via navel than with other behind-the-muscle incisions.
• the recovery is more rapid via navel than with other behind-the-muscle incisions.
• with the navel method, there is no cutting of, in, on, or behind the breast.

Disadvantages (See Frequently Asked Questions for details)

The disadvantages of breast enlargement in general are:

• there must be a permanent scar someplace.
• mammograms requiring special techniques, and take longer to perform and to read.
• about a 5% possibility of firmness due to internal scar tissue hardening, called capsular contracture.
• the definite certainty of implant failure at some future time, both saline and silicone.
• a possibility of permanent nipple numbness.

• can only use saline-filled implants, not silicone-gel filled.
• can not use pre-filled saline implants.
• can not correct severe breast deformities.

Before & After Small Photos:

Images Copyright © R.V.Dowden, MD, 1993.

To view a large number of before-and-after photos click here: Proceed to breast augmentation photos.

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Finding a Surgeon Near You:

If you are interested in breast enlargement procedures and want to find a board-certified Plastic Surgeon in your area who is qualified to do them, call the referral service of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons at (800)-635-0635, or check: http://www.plasticsurgery.org. If you have been given a surgeon's name by a friend or acquaintance, you can check to see if he/she is actually certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery: The American Board of Medical Specialies maintains a complete listing of ALL the legitimate Boards in the USA, and by inputting the name at the ABMS website you will be informed by what Board, if any, the surgeon is certified.

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