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When it comes to breast implants
and breast implant surgery, there are many different
variables that contribute to your overall surgery. Most
importantly, there is no right or wrong implant type,
texture, position, profile, shape, or size. Each woman
is unique in her needs, and each surgeon has established
techniques and preferences that he or she feels comfortable
with for your particular situation.
It should go without saying that
just because your friend, sister, neighbor, etc. had
a certain sized breast implant through a particular
incision does not mean that that is what is right for
you, even if she looks great! The following details
are intended to provide you with information with which
you can use to discuss your options with your breast
augmentation surgeon.
breast implant type - Once
you decide to have breast implant surgery, the first
question will be "saline or silicone"? Although
both implants are surrounded by a silicone shell, the
silicone implants are filled with silicone gel, and
saline implants are filled with saline (salt water).
saline breast implants -
Almost all breast implants that are used today in the
United States are filled with saline. The salt water
(saline) that is inside of the implant shell is the
same as the fluid that goes into your IV. Therefore,
if the implant should break and the saline leaks out,
it is harmless, and your body will reabsorb the fluid.
Saline implants tend to feel firmer and less natural
than silicone gel implants, but for now, silicone is
only available to a very select group of women that
meet certain requirements.
silicone breast implants
- Silicone implants do tend to feel more natural and
are currently available for cosmetic breast enlargement
in certain situations when inserted by doctors that
participate in ongoing FDA clinical studies. Women that
do qualify for silicone implants for cosmetic reasons
have already had silicone and wish to replace them,
have had saline implants but don't have enough to tissue
to cover them, or have significant sagging and require
a breast lift as well as breast augmentation. Anyone
having breast enlargement with silicone implants will
also need to agree to have regular exams over a 5 year
period and participate in the clinical studies.
breast implant position -
Breast implants can be placed either over the chest
muscle which is just beneath the breast gland (referred
to as sub-glandular) or beneath the chest muscle (referred
to as sub-muscular).
details of submuscular placement
-
-submuscular position may be preferred
in thin women or women with little breast or fatty tissue
because the chest muscle (pectoralis) provides extra
coverage over the uppermost portion of the implant and
minimizes a round, "grapefruit" appearance
that breast implants can cause
-submuscular placement makes implant
rippling less noticeable because of the additional coverage
afforded by the chest muscle
-recovery from submuscular implant
placement is more painful and prolonged because the
muscle must stretch to accomodate the volume that has
been placed beneath it
-placement of the breast implant
behind the muscle offers better visualization of breast
tissue on mammograms so a woman with a personal or family
history of breast cancer may be better served by placement
behind the muscle
-placing the implant beneath the
muscle can cause the implant to shift down and to the
sides when the chest muscle is contracted
-almost all submuscular implant
positioning techniques only covers the uppermost portion
of the implant. there is another rarely used technique
which uses other chest muscles to cover more of the
breast implant
details of subglandular placement
-
- the subglandular position may
be preferred to add fullness to women with sagging breasts
(ptosis) that are not having a lift because subglandular
implants tend to sit lower on the chest and better fill
out a sagging breast
-women with adequate breast tissue
or fuller figures may not need the additional coverage
provided by placing the implant under the muscle
-over the muscle (subglandular)
offers a quicker, less painful recovery
-patients desiring very large breast
augmentation may prefer placement over the muscle since
it will be less painful and can accomodate a larger
implant more easily
To
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