The 20 questions you must know about breast augmentation
1. Am I suitable for breast augmentation.
When you feel that your breasts are not as big as you expect, or you are satisfied with your breasts in the past, but now they have lost the shape of their original size due to weight loss, childbirth, and age-related reasons, you may be a suitable candidate for breast augmentation surgery. The following are the most common reasons for women to undergo breast augmentation surgery.
(1) Always feel that your breasts are too small;
(2) Always wear padded bras;
(3) When buying clothes, the hips fit but the bust is too big;
(4)I always feel shy or not full enough when I wear swimsuit, corset or low-cut dress;
(5) After childbirth and breastfeeding, breasts become smaller, and before childbirth is very different, seriously affecting life and appearance;
(6) Weight loss or other causes of breast reduction;
(7) One breast is obviously smaller than the other.
2.Which breast augmentation method is the safest
At present, there are two recognized safe breast augmentation methods: breast implants and autologous fat transfer breast augmentation.
Other methods such as drugs, massage, acupuncture, diet, etc. are lack of scientific basis and have unreliable or unsafe efficacy.
3.Should I choose self-injection breast augmentation or breast implantation?
In terms of surgical indications, breast implants are suitable for almost all women who need to increase their breasts, such as breast dysplasia, breast atrophy after childbirth or weight loss, mild breast sagging, etc. Autologous fat injection breast augmentation is more suitable for women who have enough excess fat in other parts of the body, and the breast itself has a certain volume but is not big enough or has mild breast sagging, which is not suitable for women with too flat chest and thin body.
4, artificial silicone breast implants are safe
Silicone breast implants, to be exact, silicone gel breast implants are the longest, most numerous and widest range of breast augmentation materials currently used in clinical practice.
There has been a lot of long-term research evidence shows that: silicone gel breast implants are very safe for the human body, and large samples of information studies at home and abroad have not found any potential pathogenicity of silicone gel breast implants, and there is no correlation with the occurrence of breast cancer and autoimmune diseases.
5, artificial silicone gel breast implants can be placed in the body for life?
Although the artificial silicone gel breast implants are designed and manufactured to the standard of materials for long-term placement in the body, but because of the many factors affecting their lifespan, manufacturers do not guarantee their lifetime use. Therefore, in some special cases it may be necessary to replace the prosthesis, but there is no regulation on the maximum duration of artificial breast implants in the body, as long as the regular review of the prosthesis is not a problem, that can continue to be placed in the body.
6.Will breast cancer be diagnosed or screened after breast implantation?
Although the presence of breast implants may obscure part of the breast in mammogram, it has no effect on most of the examinations such as ultrasound, infrared, CT, and MRI. According to a large amount of foreign literature, there are no reports of delayed breast cancer diagnosis due to the presence of breast implants.
7.Will breast implants affect breastfeeding?
The breastfeeding ability of each person is related to the original breast, and the breast implant will not affect the breastfeeding courage, so it is not necessary to remove the breast implant before breastfeeding.
Some people are concerned that their breasts may become more distended during pregnancy after breast implants are placed, but in fact, the skin of the breasts will soon expand to accommodate the increased breast volume after the implants are placed, which does not limit the distension of the breasts during pregnancy and does not cause additional distension.
However, after breastfeeding, the breasts will generally change, and this change is difficult to predict, so be prepared for it.
8.Which is better: smooth or hairy surface prosthesis?
Smooth implants are easy to place, require less skill, and are relatively inexpensive. Hairy surface prosthesis placement process is more difficult, requires certain skills and experience, the price is slightly higher, from theoretical and clinical statistics, hairy surface prosthesis can reduce the incidence of periosteal contracture. Therefore, the hairy surface prosthesis is becoming more and more popular in clinical practice.
9, anatomical prosthesis and round prosthesis, which is more suitable for me
Anatomical implants are designed according to the natural curve of the breast, so the shape is more natural and realistic, suitable for all women who require breast augmentation, however, the anatomical implant type is more complicated, implant selection and surgical design requires a certain level of experience, and placement surgery requires a higher level of skill, otherwise it is easy to damage the breast implant or produce bad surgical results. There are concerns that anatomical implants may rotate after implantation, but in fact, because all anatomical implants are gross-faced, they will adhere closely to the surrounding tissue after implantation and rarely rotate clinically.
Round prostheses can be smooth or hairy, and are easier to place because they are not directional. Round implants can form a fuller upper pole of the breast, so if you want the upper pole of the breast to be fuller, you can choose round implants.
10.How big an implant is right for me
Everyone has a specific standard for the ideal breast size, and this standard varies greatly among women, so it is best to have a general idea of your ideal standard before surgery and communicate fully with your surgeon so that he or she can understand your level of satisfaction and expectations for the ideal breast size.
However, it is not possible to get the size of your breasts you want. Theoretically, your surgeon can place any size breast implant you want, but too large an implant will make the shape unnatural and the result undesirable. Doctors will be based on the measurement results, according to the specific conditions of each person, to make a recommendation for you to choose the appropriate size of the implant, the implant beyond the range recommended by the doctor, the risk of surgery may increase, the larger the implant, the chances of increased surgical risks, the chance of complications after surgery is also elevated.
11.Both sides of the breast size a different to be able to adjust through the prosthesis
We must be clear that no one’s breasts are absolutely symmetrical on both sides, and when there is asymmetry in the breasts, breast implant surgery may magnify the original asymmetry and make it more obvious. Therefore, if the asymmetry of the breast reaches a certain level, different implants need to be placed on both sides to reduce this asymmetry. However, because the type and specification of the implant is fixed, the volume difference of the same type of implant is more than 25ml, therefore, even if different types and sizes of implants are used, it is difficult to achieve absolute symmetry, no plastic surgeon can make both sides of the breast completely symmetrical, some congenital non-defects, such as breast position asymmetry, are impossible to solve with breast augmentation surgery.
12.Can I get a beautiful cleavage through breast augmentation surgery?
The formation of cleavage is mainly related to the thickness of subcutaneous fat in the breast, in addition to the size of the breast. In women with thicker subcutaneous fat, cleavage can be formed even if the volume of the breast is not large, because anatomically, the area of 1-37.5px on both sides of the median line of the breast is a forbidden area for breast augmentation surgery. It is even more impossible to place the implant, otherwise it will lead to very serious complications. Therefore, breast augmentation surgery can increase the depth of cleavage, but for people with very thin subcutaneous fat, it is basically impossible to form a very obvious cleavage.
13.How to identify the quality of implants and whether they are guaranteed
Strictly speaking, the quality of the product is measured by product quality standards, in fact, it is difficult for patients to distinguish the quality of the prosthesis only from the appearance or feel, even plastic surgeons are difficult to say exactly which prosthesis quality is the best, the price or can reflect the quality of the prosthesis to a certain extent, but the price is never equal to the quality.
Generally speaking, good quality prosthesis surface dry, full shape, good elasticity, can quickly recover after pressing, product identification clear. After cutting open the prosthesis, half of the prosthesis can still maintain the original shape.
If the following conditions are found, it means that the quality of the product is poor or does not meet the requirements: the prosthesis shows obvious oily adhesion, less than full form, local collapse after flat placement, poor elasticity, feeling easy to flow, slow recovery after pressing and releasing, wrinkles and loss of the original form when upright, the product logo is not clear.
Many people only from the softness of the prosthesis to judge the good or bad prosthesis is very wrong, in recent years, the better quality of the big brand prosthesis are used elasticity and hardness slightly stronger polymer gel, to ensure that the whole gel as a whole, not only to maintain a good shape, even in the case of shell breakage, the gel will not wander around, thus ensuring the safety of the prosthesis, but also to ensure the life of the prosthesis. Therefore, from the safety point of view, the softer the prosthesis, the less reliable.
Regular breast implant products are subject to strict review and registration by the State Food and Drug Administration before entering the hospital, the product registration information can be inquired from the State Food and Drug Administration’s official website in the section related to medical devices. You can directly enter the product registration number to check whether the product registration information is consistent with the logo on the product packaging. Generally, the larger international breast implant manufacturers have a complete after-sales service system, and will provide product instructions, information stickers, and product receipts in the implant package, which can be sent back to the manufacturer for after-sales service after surgery.
14.Is there any difference between the feel of breast implants and real breasts after breast augmentation surgery?
In fact, every woman’s breast feels different after breast augmentation, and this difference mainly depends on individual differences, i.e., each person reacts differently to the implant. Generally speaking, a few patients feel very soft after surgery, almost indistinguishable from normally developed breasts, and most of them are within the normal range, close to the feel of the firmer breasts in adolescence, while some of them feel harder and have contracture of the envelope, which may require surgery The implant may need to be removed. In addition, in the early stage of implantation, due to the expansion and support of the implant on the tissue, the breast feel is hard, and it takes more than 3 months for the tissue to gradually relax, so the doctor cannot fully control the feel of each breast implant.
15.Where is the best place for incision
There are three kinds of incisions for breast augmentation surgery, one is the axillary incision, which is located in the skin folds under the armpit, the second is the incision at the lower edge of the areola, and the third is the inframammary fold incision, each of these three incisions has its own advantages and disadvantages
The inframammary fold incision is the easiest incision to operate for breast augmentation because its surgical access is short, it can be operated under direct vision, and the bleeding and peeling area can be precisely controlled, thus greatly reducing the incidence of surgical complications. In addition, it is the most commonly used incision for breast augmentation surgery in Europe and the United States because of the small tissue manipulation, light post-surgical pain, quick recovery and no need to restrict upper limb activities. However, the incision is located on the front of the breast and is less concealed.
The areola incision is located at the junction between the pigmented area of the areola and the skin, and generally after a period of recovery, the surgical marks are not obvious. In addition, this incision cannot be used in women who have not had children and whose areolas are too small.
The areolar incision is the most concealed, and it is difficult to detect bilateral axillary incisions at the same time. However, this approach has a longer surgical access, more tissue damage, difficulty in controlling surgical precision and intraoperative bleeding, long postoperative recovery time, and the need to limit upper limb activities. The application of endoscopic technology can avoid the above-mentioned disadvantages, but due to the more expensive equipment and technical difficulties, it is not common for doctors to master this technology, which is the disadvantage of this surgery.
16.What is the difference in the effect of breast implants placed at different levels when breast augmentation is performed
Breast augmentation surgery has four different levels of implant placement: posterior pectoralis major muscle gap; posterior areola gap; dual plane method; subfascial pectoralis major muscle.
The posterior pectoralis muscle space is located between the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor muscles, and the implant can be placed at this level through various incisional approaches. Because the gap is very easy to peel, the operation is relatively simple, is the most traditional and most commonly used level of implantation, the disadvantage of the level is: when the muscle force will feel hard, and even the contour of the unnatural. However, implant placement into the posterior space of the pectoralis major muscle allows the implant to obtain good tissue coverage and makes the transition to a natural contour of the upper pole of the breast, which is the only option for patients with particularly thin subcutaneous fat.
The posterior mammary gap is located in the tissue gap between the breast and the pectoralis major muscle and completely avoids the disadvantages of the posterior pectoralis major muscle gap, but is only suitable for patients with thicker breast tissue and subcutaneous fat. Some research data show that the chance of contracture at this level is higher.
This level combines the advantages of the posterior pectoralis muscle and the posterior mammary gland gap, and avoids the disadvantages of each, which is a very ideal level for prosthesis placement. However, this level cannot be done through the axillary incision under blind vision, but must be done through endoscopic techniques or other incisions, and cannot be used for patients with thin mammary glands and subcutaneous fat.
The pectoralis major subfascial plane has similar advantages to the posterior mammary space level, and the pectoralis major fascia may provide good coverage of the prosthesis, but it is difficult to peel off at this level and requires high technical requirements, and is only suitable for women with thick areolar tissue and subcutaneous fat.
It should be noted that the placement level of the implant is usually decided by the surgeon according to the patient’s subcutaneous breast tissue condition and the surgeon’s technical condition.
17.Can loose and sagging breasts be corrected by breast implants?
It is common to see sagging breasts after childbirth and breastfeeding or with age, and the method to be used depends on the satisfaction level of the current breast size. If you are satisfied, only an atrial lift is needed without implants to increase the volume of the breasts. If the implant is found to be too large, breast reduction surgery is needed. If the volume is felt to be small, breast augmentation can be considered as an option, however, the lifting effect of the implant for breast sagging is very limited.
18.What kind of anesthesia is generally used for breast augmentation? Is hospitalization required?
In order to ensure the surgical effect and avoid the pain and muscle tension of patients under local anesthesia, breast augmentation surgery is currently performed under general anesthesia, so hospitalization is required. Especially when the axillary incision is used, hospitalization is required to ensure the observation of the post-operative results and to prevent complications. The length of hospitalization needs to depend on the surgical method and drainage time, usually in 5~6 days.
19.What is the biggest risk of breast implant surgery
The most common complication of breast augmentation surgery is contracture of the envelope, which is manifested as a hard feel of the breast and in severe cases leads to breast deformation or even pain.
The envelope is a membrane tissue that forms around the implant after it is implanted in the human body, which appears as a natural response to the foreign body and plays an important role in limiting the displacement of the implant and isolating the implant from the surrounding tissue. The thickness and elasticity of the envelope is crucial to the feel of breast augmentation surgery. In most people, the envelope itself is thin and does not compress the implant significantly, so the breast feels better, but some people overreact to the implant, and the envelope is thicker and shrinks severely, compressing the implant and hardening it to form a contracture of the envelope.
Some studies have concluded that personal constitution, foreign body, bleeding, infection, and inadequate peeling cavity are all causative factors of periosteal contracture, but they are not necessarily related. The determining factor for the occurrence of periosteal contracture is still the difference in the body’s reaction to the implant, and the exact cause and mechanism of its occurrence are not yet clear, so it is not yet possible to predict and prevent the occurrence of periosteal contracture, and no surgeon can master and control the appearance of periosteal contracture. Strictly speaking, contracture is not a complication, but a risk that every patient receiving breast implants must face. Fortunately, the incidence of contracture is not very high, around 5% according to the literature, and the only possible effective solution in case of a momentary contracture is to reoperate. However, for some patients, even after eliminating all the causative factors, the contracture still inevitably occurs and the implant must be surgically removed.
20.What do you need to pay attention to after breast implant augmentation
Elastic band to restrain the implant: If the axillary incision is used, it is necessary to restrain the position of the implant with an elastic band within one month after surgery; if the areolar incision or inframammary fold incision is used, it is also recommended to compress the implant with an elastic band in order to obtain a better shape of the lower pole of the breast.
Diet: Spicy or stimulating diet is not recommended for six months after surgery
Activities: Since the impact of different incision approaches and different surgical techniques on postoperative upper extremity activities varies greatly, it is recommended to consult the surgeon about the restrictions on activities. Generally speaking, the inframammary fold incision and areolar incision do not have clear restrictions on postoperative activities, and adapted activities can be performed when postoperative pain is not obvious; while when the axillary incision is used, the pulling of the pectoralis major muscle may cause the prosthesis to In the case of axillary incision, because the pulling of the pectoralis major muscle may lead to upward displacement of the prosthesis, activities that make the pectoralis major muscle exert excessive force, such as lifting and supporting, cannot be performed for about 1 month after the complete formation of the envelope, and can return to normal after 1 month. This time can be moderately shortened when the axillary incision biplane technique is used.