There are different types of breast implants available and
different approaches for augmentation. You and Dr. Morris will decide the best
type of implant and approach for your augmentation after your consultation.
Breasts are extremely different from person to person, and certain approaches
give better results for some patients.
Small breasts usually result from either lack of development
of the breast during puberty or loss of breast fullness following
pregnancy.
During pregnancy breast enlargement occurs. This stretches
the skin envelope of the breast. When pregnancy and nursing are completed, the
tissue within the breast involutes or shrinks, usually to a smaller size than
it was originally. The skin however remains slightly stretched and the smaller
amount of breast tissue falls to the bottom of the stretched skin envelope. The
result is usually a breast with somewhat loose skin, and a lack of fullness in
the upper portion.
How much your breasts can be enlarged depends on your
tissues and your desires regarding breast size. For example, if you have never
been pregnant, and have a very small “A” cup breast, your skin may be very
tight. This may limit the size that can be achieved. Remember, you want your
breasts to be in proportion to the rest of your body.
At your consultation, Dr. Morris will discuss your
preferences regarding breast size, and how you would like your breasts to
look. He will ask you what your expectations are, and let you know if
they are realistic. After examining you, he will recommend one or two
procedures from a range of options that will be best for your breasts to
balance with the rest of your figure. He will honor your choice of alternatives
if he feels he can achieve an aesthetic breast using your preferences.
Breast implants do not cause breast cancer. Excellent
scientific studies indicate that breast cancer occurs in about ten percent of
women, regardless of whether they have had a breast augmentation or not.
Breast implants may make a mammogram somewhat more difficult
to read. This does not mean that a mammogram can't be adequately read, simply
that the mammograms must be performed and interpreted by someone experienced in
the proper techniques. When an implant is present, the breast should be pulled
in front of the implant before compressing for a mammogram. This maneuver,
combined with additional views if necessary, allows better visualization of the
breast tissue.
Limitations and Risks
Differences always exist between your two breasts - they are
different sizes, and the nipple locations are also different. After breast
augmentation these differences may be less, but will always exist to some
degree.
Breast implants are mechanical devices, which are
manufactured to extremely high standards, and we use only those implants which
Dr. Morris feels are thoroughly tested. Some patients have had breast implants
in place for over 25 years, but no one can specify the life of a breast
implant. At some point you may choose or need to have it replaced. With the
current improvements in implant technology, we anticipate that for most
patients they will last a lifetime.
When any implant is placed in your body, you form a lining
or capsule around it. This capsule is similar in some ways to scar tissue and
can shrink or contract. If it contracts markedly and squeezes on your implant,
it can distort the implant or make the breast feel too firm. The use of newer,
textured implants significantly reduces the likelihood of developing firmness,
but so far the risk cannot be totally eliminated since it is the result of your
normal healing mechanisms.
Very rarely, the outer shell of a breast implant can break.
Usually, this is due to folds occurring with abrasion of the outer shell, and
is more likely to follow the development of firmness due to capsular
contracture.
In very uncommon instances, the valve mechanism in a
saline-filled implant can leak with loss of harmless salt water into the
surrounding tissues. Your body then absorbs this fluid. If implant rupture can
be confirmed, or is strongly suspected, the implant can be inspected, removed
if necessary, and replaced with a new implant.
Fortunately, women over the age of 22 are able to choose
standard silicone gel implants for their breast enhancement. These gel
implants offer a degree of naturalness not achieved by saline implants in Dr.
Morris' opinion. When a prospective patient holds a saline implant in one
hand and a gel in the other, the decision is simple. Dr. Morris will give
patients a choice - but virtually all choose silicone.
Dr. Morris is a
principle investigator for the Inamed (Allergan) Style 410 cohesive gel breast
implant. This implant has a "teardrop" shape and adds another
level of naturalness to the augmented breast. We are able to offer this
implant to a limited number of patients based on the number of study slots
available. Women 18 years of age and older are candidates for this
implant.
Risks common to all surgical procedures such as bleeding,
infection and scar tissue formation occur in a very small percentage of cases.
Bleeding or infection may occur in 1-3% of cases, and may require another
procedure for correction. Infection may necessitate temporary implant removal
and subsequent replacement. We will give you more detailed information about
these and other rare risks during your consultation.
The Operation
The incision for breast augmentation is placed in the fold
beneath the breast, and a very meticulous closure of the incision minimizes the
visibility of the scar and maximizes its quality.
In some patients implants are placed behind the breast
tissue. In others, the implant may also be placed partially behind the
pectoralis muscle on the chest wall. Dr. Morris will discuss the best option for
your specific breast type and chest wall anatomy. In either case, your breast
tissue is located in front of the implant where it can be readily examined.
After final implant placement and position is achieved, Dr.
Morris will spend time precisely closing your incisions to achieve the best
possible result with as minimal a scar as your healing process will allow.
All of your incisions will be carefully closed with sutures
placed beneath the skin, so there's no chance of having "railroad
track" type marks but rather, for most individuals, very fine line scars.
You'll be able to shower or bathe in just a few days.
Recovery
Following breast augmentation procedures, most patients have
moderate discomfort, which is handled well with oral pain medication. Most also
experience nuisances such as tightness or fullness, both of which are temporary
and resolve in a few days.
We offer the ON-Q® PainBuster® Post-Op Pain Relief
System. This system helps reduce postoperative discomfort via a very tiny
tube that is placed in the pocket where the breast implant is located, which
delivers a constant supply of a local anesthetic solution. The system is
in place 3-4 days and the tubes are painlessly removed by the patient at home.
Your breasts will feel rather tight to you for 48-72 hours,
and this sensation will gradually resolve over the next several days as the
swelling decreases. You may develop slight bruising beneath the breasts a day
or two after surgery, which will resolve in about a week.
You will have some discomfort, the degree of which depends
on your individual pain tolerance. We will prescribe pain medication to keep
you as comfortable as possible. Most patients require medication for only 2-5
days.
The Stages of Recovery
For breast augmentation procedures, the average....
