Breast Augmentation
Women, who contemplate breast enhancement or augmentation, should consider the risks and benefits of the surgery. First and foremost, the surgery to enhance the breast tissue is one that should be done as a personal choice and not to “please” someone else. With the exception of Poland’s Syndrome, congenital absence of the breast tissue, the only medical indication for breast augmentation is to create symmetry in a woman undergoing mastectomy (removal of the breast) and reconstruction.
Breast enhancement is a surgical procedure that is done as a same day surgery. The surgery requires general anesthesia, and this is usually the greatest risk of the surgery itself. There are many approaches to placing an implant to enhance the breast, but the most widely accepted method is placing the implant under the pectoral muscle so as not to interrupt the native breast tissue. Implants come in many varieties from saline, (Salt water) to silicone gel to silicone composite gel that does not leak. Several different incisions can be used to place the implants and this should be discussed with your surgeon. The placement of the incision may be altered if you need a lift (mastopexy) in addition to the implant placement.
Infection, implant rupture, capsular contracture (scar tissue around the implant), and leakage of the implant are the main complications of breast augmentation. The incidence of breast augmentation is on the rise around the world. For the most part, it is a well tolerated surgical procedure. Women contemplating the surgery should carefully weigh the risks and perceived benefits to them prior to undergoing this elective cosmetic procedure.
Breast Augmentation
Micromastia (genetically under developed) and post partum ptosis or “sagging” of the breast tissue are the major reasons women seek breast enhancement. Thousands of women undergo breast augmentation annually in the United States and around the world and the numbers are on the rise. Surgical enhancement can be a safe procedure and should be performed by a board certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon. The implants should be placed behind the muscle in order to not affect future breast imaging.
Are breast implants safe?
Breast augmentation has come under tremendous scrutiny over the years. The controversy over the safety of silicone breast implants has created a stir in the medical and legal communities. Silicone implants were used for reconstruction and breast enhancement from 1962 until 1992. The fear of leakage, capsular formation, and systemic autoimmune diseases had silicone implants taken off the market for 14 years from 1992 – 2006. We are now, since November of 2006, able to use silicone implants not only in reconstruction after breast cancer, but for the augmentation of Micromastia in a healthy breast. There have been no studies linking breast implants with an increased risk of breast cancer or other breast diseases. The National Cancer Institute actually has published data to show a lower risk of breast cancer among patients with breast augmentation. (Women choosing to have implants on average have small breasts and overall lower body fat which is likely the link to the decreased risk)
Are implants associated with Connective tissue disorders?
There was concern over the association of breast implants and the development of autoimmune diseases. A review of several large epidemiological studies of women with and without implants indicates that autoimmune or connective tissue diseases, such as lupus, scleroderma, or rheumatoid arthritis are no more common in women with implants than those in women without implants.
