As part of my Louisville Plastic Surgery practice, I recently completed continuing education for maintenance of my Plastic Surgery Board Certification. An interesting fact that many patients find surprising concerns breast augmentation and antibiotics. The lowest rate of infection, and this has been verified by several scientifically sound studies, results from one dose of IV antibiotics an hour before surgery. So, in this case, less is more!
Lee Corbett, MD
Breast Augmentation can be carried out through a variety of incision sites. The choice of site depends on your preference, your breast shape and size, your nipple size and surgeon preference.
Under the breast is the most commonly used access point. It is very flexible for surgeon, allows any type of implant to be placed, and the scar is well hidden and typically heals quite nicely.
An armpit, or Trans-Axillary, approach has the main advantage of leaving no scar on the breast, but it is very difficult to place a silicone implant through this incision and the implant must go under the muscle. So, this route is normally used for saline implants to be placed under the muscle.
In Louisville Breast Augmentations are most normally done through the crease under the breast but all routes are used.
Lee Corbett, MD
This is a topic that comes up a lot with my younger patients who are considering Breast Augmentation for obvious reasons. The answer “No”, implants have no bearing whatsoever on a woman’s ability to breast feed.
When an implant is placed it is either under the muscle/breast complex or the breast itself. But what most patients are confused about is how the space for the implant is made. When I create the pocket for the implant I seperate the undersurface of the breast from the muscle, the entire breast lifts forward, and the implant slides in under it. If the implant is going under the muscle then the breast is basically undistrubed as it and the muscle are lifted and the implant slides behind the muscle.
Now, where the implant can make a difference is when we talk about incision site. If you choose to have your implant placed through an incision around the nipple, this can definitely affect breast feeding as some milk ducts will be divided. There is little to no milk producing tissue in the crease under the breast so that is a good choice. An armpit incision is also safe to use, though not as commonly chosen.
Lee Corbett, MD
This is a great question that I frequently encounter in my Louisville Cosmetic Surgery practice. With the changes that a woman’s breasts experience during pregnancy I would expect some deterioration of your result. How much depends on how much your breasts enlarge with your pregnancies and how much weight you gain.
The breast implants themselves will remain unchanged. What changes is the benefit we achieved with the breast lift component. If there is significant size change in the breasts the skin will stretch and in all likelihood you will have some degree of skin excess. This could result in a revision of the lift. This isn’t a disaster though. It typically means a small revision with a bit more skin removal.
My advice to the new patients I meet considering an implant/lift combination is that if they know they are having another baby soon, wait to have the surgery until after the baby comes. If you are unsure or know you are going to wait several years I think it is reasonable to have the surgery but just be aware a small revision might be necessary.
Lee Corbett, MD
https://www.corbettcosmeticsurgery.com/
In the Plastic Surgery literature there is a new technique being described to enlarge the female breast. In contrast to traditional Breast Augmentation, no type of implant is used. The breasts are being transiently enlarged using a Brava system, and then fat grafted.
The Brava system consists of two domes that fit over the breast and create a suction. This expands the breast. Once the breast is expanded fat is suctioned from elsewhere in the body, and grafted to the breast to maintain the size.
Now before everyone goes running to their favorite Plastic Surgeons office, because have fat suctioned from you rear and put is your breasts has been joked about for years, please remember that these techniques are new and long term safety has not been established.
But if this works and the results are safe and reproducible, it will be a very nice alternative.
Dr. Lee Corbett
https://www.corbettcosmeticsurgery.com/
All posts on this blog are presented by Louisville Breast Augmentation specialist, Dr. Lee Corbett.
In my Louisville Breast Augmentation practice, like most Louisville Plastic Surgeons, I use either saline or silicone implants. Not infrequently though patients will joke and ask if I can suction fat from their rear and inject it into their breasts.
The answer is “Yes, we can.” Fat grafting is nothing new in Plastic Surgery. It has been used for years for facial rejuvenation. Recently its use has increased in breast surgery. The problem is if the fat cells don’t survive the transfer they can die, form masses, or even calcify. This can wreak havoc on cancer surveillance and thus the controversy.
This technology will continue to be evaluated, in the meantime I think it safest to stick with traditional implants until more is known.
Lee Corbett
In my Louisville Breast Implant practice I frequently encounter the woman with a more normal breast width. As opposed to the very petite woman with very small breasts, this patient may benefit from something other than a high profile implant. This is the patient for whom the Moderate (Allergan) or Moderate Profile Plus ( Mentor) implants were developed.
These implants have a a slightly wider base yet still offer a nice amount of projection. This allows me to give you a full appearance while still filling the entire width of the breast. Overall, the implants are shaped such that they give a nice full, yet perky appearance to the breast.
Implant choice can really only be decided at your consultation.
Lee Corbett, MD
A common situation I encounter in my Louisville Breast Augmentation practice is the woman with more narrow breasts. It is this patient where a high profile breast implant is useful. The high profile implants are made for a woman whose breast is more narrow. These implants fit behind the natural boundaries of the more narrow breast giving a more natural appearance.
In addition there are moderate profile and low profile implants available for women with a more broad based breast.
The choice of implant is best determined at your consultation.
Lee Corbett, MD
I am commonly asked by my Louisville breast augmentation patients if they can tan after surgery. The answer is “Yes”, it’s ok to tan as far as the implants are concerned.
The UV rays that tan beds emit are not like an X-ray. They do not go through your skin, so the light only affects your skin surface. The underlying breast tissue and implants are safe. Now, if you tan immediately after surgery, you do run the risk of the skin along your incision darkening more than the skin around it. The pigment producing cells along the incision line are in a kind of an “excited” state as a result of the surgery. They are prone to producing extra pigment as is so if you tan this can amplify the problem and leave you with a very tan incision line. This is called hyperpigmentation.
I will refrain from jumping on my tan bed soap box but suffice to say that tan beds are not great for your skin on several levels.
Lee Corbett, MD
https://www.corbettcosmeticsurgery.com/
I thought this an appropriate topic for the day as it’s 25 and snowing outside here. Breast implants, silicone or saline, do change temperature. In the summer months they will warm up and in winter they cool down.
The reason is that the implants sit under your skin and breast tissue but outside of your chest cavity. Most women who have implants don’t have a lot of breast tissue or they wouldn’t have implants to begin with. So the implants adjust a few degrees to the outside temperature. That’s why they feel cold. The temperature change won’t hurt the implants but some women do complain that their breasts get a bit tender when this happens.
Lee Corbett, MD
https://www.corbettcosmeticsurgery.com/
All posts on this blog are presented by Louisville Breast Implant expert, Dr. Lee Corbett.
