Breast Augmentation
Aesthetics
The breast is one of the most defining body parts of a woman. It has a very important place in women's life both in terms of sexual identity and functional function. The breast, which is a source of nutrition for a baby, is a factor that determines a woman's sexuality. Sometimes it is the symbol of fertility in a sculpture (the statue of Cybele with many breasts), sometimes it is the symbol of freedom in the hands of a painter (Delacroix). The breasts, on which so many meanings are attributed in life, are one of the most indispensable aesthetic elements of women. As such, situations such as the absence of breast tissue, being too small, or being damaged for any reason cause a serious psychological trauma to the woman. As a solution, it will be necessary to bring it to its ideal size or rebuild it with a surgical intervention. The woman who gains self-confidence will be more active in society and will distribute happiness around her.
It is all about how much you can accept your current situation. However, all women are extremely uncomfortable with reduced breast volume and sagging. This can occur in the following cases:
1) Congenital absence of breast tissue.
2) Less than normal development of breast tissue during puberty (not reaching ideal size)
3) Asymmetry between both breasts
4) Loss of volume and sagging of the breasts in the postpartum period or due to excessive weight loss
5) Significant decrease in breast volume due to suppression of estrogens in women who do excessive sports
6) An additional situation where the prosthesis is used is in cases of gender change. In female gender transition, a pocket of sufficient size for the prosthesis is first created using silicone expanders. These are then removed and permanent silicone prostheses are placed.
If you suffer from any of these conditions, you are a candidate for breast augmentation surgery. However, you can have surgery after the age of 17-18, when breast development is mostly complete. In excessively sagging breasts, it is not enough to place prosthesis alone, you should also have breast lift surgery in the same session.
Which type of prosthesis should I use?
Breast implants are made of silicone, but liquid silicone is no longer used as in the past. The use of liquid silicone was banned about 22 years ago because it is extremely harmful to the body. The breast prostheses used today are solid silicone on the outside and filled with cohesive gel or saline. Which of these prostheses, which are produced in various forms such as anatomical (drop-shaped) or round, smooth or smooth, high or low profile, will be decided jointly in accordance with your doctor's examination and your wishes.
For example, if your mammary glands have low volume and you have a thin-skinned breast structure, saline-filled implants may be palpable under the skin. In such cases, cohesive gel-filled implants should be preferred. In addition, saline-filled implants have risks such as rupture as a result of traumas, leaking the liquid inside and hearing the sound of water churning during movements. Gummy Bear prostheses, which have been used in recent years, have a harder silicone structure (Cohesive silicone gel III). It does not carry risks such as folding and explosion. It does not change its shape even if it tears. These are more expensive prostheses compared to others.
With which technique will the prostheses be placed?
You should make this decision together with your doctor. If you wish to have no scars on the breast, the implants can be placed either under the armpit or through the belly button. Both methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. Insertion through the breast is done in two ways; through the nipple line or through the inframammary line. The most commonly used method today is the placement of the prosthesis through the inframammary line. This method provides a very good field of view in the breast. Bleeding can be controlled better. It also allows placement with a dual plane technique that requires intervention to the breast muscle. I use the inframammary line method in 95% of my patients.
How will the process after the operation be?
Breast augmentation is performed under general anaesthesia and takes 1-1.5 hours on average. You will stay in the hospital overnight and be discharged the next day. At the end of the operation, blood drainage drains placed in both breasts are removed before discharge. When you leave the hospital, you will need to wear the supportive elastic bras for about a month. Activities that require you to use your arms are restricted for the first week. After your pain is well reduced (at the end of the 1st week on average), you can return to work (of course, if it is a light desk job). After 7-10 days, light walking style sports can be started. In order to ensure that the prostheses are properly placed and to ensure that the oedema dissolves faster, your doctor will describe special massage movements that you can apply to yourself. You can do light sports after 3-4 weeks and heavy exercises completely freely after 1.5-2 months.
What are the risks of this operation?
First of all, the risks that can be seen in all other operations (bleeding, infection, suture opening, anaesthesia risks) are also valid for this operation. Such problems are very rare in a woman with a very good general health condition and normal analyses.
Apart from this, bad scar formation (conditions such as keloid, hypertrophic scar are related to the response of the person's body to wound healing and are rare), displacement of the prosthesis in the breast (usually due to excessively large pocket opening) are among the complications that can be seen.
Nipple numbness is one of the complications that can be seen after the operation. However, it is not permanent and improves spontaneously over time. The most annoying complication of breast prosthesis surgery is capsule formation around the silicone prosthesis. This condition is actually normal and a thin, soft, palpable capsule is formed around all prostheses. This is a natural defence mechanism of the body against a foreign body. However, sometimes this mechanism can overwork and cause the formation of a very thick capsule. Such a capsule is painful, makes the breast hard like a stone and may cause the prosthesis to be displaced on the chest wall. The only remedy is a second operation to completely remove the capsule tissue and insert a new prosthesis. The rough surface of the prosthesis, placement under the muscle and postoperative massages are factors that reduce the risk of capsule formation.
You should also know these
Prostheses do not cause cancer and do not increase the risk of cancer. Cancer can occur in a woman with a prosthesis, but this is independent of the prosthesis.
There is no scientific evidence that silicone implants, which have been used for decades, cause cancer. Although prostheses can remain healthy in your body for many years, none of the breast surgeries will remain the same for the rest of your life. Conditions such as the effect of gravity, weight loss, weight gain, breastfeeding may cause sagging in the breast structure or the prosthesis to become visible under the skin. For the treatment of these, you may need to have second operations such as prosthesis replacement and breast lift.