What improvements can I make with breast augmentation?
Breast augmentation, or mammoplasty, is surgery to enhance the shape and size of your breasts. In addition to enlarging both breasts, Dr. Snider also uses this type of surgery to create symmetry when your two breasts have different shapes and/or sizes.
Many women simply want to have larger breasts, but breast augmentation also restores the size of your breasts after weight loss, breastfeeding, or when age affects their fullness or shape.
What are the different types of breast augmentation?
Dr. Snider may augment your breasts using FDA-approved implants for implant-based breast augmentation. However, you may also choose to have autologous fat transfer to enhance the volume of your breast with your own fat, depending on how much you want to enlarge your breasts.
Implants
Today’s breast implants are made of fifth-generation silicone with controlled consistency and cohesiveness that increases the safety and durability of the implants. All implants are made with a silicone shell, and then they’re filled with either silicone or saline.
The implant’s filling affects the overall feel, shape, and movement of your breasts, as well as the type of incision you may need. Dr. Snider works closely with you to help you make decisions about the type, size, and shape of the implant to achieve your desired results.
You may have a size in mind, but Dr. Snider also considers individual factors. For example, your skin’s elasticity and the width of your chest influence your optimal breast size for natural-looking results that don’t overstretch your skin.
Autologous fat transfer
Dr. Snider can enhance your breasts by removing unwanted fat from other parts of your body, such as your tummy, buttocks and thighs, and then injecting the fat into your breasts. This can be performed with an implant to enhance the upper breast fullness, or without an implant to give you a more natural result without the need for an implant.
How does breast augmentation differ from a breast lift?
When you get a breast lift, your breasts are raised up by removing skin and then reshaping and tightening the underlying breast tissue.
During a breast lift, Dr. Snider may also reduce and reposition your nipples after your breasts are lifted for the best result. While a breast lift improves the appearance of sagging breasts, making them more perky, it doesn’t change their size.
What is breast reduction surgery?
Breast reduction surgery is the procedure you need if you have large breasts and would like them to be smaller.
During this surgery, Dr. Snider removes fat, glandular breast tissue, and skin to create the breast size you desire. After reshaping your breasts, she lifts them back onto the chest. She then reshapes your nipples and repositions them to fit your new breast size.
When do men need breast reduction surgery?
Men can develop gynecomastia, a condition that occurs when their breast tissue grows because of a hormone imbalance.
Gynecomastia is not caused by an increase in fat; it develops due to enlarged breast glands. This condition is treated with breast reduction surgery to eliminate the excess tissue and restore the natural chest contour.
What should I know about breast implant removal?
You may choose to have your breast implants removed if you want to change the size of your breasts. However, some women must have their implants removed when the implant starts to leak or scar tissue builds up around the implant, making it hard and misshapen.
When you have surgery to remove your breast implants, Dr. Snider may insert new implants or perform a breast lift with fat grafting to create breasts that meet your expectations.
What is breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL)?
BIA-ALCL is a rare type of immune system cancer that develops around breast implants. When BIA-ALCL occurs, it primarily affects implants with a textured surface.
The symptoms of BIA-ALCL don’t appear until at least a year (and often many years) after your implant surgery. Although your risk of BIA-ALCL is quite low, if it develops, you’ll experience symptoms such as:
- Breast swelling or enlargement
- Breast asymmetry
- Lump in your breast or armpit
- Skin rash
- Buildup of fluid
Contact Dr. Snider at the first sign of symptoms. BIA-ALCL is curable when it’s diagnosed and treated at an early stage.
If you’d like to change the size or shape of your breasts, call Vida Bela Plastic Surgery or schedule a consultation online today.
