FACTS ABOUT BREAST IMPLANTS...
A breast implant is a prosthesis used to
enlarge the size of a woman's breasts (known as breast augmentation,
breast enlargement, mammoplasty enlargement, augmentation mammoplasty or
the common slang term boob job) for cosmetic reasons; to reconstruct the
breast (e.g. after a mastectomy; or to correct genetic deformities), or as
an aspect of male-to-female sex reassignment surgery. According to the
American Society of Plastic Surgeons, breast augmentation is the most
commonly performed cosmetic surgical procedure in the United States. In
2006, 329, 000 breast augmentation procedures were performed in the U.S.
There are two primary types of breast implants: saline-filled and
silicone-gel-filled implants. Saline implants have a silicone elastomer
shell filled with sterile saline liquid. Silicone gel implants have a
silicone shell filled with a viscous silicone gel. There have been several
alternative types of breast implants developed, such as polypropylene
string or soy oil, but these are uncommon and not recommended.
SOME RECENT NEWS
Plastic Surgery Societies Applaud the FDA’s Decision to Approve Silicone
Breast Implants
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and The American
Society of Plastic Surgeons, the two largest plastic surgery membership
organizations, applaud the FDA’s decision today to approve Allergan Corp.
and Mentor Corp.'s silicone breast implants and return these devices to
the U.S. market. This decision comes 14 years after the FDA restricted
access to the silicone implants because of safety concerns.
History
Implants have been used since 1895 to augment the size or shape of women's
breasts. The earliest known implant was attempted by Vincenz Czerny, using
a woman's own adipose tissue (from a lipoma, a benign growth, on her
back). Gersuny tried paraffin injections in 1889, with disastrous results.
Subsequently, in the early to mid-1900s, a number of other substances were
tried, including ivory, glass balls, ground rubber, ox cartilage, Terylene
wool, gutta-percha, Dicora, polyethylene chips, polyvinyl
alcohol-formaldehyde polymer sponge (Ivalon), Ivalon in a polyethylene
sac, polyether foam sponge (Etheron), polyethylene tape (Polystan) or
strips wound into a ball, polyester (polyurethane foam sponge) Silastic
rubber, and teflon-silicone prostheses. In recent history, various creams
and medicaments have been used in attempts to increase bust size, and
Berson in 1945 and Maliniac in 1950 performed a flap-based augmentation by
rotating the patient's chest wall tissue into the breast to add volume.
Various synthetics were used throughout the 1950s and 1960s, including
silicone injections, which an estimated 50, 000 women received. Development
of silicone granulomas and hardening of the breasts were in some cases so
severe that women needed to have mastectomies for treatment. Women
sometimes seek medical treatment for complications up to 30 years after
receiving this type of injection.
Indications
Breast implants are used for:
* primary augmentation (to increase breast size for cosmetic reasons)
* revision-augmentation (revision surgery to correct or improve the result
of an original breast augmentation surgery)
* primary reconstruction (to replace breast tissue that has been removed
due to cancer or trauma or that has failed to develop properly due to a
severe breast abnormality)
* revision-reconstruction (revision surgery to correct or improve the
result of an original breast reconstruction surgery)
Patient characteristics
Patients seeking breast augmentation have been reported as being usually
younger, healthier, from higher socio-economic status, and more often
married with children than the population at large.[4] Many of these
patients have reported greater distress about their appearance in a
variety of situations, and have endured teasing about their appearance.
Studies have identified a pattern (shared by many cosmetic surgery
procedures) that suggest women who undergo breast implantation are
slightly more likely to have undergone psychotherapy, have low levels of
self-esteem, and have higher prevalences of depression, suicide attempts,
and mental illness (including body dysmorphia) as compared to the general
population.
Post-operative surveys on mental health and quality of life issues have
reported improvement on a number of dimensions including: physical health,
physical appearance, social life, self confidence, self esteem, and sexual
function. Longer term follow-up suggests these improvements may be
transitory, with the exception of body esteem related to sexual
attractiveness. Most patients report being satisfied long-term with their
implants even when they have required re-operation for complications or
aesthetic reasons.
Breast & Breast Enlargements
Breast Augmentation, mammaplasty, is a cosmetic procedure that uses
implants to enlarge and shape the breasts. Breast augmentation will make
your breasts bigger, it will not improve nipple asymmetry, nor move the
breasts together nor lift droopy breasts. If you have droopy breasts, you
might consider a breast lift or mastopexy. Breast Augmentation is a
procedure that can help patients that had babies, that want to look
fuller, or for patients that after breast reconstruction want to look
natural again.
The surgery takes anywhere from 35 minutes to 5 hours. The Plastic Surgeon
will discuss with you the placement of the implant, and where to locate
the incision. These two points are of extreme importance, you as well as
your doctor can agree on the pros and cons of the different choices, and
which would be the right one for your particular case. Breast Augmentation
is the most popular of breast surgery procedures.
The term breast refers to the upper ventral region of an animal’s torso,
particularly that of mammals, including human beings. The breasts of a
female primate’s body contain the mammary glands, which secrete milk used
to feed infants. This article deals with the human breast; for other
animals, see udder and mammary gland.
Breasts are more visible on adult women, but male humans also have breasts
which, although usually less prominent, are structurally identical
(homologous) to the female, as they develop embryologically from the same
tissues.
Myths About Breasts
1. A Woman's self confidence is based on the size of her breasts. (a myth)
2. Women are unconcerned about the size of their breasts. (a myth)
3. Sports bras are not really needed. (a myth)
4. Large breasts indicate the woman is likely to be more interested in
sex. (a myth)
5. Women with small breasts are unable to breastfeed successfully. (a
myth)
6. All women enjoy having their breast fondled. (a myth)
7. Women always have two breasts of the same size. (a myth)
8. Hair on the area around the nipple indicates that the woman is
abnormal. (a myth)
9. Women with bigger breasts are more fertile. (a myth)
10. Breastfeeding leads to sagging breasts. (a myth)
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgical procedures of the breast include those for both cosmetic
and reconstructive surgery indications. Some women choose these procedures
as a result of the high value placed on symmetry of the human form, and
because they identify their femininity and sense of self with their
breasts.
After mastectomy (the surgical removal of a breast, usually to treat
breast cancer) some women undergo breast reconstruction, either with
breast implants or autologous tissue transfer, using fat and tissues from
the abdomen (TRAM flap) or back (latissiumus muscle flap).
Breast reduction surgery is a common procedure which involves removing
excess breast tissue, fat, and skin with repositioning of the nipple-areolar
complex (NAC). Cosmetic procedures include breast lifts (mastopexy),
breast augmentation with implants, and procedures that combine both
elements. Implants containing either silicone gel or saline are available
for augmentation and reconstructive surgeries. Surgery can repair inverted
nipples by releasing ductal tissues which are tethering. Breast lift with
or without reduction can be part of upper body lift after massive weight
loss body contouring.
Any surgery of the breast carries with it the potential for interfering
with future breastfeeding, causing alterations in nipple sensation, and
difficulty in interpreting mammography (xrays of the breast). A number of
studies have demonstrated a similar ability to breastfeed when breast
reduction patients are compared to control groups where the surgery was
performed using a modern pedicle surgical technique. Plastic surgery
organizations have generally discouraged elective cosmetic breast
augmentation surgery for teenage girls as the volume of their breast
tissue may continue to grow significantly as they mature and because of
concerns about understanding long-term risks and benefits of the
procedure. Breast surgery in teens for reduction of significantly enlarged
breasts or surgery to correct hypoplasia and severe asymmetry is
considered on a case by case basis by most surgeons.
Breast & Breast Enlargements
Breast Augmentation, mammaplasty, is a cosmetic procedure that uses
implants to enlarge and shape the breasts. Breast augmentation will make
your breasts bigger, it will not improve nipple asymmetry, nor move the
breasts together nor lift droopy breasts. If you have droopy breasts, you
might consider a breast lift or mastopexy. Breast Augmentation is a
procedure that can help patients that had babies, that want to look
fuller, or for patients that after breast reconstruction want to look
natural again.
The surgery takes anywhere from 35 minutes to 5 hours. The Plastic Surgeon
will discuss with you the placement of the implant, and where to locate
the incision. These two points are of extreme importance, you as well as
your doctor can agree on the pros and cons of the different choices, and
which would be the right one for your particular case. Breast Augmentation
is the most popular of breast surgery procedures.
The term breast refers to the upper ventral region of an animal’s torso,
particularly that of mammals, including human beings. The breasts of a
female primate’s body contain the mammary glands, which secrete milk used
to feed infants. This article deals with the human breast; for other
animals, see udder and mammary gland.
Breasts are more visible on adult women, but male humans also have breasts
which, although usually less prominent, are structurally identical
(homologous) to the female, as they develop embryologically from the same
tissues.
Myths About Breasts
1. A Woman's self confidence is based on the size of her breasts. (a myth)
2. Women are unconcerned about the size of their breasts. (a myth)
3. Sports bras are not really needed. (a myth)
4. Large breasts indicate the woman is likely to be more interested in
sex. (a myth)
5. Women with small breasts are unable to breastfeed successfully. (a
myth)
6. All women enjoy having their breast fondled. (a myth)
7. Women always have two breasts of the same size. (a myth)
8. Hair on the area around the nipple indicates that the woman is
abnormal. (a myth)
9. Women with bigger breasts are more fertile. (a myth)
10. Breastfeeding leads to sagging breasts. (a myth)
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgical procedures of the breast include those for both cosmetic
and reconstructive surgery indications. Some women choose these procedures
as a result of the high value placed on symmetry of the human form, and
because they identify their femininity and sense of self with their
breasts.
After mastectomy (the surgical removal of a breast, usually to treat
breast cancer) some women undergo breast reconstruction, either with
breast implants or autologous tissue transfer, using fat and tissues from
the abdomen (TRAM flap) or back (latissiumus muscle flap).
Breast reduction surgery is a common procedure which involves removing
excess breast tissue, fat, and skin with repositioning of the nipple-areolar
complex (NAC). Cosmetic procedures include breast lifts (mastopexy),
breast augmentation with implants, and procedures that combine both
elements. Implants containing either silicone gel or saline are available
for augmentation and reconstructive surgeries. Surgery can repair inverted
nipples by releasing ductal tissues which are tethering. Breast lift with
or without reduction can be part of upper body lift after massive weight
loss body contouring.
Any surgery of the breast carries with it the potential for interfering
with future breastfeeding, causing alterations in nipple sensation, and
difficulty in interpreting mammography (xrays of the breast). A number of
studies have demonstrated a similar ability to breastfeed when breast
reduction patients are compared to control groups where the surgery was
performed using a modern pedicle surgical technique. Plastic surgery
organizations have generally discouraged elective cosmetic breast
augmentation surgery for teenage girls as the volume of their breast
tissue may continue to grow significantly as they mature and because of
concerns about understanding long-term risks and benefits of the
procedure. Breast surgery in teens for reduction of significantly enlarged
breasts or surgery to correct hypoplasia and severe asymmetry is
considered on a case by case basis by most surgeons.
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Resources:
Wikipedia | breastdoctors.com |
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