Breast Lift after Changing Implants

Now that silicone gel breast implants have been available in the United States for several years, many women with saline breast implants are opting to switch to the newer silicone gel implants for an improved feel and appearance.

Many of my patients who are considering an implant “redo” also ask me about a breast lift, particularly if they are planning to go for a smaller size with their new implants. Over time, implants, just like natural breast tissue, will cause the breasts to sit lower on the chest. Often women will want to improve both the size and shape of their implants when having a secondary breast augmentation, and I will often recommend a breast lift to correct ptosis (sagging) that has occurred since the initial procedure.

While more and more women having breast augmentation also have a lift procedure, the most common breast enhancement procedure combined with a breast lift is breast reduction in Los Angeles. It makes sense that heavier breasts also will experience greater ptosis over time, so that reducing the breast size and improve the breast position are both important goals for surgery.

If you are considering breast enhancement in your 30s, 40s or 50s, be sure to find a plastic surgeon who has experience in a range of breast procedures and can create a natural-looking result.

Tags: breast reduction los angeles
Posted in Breast Reduction

The Do’s and Dont’s of Recovery for Breast Augmentation

Breast augmentation is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures performed today. With multiple techniques for this procedure, as well as a variety of options for implant placement, size, shape, and texture, recovery can vary considerably. Discussing your recovery with your Los Angeles plastic surgeon is helpful when considering the procedure. There are, however, general rules of thumb that I tell all of my breast implant patients, including the do’s and don’ts of recovery.

Do’s:

• Follow all of your doctor’s aftercare instructions.
• Allow ample time for your body to recover – don’t overdo it.
• Sleep on your back.
• Move around. Being mobile will help reduce your chances of blood clots.

Don’ts:

• Do not smoke before or after your surgery. Smoking will significantly increase the amount of time it will take to recover (and negatively impact your overall health).
• Don’t resume strenuous activity until your doctor allows you to.
• Do not lift anything above your head or do any stretches that will open or pull your sutures.
• Don’t submerge your sutures in a bathtub until they have completely closed.

These are some general tips that I tell all of my breast augmentation patients. However, it is important to talk to your surgeon and get specific details on your post-operative instructions.

Tags: los angeles plastic surgeon
Posted in Breast augmentation

Breast Implants and ALCL

In the last few days I have received questions from several patients who heard about the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s recent guidance regarding a possible connection between breast implants and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). Both for women who have implants and those who are considering a breast augmentation procedure, I would like to provide more information about this guidance and suggest some next steps.

What the FDA Is Doing

An initial review by the FDA has identified 34 unique cases of ALCL in women with breast implants throughout the world. To put this in perspective, it is estimated that 5 to 10 million women worldwide have breast implants. The FDA believes that women with breast implants may have a very small but increased risk of developing this disease, and is asking health care professionals to report confirmed cases of ALCL in women with breast implants to the FDA.

What the FDA Is Not Doing

The FDA is not taking back its approval of saline and silicone gel breast implants. To quote the organization: “The FDA believes that the totality of evidence continues to support a reasonable assurance that FDA-approved breast implants are safe and effective when used as labeled.”

What You Need to Know

If you have had breast augmentation, I advise you to continue to follow your doctor’s regular implant care instructions. Because ALCL is not a breast cancer, there is no benefit to performing additional self exams, but it is worth talking with your surgeon in more detail if you are particularly concerned, if only for added peace of mind.

For women who are thinking about breast augmentation, it is important to get the latest facts. Additional fact finding on this issue will be ongoing and informed surgeons will be able to give you the most current information while providing additional context for the scientific findings so far.

Tags: breast implants, Breast Augmentation, alcl
Posted in Plastic Surgeon,Breast augmentation,Breast Implant,Breast,General Plastic Surgery

Is Post-Op Breast Asymmetry a Sign of a Bad Surgeon?

During consultations, I hear from some women that they are concerned about having asymmetry after breast surgery. Many of my breast augmentation patients felt anxious as they searched for a Los Angeles or Santa Monica plastic surgeon. They want to feel confident in their choice and, most of all, want to enjoy “perfect” results from their surgery.

A few years ago, a study of breast asymmetry found that after breast augmentation, 88% of patients had some degree of asymmetry and 65% of the women had more than one type of asymmetry. These numbers may seem very high, but before we start questioning the skills of plastic surgeons, we should consider the issue from every angle.

While a beautiful result is always the goal, some asymmetry is simply a result of each patient’s unique physiology. For instance, asymmetry following breast augmentation may be the result of slight pre-op asymmetry that has been magnified by the increase in breast size. However, skilled surgeons can minimize asymmetry by:

• Performing a thorough chest wall evaluation before surgery to determine your individual needs
• Carefully choosing your implant size, profile and placement based on your physiology
• Using an areolar (around the nipple) incision to ensure areolar symmetry (if necessary)
• Performing a breast lift in conjunction with augmentation
• Considering inframammary fold position before surgery to help prevent the implants settling in different positions.

Choosing a surgeon who is highly qualified can help prevent some of these issues, but keep in mind that asymmetry is a natural occurrence. Discussing your concerns with your surgeon is a great way to ease your anxiety and find out what he or she can do to help improve your symmetry after surgery.

Tags: breast augmentation in los angeles, santa monica plastic surgeon
Posted in Plastic Surgeon,Breast augmentation

The Worth of Cosmetic Surgery Predictions

According to iData Research, the cosmetic surgery, facial aesthetic, and laser industries are expected to double in size and exceed $3 billion in annual revenue over the next 7 years. While it is hard to predict how fast these industries will grow for certain, there are many factors which have contributed (and will probably continue to contribute) to the rapid growth of the cosmetic industry. Among these reasons are wider social acceptability and innovative technological advances.

Even within the last 20 years, plastic surgery has become more legitimate in the eyes of mainstream America. While some people still think cosmetic plastic surgery is “wrong” or “unnecessary,” more and more people are appreciating the fact that plastic surgery can radically transform a person’s life.

For example, consider some of my Los Angeles breast reduction patients. These women get the cosmetic benefit of having shapely breasts that are in better proportion with the rest of their body contours, but more importantly, they are often able to transform their lifestyle, exercising more regularly and performing other activities they may have thought would never be possible for them given their uncomfortable, overly large breasts.

Of course, the safety of cosmetic procedures also plays a role in the increasing amount of money being spent. With laser technology particularly, rejuvenation can be entirely painless, promote faster healing or make procedures that used to take extensive surgery quicker and easier – all without making an incision. As technologies and procedures change dynamically, it’s hard to imagine what the next 7 years have in store for plastic surgery. One thing is for sure: the industry will continue to grow as it has in the past and may even exceed our predictions. As they say, only time will tell.

Tags: los angeles breast reduction
Posted in Breast Reduction

Silicone Implants and Breast Reconstruction

A recent study published in the online edition of the journal Cancer reported that breast reconstruction patients who chose silicone implants following their mastectomy were more satisfied than those who chose saline implants. Although saline implants have been continuously available for decades, the look and feel of silicone implants is now leading many women to choose silicone implants, both for cosmetic and reconstructive procedures.

It comes as no surprise to me that more and more women are choosing silicone implants in general; at Marina Plastic Surgery Associates, we’re participating in a Los Angeles breast implant clinical trial for the fifth generation of silicone implants, also known as “gummy bear” implants, and we are finding very high satisfaction rates with this implant type. We are also seeing high satisfaction with the silicone gel implant type widely available to women today.

For breast cancer reconstruction, silicone implants also make sense. Since most or all of the breast tissue can be removed during a mastectomy, many women not only want their breast to look how it used to look, but want it to feel just like their old breast as well. Coupled with the fact that gummy bear implants retain their shape when torn or punctured, how they feel makes silicone breast implants a great option.

This is not to say that silicone implants are good for every woman. There are several situations where saline implants can give the desired effect or even be preferable to silicone implants. Of course, this should be decided on a case-by-case basis with your surgeon.

Tags: los angeles breast implant
Posted in Breast Implant,Breast Reconstruction

Los Angeles Breast Implant Study Released

Even after silicone gel breast implants were approved by the FDA in 2006, surgeons across the country have been participating in trials of a newer “fifth generation” silicone gel breast implant, also referred to as a “form stable” or “gummy bear” breast implant. This latter nickname is derived from their texture– they are both soft and solid, resembling the texture of a gummy bear candy. If cut in half, the implant would retain its same form.

My colleagues and I have been participating in studies of form-stable cohesive breast implants and recently completed a review of the efficacy of this implant type. For our study we examined 355 Los Angeles breast implant patients over a 60-month period, which included women who had primary augmentation, primary reconstruction and revision breast surgery.

The results of our study concluded that these implants had similar complication profiles to other types of silicone gel breast implants. Our study also found that the fifth generation silicone implants have a lower rate of capsular contracture and a decreased incidence of wrinkling compared to fourth generation silicone gel implants, as well as other published studies of fifth generation silicone implants.

As of right now, fifth generation silicone implants are not cleared to be marketed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, meaning that they are only available to the women who have chosen to participate in the clinical trials. Our study may provide more information that will help this implant type become widely available in the years to come.

Tags: los angeles breast implant
Posted in Breast Implant,Breast

MRI Scans for Silicone Breast Implants

The generation of silicone gel implants currently available in the U.S. is highly advanced and widely researched. This latest generation is also highly durable, and unlike saline implants, when a rupture or tear to a silicone implant occurs, it may not be immediately noticeable to the patient. These so-called “silent ruptures” can be detected through periodic MRIs, which I advise for all of my Los Angeles silicone gel breast implant patients.

Because a rupture in silicone gel breast implants is hard to detect, patients need to take an active role in monitoring their implants. When a rupture occurs, the silicone gel contained within the implant tends to stay in the pocket (the space that surrounds the breast implant) and the outward appearance of the breast often does not change at all. The FDA recommends that patients have an MRI performed 3 years after their breast augmentation, and then every 2 years after that continuously.

Symptoms

While some women do not notice any change after a silicone breast implant rupture, patients may experience symptoms such as knots or lumps surrounding the implant, change in shape or size of the implant, swelling, pain, numbness, or hardening of the breast. Although these symptoms of a rupture are possible, they are not always present, which is why it is critical to have an MRI performed as recommended by the FDA.

Tags: los angeles breast implant
Posted in Breast Implant,Breast

Breast Enhancement – Before or After Weight Loss?

If you’re trying to lose weight, seeing those extra pounds start to melt away is exciting. But remember, you can’t always control where you’re losing the weight – it’s going to come off across your entire body, not just in one or two “target areas.” What this means for women is that, whether they like it or not, there’s a good chance their breasts will get smaller as the rest of their body gets slimmer. This is an important factor to consider if you’re planning a breast enhancement. Here’s why:
 

• Breast lift: Weight loss often causes breasts to droop or sag. Subsequent weight loss could undo the results of a previous breast lift. Women considering a breast lift should definitely wait until after they’ve reached their target weight.
• Breast augmentation: Results of breast augmentation will be impacted by weight loss in several ways. First, larger breasts may look out of balance with your new, slimmer physique. Second, weight loss may cause breasts to droop, creating the need for a second breast surgery.

I suggest that my patients wait to have their breast lift or breast augmentation in Los Angeles until they’ve lost the weight. By waiting, they are ensuring that they choose an implant size that fits with their new body contours and that they will have perky, youthful-looking cleavage.

And, just to note, I would also recommend waiting to perform other procedures until my patients have accomplished their weight loss goals in Los Angeles, such as face lift, tummy tuck, or liposuction.

Tags: breast augmentation in los angeles, los angeles face lift
Posted in Breast augmentation,Facelift

No Such Thing as a “Scarless” Breast Reduction

As plastic surgery technology becomes more advanced and new techniques are developed, a number of surgical procedures are becoming less invasive, which means less scarring. Unfortunately, Los Angeles breast reduction is one procedure for which no “scarless” technique exists. However, scarring can be minimized depending on the incisions required for the method being used, careful suturing, and diligence in following all post-surgical instructions.

There are a number of different breast reduction methods and each one involves a different number of incisions and different incision placement, which means different scars. Liposuction breast reduction, for example, tends to result in the least amount of scarring because the incisions are very small and are typically made on the underside of the breast. This technique is not used very frequently, however, because it can only achieve a modest reduction and can’t lift the breast.

The anchor scar is the most common type of scar resulting from a breast reduction. With the anchor technique, incisions are made around the areola, down the midline of the breast, and across the underside of the breast. While this method produces the most prominent scarring of the reduction techniques, it also allows for the most dramatic results.

Overly large breasts can cause many problems:

• Back, neck, and shoulder pain
• Inability to participate in some physical activities
• Negative body image.

Breast reduction allows women to live healthier, more active lives, free from the physical and emotional discomfort that overly large breasts can cause. Scarring is unavoidable, but, according to what I’ve seen from my breast reduction patients, the benefits that the procedure offers make the scars a very fair trade-off.

Tags: los angeles breast reduction
Posted in Breast Reduction