WHAT IS BREAST ENLARGEMENT (AUGMENTATION)?
Augmentation of the breast is a safe and simple surgical procedure consisting of insertion of a silicone bag (prosthesis) under the breast (submammary) or under the breast and chest muscle (subpectoral) and then filling the bag with saline (salt water). This prosthesis expands the breast area to give a fuller breast (increased cup size), give a better contour, and give more cleavage.
1. Infection
Although infection is rare (1-3%) it can be a very distressing problem. Signs of infection are fever, redness, swelling, and discomfort.
2. Bleeding
If bleeding occurs into the implant pocket after surgery, the implant must be surgically removed, the bleeding controlled, the wound washed out, and the implant replaced. Signs of bleeding include marked swelling, increasing pain, and bruising. This too is rare about 1-5% of the patients may experience this.
3. Capsule contracture
Hardening of the breast with distortion and sometime painful. This may require surgical incision of the fibrous scar capsule around the implant (capsulotomy) or partial or total removal of the scar capsule (capsulectomy). The implant can be immediately placed back in the new packet.
Other means of treating the contracture is replacement of a smooth implant with a textured one or placing the implant in a new pocket either under the breast or under the muscle.
4. Asymmetry
Sometimes the implant will slip out of the position in which it was initially placed and appear too high, too low, or to one side. Most of the time this requires surgical repair.
5. Clarity during Mammography
The implant will block some areas of the breast from being visualized on mammography. This is usually less if the implant is placed under the muscle.
Because breast implants might affect the clarity of the mammogram, patients who have multiple close family members with breast cancer probably should not have breast implants.
6. Autoimmune Disease
With all the confusion in the newspaper, magazines and on the T.V. or radio, there has been a fear that silicone implants may cause autoimmune disease. At this time there is no scientific evidence that silicone causes autoimmune disease.
7. Cancer
There is no evidence that silicone implants cause cancer.
8. Deflation
An implant may leak from weakness in the patch or valve area, a hole from incomplete inflation, or other factors. The more modern saline implants have been estimated to leak in 1-5% of cases.
FINAL RESULTS
Most patients are extremely happy with their decision to undergo breast augmentation. There is a certain amount of increased self esteem and self confidence as an outcome of the surgery.
The patient who desires augmentation should not be influenced by family or friends as to whether or not the surgery should be performed and what size is most desirable. This is a very personal matter to most patients and satisfaction is best when the patient makes the decisions.
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