Maintaining Your Breast Augmentation Investment
Women invest emotionally, psychologically and financially to have breast augmentation surgery. When a woman decides to have implants placed, she needs to maintain her investment as in any other investment. When breast implants are placed correctly, predictably and in a safe manner such as when Dr. Linder performs implants both silicone and saline placed subpectorally (behind the muscle), with small incisions made underneath the areola so that the implants are placed in a predictable and symmetric fashion, you have the greatest chance of having reduced encapsulation and problems such as hardening, disfigurement and distortion.
When breast implants are placed behind the muscle, it does significantly reduce recurrent skin laxity and problems associated with scar tissue such as capsular contracture. Several steps can be done by the patient in order to reduce problems after the breast augmentation surgery is completed.
- Listen to all of your surgeon's postoperative instructions carefully. By reducing hematoma formation that is bleeding, this will help to reduce significant scar tissue formation in the near future.
- Keep your incisions clean and dry. By reducing risk of infection, this also will reduce risk of loss of an implant due to an abscess, as well as possible contamination of staph epidermis, which may increase risk of a breast infection.
- Once you have healed and the implants are settled to the perfect position, anywhere between four and six weeks, we allow our patients to wear underwire supportive brassieres, such as Victoria Secrete brassieres, which will help to maintain the inframammary fold and help to prevent inferior displacement of the implant. Going braless for a significant period of time can cause the weight of the implant with gravity to be pulled down, causing bottoming out and/or increased ptosis with increased skin laxity.
- Supportive brassieres at night during sleep are very important. Athletic brassieres such as sports bras, Nike, Champion, etc., will help to maintain the position of the implants and once again take the weight of the implant off of the skin.
- Our patients are told to take Vitamin E orally to reduce scar tissue as an antioxidant after they have healed.
- Tissue expansion exercises for relaxation and mobilization of the implant in the pocket is useful on a case-by-case basis. Each of our patients will be looked at as individuals, depending upon their anatomy, the soft tissue coverage and muscle thickness. Some patients may and some may not be doing tissue expansion or massaging of their breast pockets.
Physical exertion and activities which the chest wall is directly placed to the surface as in surfing and snowboarding, can increase the risk of hematoma, rupture of an implant and tear of the capsule with seroma and encapsulation. Be careful on physical activities which could cause direct blunt injury to the chest wall.
By following the above protocol, you will greatly reduce incidents of postoperative complications and problems and will help to improve your investment and improve the continued final result of your breast augmentation.
Stuart A. Linder, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a Beverly Hills plastic and reconstructive surgeon specializing in breast augmentation, liposuction, tummy tuck, and more.
Dr. Linder is certified by the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons and is a diplomate of the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
READ ARTICLE
Skin Deep Magazine
"Reasons For Reoperation:
Breast Revision Surgery"
Contributing Writer:
Dr. Stuart A. Linder,
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
January 2006
Stuart A. Linder, M.D., F.A.C.S. Beverly Hills Breast Revision Specialist
9675 Brighton Way Suite 420 - Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Phone: (310) 275-4513 - Fax: (310) 275-4813
Copyright® 2009