What you should know about cosmetic breast surgery:
Cosmetic breast surgery can involve different procedures like
breast augmentations, breast lifts or breast reductions. This article
looks at the second kind of surgery, which is formally known as
mastopexy.
This kind of cosmetic breast surgery is done to reduce the extent
to which the breasts sag. Many women find that as they age or after
they breastfeed, their breasts tend to sag. This droop of the breasts
is called breast ptosis. Mastopexy aims to reduce the degree of
ptosis.
Some women choose to do mastopexy alone. Others combine this cosmetic
breast surgery with breast augmentation, where implants are inserted
into the breasts to resize them.
Breast shape generally depends on three factors - the skin covering
the breasts, the connective tissue and the volume of the breasts.
Mastopexy procedures achieve results by changing the shape of the
skin, modifying the connective tissue or increasing breast volume
by using implants.
Before deciding to perform a breast lift operation, the doctor will
do a complete physical examination to confirm that the patient does
not have any medical condition that can make mastopexy unsafe for
her. The presence of diseases like breast cancer will usually rule
out doing a breast lift.
There are two types of mastopexy operations - full breast lifts
and modified breast lifts.
The former involves making incisions around the areola, along the
crease line underneath the breasts and another incision at the base.
The last is shaped like an anchor and is therefore called an anchor
incision. A full breast lift is a comprehensive procedure that allows
the surgeon to maximize the change that can be made. He is able
to elevate the position of the nipples and shape the breasts better.
Minimizing scars is an important part of all cosmetic breast surgery.
The above operation leaves three distinct scars on the breasts.
The scar around the areola is the most prominent of the three, but
even that is partially obscured because the skin in the region tends
to be darker than on the rest of the breast. The second scar from
the areola to the crease is generally not visible because it is
underneath the breasts. And the third scar along the crease line
is hidden below the breasts.
A modified mastopexy is sometimes done with comparatively fewer
incisions. It usually involves only an incision around the areola
of the breasts. This type of surgery is called concentric mastopexy.
This procedure has the advantage of minimizing scars. However, because
there is only one incision involved, the changes to breast shape
that can be brought about are also limited compared to what is possible
using the full procedure. This limitation can be overcome by combining
mastopexy with breast augmentation to achieve the desired shape.
Another drawback is that the scar tends to stretch, which can cause
problems. Also, this procedure tends to make the breasts somewhat
flatter, which can be a serious drawback for some people.
After the surgery, a gauze will be placed around each breast. This
helps the healing process. There will usually be some pain for about
three days after the operation. There may also be some discoloring
of the breasts for a few days.
The skin and the nipples may become less sensitive for a while after
the cosmetic breast surgery. However, this is a temporary problem
and the sensations return over time.
In most cases, mastopexy will result in breasts that have a lower
degree of droop. However, gravity will take its toll and the breasts
will sag again to some extent after a few weeks. To counter this,
the surgeon may choose to make a more pronounced change than the
final result being targeted. This will compensate for the gravity-induced
sag. Overall, cosmetic breast surgery can help the woman regain
a more youthful appearance.
The average price of breast enhancement surgery is
$6,000-$8,000
