The most alluring, graceful, attractive thing about a female figure is its curves. And women themselves consider the ideal body, exactly the way they see it, to be the source of their pride and value.
Perhaps for the first time in history, a modern woman can afford to get the body she wants. And also thanks to plastic surgery. A woman's bust is the part of the body that women would like to see ideal above all. And mammoplasty or mammoplasty can help them with this.
Mammoplasty is a type of surgical intervention in the field of plastic surgery, the purpose of which is to correct the shape and/or size of the mammary glands. Often, to achieve results, a special endoprosthesis (silicone implant) is placed under the gland or under the pectoral muscle, if this is the patient’s desire.
Mammoplasty today is one of the most common operations among women in the field of aesthetic medicine. It is aimed at eliminating conditions such as micromastia (insufficient volume of the mammary gland) or excess volume (macromastia), tubular breasts, asymmetry or ptosis of the mammary glands, conditions after lactation, mastectomy, massive weight loss, and age-related changes. Breast enlargement with silicone implants is one of the most common requests from patients to plastic surgeons.
Types of mammoplasty
Mammoplasty is divided into three types depending on the purpose.
Augmentation mammoplasty (enlargement) gives a natural shape and a toned appearance. In most cases, plastic surgeons achieve results by installing silicone breast implants. With its help, you can add volume to your breasts and give them beautiful shapes while maintaining their lactation function (the ability to produce milk).
Augmentation mammoplasty is divided according to the type of access to the gland through an incision. There are three of them practiced today:
- Axillary access - from the armpit
- Areolar - along the lower or upper edge of the areola
- Inframammary – in the area of the inframammary fold.
The type of access is selected by the surgeon individually for each patient, depending on the purpose, tissue condition, desired shape, bust size, and so on.
Reduction mammoplasty is a reduction in breast size; the plastic surgeon removes excess skin, glandular and fatty tissue and performs a lift. This allows you to restore the elasticity and aesthetic appearance of the bust, adjust the shape of the nipples and the size of the areolas.
Mastopexy – breast lift. It is often performed in conjunction with augmentation or reduction mammoplasty. With isolated mastopexy, a skin tightening is performed, sometimes using maneuvers to move the glandular tissue and fix it in a higher position, as an alternative to an implant, thus correcting the shape and volume of the breast, but often during the lifting the same silicone implants are used aswith augmentation mammoplasty.
Breast implants and their shapes
Modern breast implants or implants undergo many tests and studies before they are certified and reach the end user.
They are recognized as absolutely hypoallergenic, biologically compatible with human tissue and safe to use. The risk of rejection is reduced to zero; they do not affect the quality of lactation or the course of a woman’s pregnancy.
According to their shape, implants are divided into round and anatomical (drop-shaped). Their surface can be smooth or microtextured. They are created from certified hypoallergenic medical silicone. There are several leading global manufacturers. In a modern clinic, surgeons work with high-quality implants from various well-known companies.
A plastic surgeon will help you select an implant that is suitable in shape and size during a mandatory consultation, which precedes the surgical intervention itself.
Indications for mammoplasty
Indications for mammoplasty will be:
- ptosis as a result of age-related changes, breastfeeding, sudden weight loss
- tubular breast
- asymmetry of the mammary glands
- macromastia – very large breasts that cause physical discomfort. This can provoke poor posture, back pain, interfere with exercise and sleep, excessive sweating in the area of the inframammary fold causes moral suffering and greatly lowers a woman’s self-esteem
- micromastia – insufficient volume
- conditions, defects after mastectomy
- the patient’s personal desire to enlarge or change the shape of the breast/areola/nipple in the absence of contraindications to such surgery
Contraindications to mammoplasty
Contraindications include:
- oncology before cure and permission from the oncologist
- dynamically growing neoplasms before cure
- diabetes mellitus in the stage of decompensation
- serious blood diseases associated with blood clotting
- epilepsy
- diseases for which general anesthesia is contraindicated
- HIV, hepatitis B and C
- serious mental disorders, in particular schizophrenia
- Chronic diseases in the acute stage
- age up to 18 years
- serious renal dysfunction
- lupus erythematosus
- pregnancy at all stages, lactation. After the end of breastfeeding, at least 6 months must pass for the processes in the mammary glands to stop naturally
Also, the operation is not performed during menstruation due to the increased risk of bleeding.
Preparing for surgery
The first thing that happens when preparing for mammoplasty is a consultation with a plastic surgeon. He collects anamnesis, conducts an examination, and talks with the patient. If there are no previously identified contraindications to mammoplasty, then the patient is prescribed medical tests.
A general and biochemical blood test, ultrasound of the mammary glands and veins of the lower extremities will be mandatory for everyone. Additionally, the doctor may prescribe other studies or consultations with specialists. During the consultation, the doctor and the patient choose the type and size of the implant if breast augmentation is planned.
A month before the operation, you should give up alcohol and nicotine - these substances slow down tissue regeneration processes, healing is much worse, numerous international studies confirm this. 2 weeks before the date, it is recommended to stop taking hormonal drugs, NSAIDs, aspirin, vitamins, and drugs that affect blood clotting.
Operation stages
The process of breast surgery looks like this:
- The surgeon marks the lines along which the incisions will be made with a special marker
- Then the surgery itself begins, with or without the installation of implants.
- If it is mastopexy or reduction mammoplasty, then during the operation excess tissue is excised. If this is breast augmentation, then pre-selected silicone implants are installed during the operation.
- Self-absorbing sutures are applied and that's all
Recommendations after the procedure
Perhaps the most important recommendation is to follow your doctor's recommendations.
The following should be highlighted in general:
- Expect to spend at least one night in the hospital. On the first day, it is better to entrust yourself to medical specialists who will be nearby
- wearing compression garments. This is a mandatory condition - without it, the risk of complications increases significantly
- You will need to visit the clinic regularly for examinations during the first 7-10 days. Your attending physician will provide you with a schedule of visits. Further visits to clinics depend on the specifics of rehabilitation
During the rehabilitation period of 1 month, it is not recommended to engage in sports; you can only sleep on your back. It is undesirable to drive a car, as seat belts exert a compression load. You should also avoid visiting solariums, saunas, baths and swimming pools in the immediate postoperative period. Alcohol and smoking are not recommended.
Several myths about mammoplasty
- Implants affect breastfeeding. There may be no or little milk.
Not true. Modern implants have absolutely no effect on lactation and are safe for both mother and baby. They are installed under the muscle or under the mammary gland without disturbing its physiology, including the ducts. - There are safe folk or pharmaceutical remedies for breast enlargement, and they are effective.
No. To date, such non-invasive/folk methods with proven at least some effectiveness do not exist. And there may be health risks, but they are usually not warned about. - Over time, the breasts will retract again and another operation will be required.
Gravity and age-related changes affect breasts with implants equally as those without. Manufacturers provide a lifetime warranty on the implants themselves, which means that as long as they are installed, nothing can happen to them. But does this mean that a second operation will not be required? – no it doesn’t mean. Breasts will not look the same as after surgery forever, and after 15-20 years, minor correction may be required. There are many reasons for this: weight gain, pregnancy, lactation, capsular contracture, ptosis. - After the operation there will be scars that do not resolve.
Not really. No scar can completely resolve, it exists and remains after any operation, the question is how noticeable it is. The quality of the scar is affected by many factors, such as genetics, immunity, the course of the postoperative period, and whether the surgeon sutured the wound correctly. Scars can be corrected using cosmetic methods (laser, collagen therapy, etc. ) in the same way as on any surface with thin dermis - face, neck, abdomen. And if you follow all the doctor’s recommendations during the postoperative period, the tissue will scar correctly, without occupying a significant area. As a last resort, an unsatisfactory scar can always be corrected surgically. - The breasts will lose sensitivity after surgery.
After the manipulation, breast sensitivity is indeed reduced - this is due to numerous processes, trauma to sensitive branches, and postoperative swelling. At the end of the rehabilitation period, in most cases, sensitivity returns.
Prices for mammoplasty
Prices for mammoplasty vary depending on the rating of the clinic, the qualifications and experience of the doctor, and the type of implants. The price is also affected by the options that are included in the package: hospital stay, compression garments, postoperative support, dressings with consumables.
For example, if only a breast lift is performed without installing implants, the price for mastopexy starts from 250, 000 rubles.
If a breast lift involves the use of implants, then the price of the operation will start from 270, 000 rubles and above.
On average, a breast lift surgery together with an implant and postoperative support costs the patient 270, 000 rubles – 350, 000 rubles.
Conclusion
Today, plastic surgery is successfully gaining momentum in our country and becoming accessible. More and more women, whose breasts have undergone age-related hormonal changes, suffered after a mastectomy, or initially did not correspond to the ideal of a housewife, are deciding and getting the breasts of their dreams thanks to plastic surgery.
Mammoplasty is a plastic surgery during which the shape and size of the breast is corrected. Most often, an increase in breast size, areola size and breast lift are performed during any of the three types of mammoplasty, thereby achieving exactly the result that the patient wants to have. Modern implants are safe and consist of hypoallergenic silicone, moreover, they are approved by the FDA (Agency of the Department of Health and Human Services). Performed by an experienced, high-quality surgeon, mammoplasty is a way to have the bust of your dreams, the subject of compliments and joy for many years.