The short answer to this frequently posed question is, over
300,000 women annually in the United States have undergone breast enhancement
surgery. Annually collected statistics issued by The American Society of Plastic
Surgeons (acquired through surveys of its members) indicate that in 2008, over
307,000 breast augmentation procedures were performed, making breast
augmentation the most common cosmetic surgical procedure performed in the United
States. It is common to think that you can "always tell" who has had a
breast augmentation procedure, but this myth of plastic surgery is disproved on
an almost daily basis. Most patients seeking breast augmentation in our practice
are seeking results that look natural, proportionate and avoid the
"done" appearance that causes many women to shudder at the very
thought of breast enhancement.
So what separates the patient who subtly restores volume to her
breast, while maintaining a naturally aesthetic breast shape and contour from
the woman you can tell has breast implants from across the restaurant or pool?
In many cases, it is a combination of choosing the correct size, position and
TYPE of implant. Visibility of implants and palpability (the ability to feel the
implant) are two of the biggest factors that dissuade women from considering
breast augmentation. Breast implants are typically placed beneath the chest wall
muscle (pectoralis major) in part to avoid visibility and palpability, but also
to make mammographic imaging around the implant easier, and because less scar
tissue tends to form around implants under the muscle when compared to implants
placed just beneath the breast. More recently, it is the TYPE of implant that
has brought breast augmentation to the next level of obtaining natural results.
Specifically, it is the advent or reintroduction of silicone gel implants to the
market that have provided plastic surgeons with another tool they can employ on
the canvas of obtaining natural beauty.
While the constraints of this article cannot do justice to a
proper discussion of the merits and facts that surround silicone gel implants,
let us briefly summarize some facts and dispel a few myths. On November 17,
2006, the U.S Food and Drug Administration approved the silicone breast implants
of the two largest breast implant providers, placing these devices back on the
market. Unlike their older relatives, these new "generation" of
implants are "cohesive devices" with much lower failure rates and
which do not leak or "deflate" in the traditional sense. This property
has caused many physicians and patients alike to errantly refer to these devices
as a "gummy bear implant" due to their gummy consistency when cut in
half and inspected. This quality imparts a much more natural feel and appearance
(fewer visible edges and ripples) to silicone breast implants when compared to
saline implants. The health concerns related to silicone implants have been
widely studied in large epidemiologic comprehensive reviews spanning almost a
decade (1998-2007). Each of these studies has reached the same conclusion that
there is "no credible association between silicone breast implants and
either well defined connective tissue disorders (i.e. Rheumatoid Arthritis,
Lupus) or undefined atypical connective tissue diseases to date". (Plast.
Reconstr. Surg. 120 (Suppl. 1): 62S, 2007)
Ultimately, the choice of implant type is a deeply personal
decision and there is no single correct implant for every woman. It is the
combination of implant type, location (i.e. under the muscle), implant size and
surgical skill that affords the best opportunity to obtain a naturally beautiful
breast, restoring a lifelong paucity of breast volume or rescinding the physical
breast changes that accompany the glory of motherhood. ◊
For more information about breast enhancement surgery and our
implants, we invite you to call
Park Meadows Cosmetic Surgery at (303) 706-1100 for a
complimentary cosmetic consult.
Dr. Jeremy Williams is a board-certified plastic surgeon in the
south metro Denver area.
More information visit
www.ParkMeadowsCosmeticSurgery.com
