Breast Surgery

One thing breast surgery do is breast augmentation. It can fulfill your desire for fuller breasts or to restore breast volume lost. Breast augmentation was first performed in the early 1960’s and may be the answer for women who feel their breasts are too small. There are several approaches to this procedure but it essentially involves inserting an implant which may be of varying shapes or contours and of various materials either in front of or behind the breast tissue. The final choice will be based on a number of factors to find the shape that is best for you.

A woman’s decision to have breast augmentation surgery is a highly individual one and every woman will have a different perception of what constitutes the perfect shape. Your idea of the perfect result may be different to that of your friends, your family, the magazines or even your partner.

There is also a smaller group of women who have simply ‘sagged’ and lost breast tone and volume following pregnancy and breast-feeding who may be suitable for implant placement without necessarily undergoing a breast lift.

As a rule it is preferable for you to have reached adulthood and have stopped growing. This type of surgery is usually not performed if you are under 18 years of age.

ALL SURGERY CARRIES SOME UNCERTAINTY AND RISK

Breast augmentation although very safe carries a number of possible risks in addition to those of regular anaesthesia and surgery.

Specific risks include hardening of the breasts (“capsule formation”), changes in breast or nipple sensation, infection, excessive bleeding leading to a large clot (haematoma) forming in one or other breast which may have to be evacuated, or dissatisfaction with the results.

“Capsule contracture” is the contraction of the pocket containing the implant and is the normal response of the body to a foreign object; it is not the body ‘rejecting’ the implant. It occurs in approximately 5-10% of cases. Although certain implants and placement sites may have slightly different occurrence rates, it is very hard to predict who might have this reaction, but it is probably related to individual factors such as the degree of your tissue response to a foreign object, your genetic makeup and whether you smoke or not. It develops in varying degrees from woman to woman and generally appears within the first 6 months after surgery; however it may occur some years after surgery for no apparent reason in a very small proportion of women. Some patients may require revision surgery to remove the capsule if the breast becomes unduly hard or aesthetically unpleasing. This is a relatively simple procedure requiring a short anaesthetic and usually has minimal downtime.

Changes in nipple or breast sensation may occur after any type of breast surgery, and are not related to incision site, type of implant or site of placement. This may involve the nipple/areola or the breast itself, may result in reduced or increased sensation and may be temporary or permanent. If temporary it may take a year to resolve. The usual occurrence rate is low, probably around 5-10%, however if you feel this could be an issue for you please discuss this with us prior to your surgery.

Generally implant insertion does not interfere with breast-feeding regardless of implant placement, however again if you feel this may be an issue for you please let us know.

Infection and excessive bleeding may occur with any type of surgery and before you go home we will give you advice on what to look for and how to monitor your surgical sites after this particular procedure.

PLANNING YOUR SURGERY

You will be thoroughly assessed by our surgical team with regard to your expectations of breast implant surgery and what we think will give you the most pleasing outcome.

At your initial consultation we will assess your breast shape and size, the shape and size of your chest wall, the amount of breast tissue you already have, and your overall body proportions. We may take some photographs for future reference at this stage.

Once we have an idea of your expectations we will then discuss the type and size of implant we think would be best for you, which incision we will use and where we will place the implant.

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