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If you are a woman, you may decide to undergo plastic surgery to enlarge or reduce your breasts, to achieve a balance in size or shape, or to reconstruct one or both breasts after cancer surgery. If you are a man, you may wish to have plastic surgery to reduce or remove unnatural breast enlargement. Whatever the motivation, breast surgery is safer and easier with smaller incisions and faster recovery now more than ever before. Please review the list of services we provide to help you make an informed decision and achieve the most satisfying results.
Breast Augmentation - Breast Lift - Breast Reduction - Breast Reconstruction - Male Breast Reduction
We can give you the breasts you desire with one of the most frequently performed cosmetic surgery procedures in the US. If your breasts are small or unevenly sized, an implant can provide you with a fuller, firmer, better-proportioned look. Our goal is to provide natural looking breasts that are proportional to your body, look great in clothes and swimwear and are undetectable as surgically enhanced, unless you desire otherwise. Another goal is to return you to normal activities as quickly as possible, usually by the next day. You may elect to undergo breast augmentation for many different medical and aesthetic motivations, including balancing breast size and compensating for reduced breast mass after pregnancy or surgery. Breast enlargement may need to be combined with another procedure such as a breast lift for more satisfying results. We can only determine this with an examination and discussion of your desires about how much enlargement you wish.
Implants today come in many choices. All are silicone shells filled with either saline (salt water) or cohesive Silicone gel. Silicone implants were again released for use in augmentation in November 2006 after being available only as part of an extensive study protocol for 14 years that proved their safety. Dr. Buchanan was among the first surgeons approved after their re-release to use them for augmentation. He participated in the post release studies again confirming their safety. Another option is texturing of the implant surface. Textured implants are harder to use, but significantly modify the body’s scar response. This reduces the rate of capsular contracture (tightening of the scar around the implant making it feel hard), one of the problems with implants. A further option is the shape of the implant. They come in either round or anatomic shapes. The anatomic implant has a more gentle upward slope, just like a natural breast. The anatomic implant also comes in tall or wide forms, and the round implant comes in several projections. All this allows Dr. Buchanan to custom fit your body with the implant that will give you the look you desire. In order to choose the proper implant for you, we measure your body and select a range of different implants that will fit you without risking significant postoperative problems. We then narrow the choices by discussing what your desires are; how big you want to be; what shape you like, etc. This allows us to select the implant that fits your needs and desires. This also reduces the risk of you being unhappy with your final size.
The procedure lasts about two hours under light general anesthesia as an outpatient. We use this anesthesia because it is, in our opinion, the safest, and you awaken faster with fewer side effects, such as nausea. With this type anesthesia and the technique we use to place the implant, we get many women back to many activities within just a few hours of surgery. We choose the incision based on the implant used and cosmetic concerns. The incision around the inferior edge of the areola (the colored area around the nipple) generally hides best, since it is at the junction with two different colored skins. The eye usually sees the change in color and not the scar. With the new Silicone implants, the area under the areola may not be large enough to get the implant in without risk of injury to the implant. (Research has demonstrated that injury from forceful insertion is one of the leading causes of late implant rupture.) Neither approach will affect the sensation, since no more nerve fibers are cut by either incision. Most sensory loss generally returns in about a year, and most of the residual loss is due to the size of the implant, and, thus the amount of dissection necessary. We generally prefer placement of the implant underneath your breast tissue rather than under the chest wall muscle. Placement above the muscle usually provides a faster recovery with less pain, prevents some displacement, does not cause your breast to move when you move your arms, and may reduce deflation.
The procedure generally increases the bust line by several cup sizes, depending on your desires. If you have preexisting asymmetry, we use different sized implants on each side to provide balance after surgery. You will generally have only minimal discomfort and should be able to return to most light activities and work within one to two days. Most people require only Tylenol® after the second day. On the day after surgery, you can shower and change into a sports bra. You can return to sporting activities by 2-3 weeks. There will be some tapes on the incision that will come off by themselves in 7-14 days. There are no sutures to remove. We use a deep, dissolvable stitch that is absorbed in about 6 months. This helps assure that the scar is as invisible as possible.
Although there are many things that can go wrong with Breast Augmentation, we do everything we can to reduce the risks as much as possible. Some of the risks include implant displacement, capsular contracture (scar causing the implant to feel firm), infection sometimes requiring removal of the implant, rippling (an occurrence even in natural breasts), asymmetry, blood or serum accumulation requiring drainage, rupture of the outer shell (you go flat with saline implants as the saline is absorbed; with silicone implants, the only way to tell is with an MRI X-Ray), and disappointment in size or appearance. We reduce these by how we choose the proper implant, the care we take in inserting the implant and rinsing the implant in an antibiotic solution. Most other risks are those associated with any surgery. We reduce these by the care we take in preparing you for surgery and specific prophylactic measures, such as anti-embolism stockings during surgery.
In spite of the possible risks, we believe this is an exceedingly safe operation that can provide you excellent satisfaction.
For more information click www.BreastImplantSafety.org
For more information click www.natrelle.com
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A breast lift, or mastopexy, can return a youthful, perkier, more aesthetically pleasing shape and lift to your breasts if they have sagged because of weight loss, pregnancy, loss of the skin's natural elasticity or simply the effects of gravity. The procedure can also reduce areolar size (the dark skin surrounding the nipple), and it can be combined with breast augmentation (enlargement) for added breast volume and firmness, or with reduction of one or both sides to make your two sides even. Usually, however, the only thing removed is a small amount of skin, and not any breast tissue. You will, therefore, generally remain the exact size you were before the procedure, just perkier. We can lift any size breasts, but results last longest when they are originally small to average and sagging. The amount of your droop and other individual factors determine the method used, and, thus, the resultant scar. We do try to limit your scar as much as we can. Occasionally, with minimal droop, and, especially if you wish to be larger, this can be only the area under or around the areolae (the dark areas around the nipples).For most people, we are able to limit the scar to around the areolae and down to the inframammary creases under the breasts. We usually perform mastopexy in the hospital, as an outpatient under light general anesthesia, in about 3 hours. You can generally return to most normal light activities within a day or two.
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Large breasts may cause you both physical and mental discomfort. The size and weight of large breasts can result in self-consciousness, improper posture, pain in the back and neck, indentations from bra straps, skin rashes, breathing problems and skeletal deformities. We usually perform breast reduction surgery to provide physical relief from these symptoms, but it can be done for purely cosmetic reasons if you believe your breasts are too large without any of these symptoms. No matter how it is done, the resultant breast shape is younger-appearing, perkier, and aesthetically matches the rest of your body. We do not recommend breast reduction surgery for women who intend future breastfeeding, since the procedure interrupts many of the milk ducts leading to the nipples. Performed under general anesthesia, the three to four-hour procedure removes fat and glandular tissue and trims the resultant excess skin to produce smaller, lighter breasts that are in a healthier proportion to the rest of your body. We use two different methods depending on the requirements of your breasts. We try to use the one that will provide you the least scar and best long-lasting result. Return to most normal activities usually takes less than a week.
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Modern surgical technology makes it possible to construct a natural-looking breast after partial or complete mastectomy (breast removal) for cancer or other diseases. The procedure is commonly started and sometimes completed immediately following mastectomy, so that you wake with a new breast mound instead of no breast at all. Alternatively, reconstruction may begin years after mastectomy. Many insurance companies cover reconstruction following breast cancer surgery. There are several ways to reconstruct the breast, both with and without implants depending on your desires and the demands of your tissues. If you have not yet had the breast removal, we work together with your breast surgeon to decide which method is best for you. Chemotherapy or radiation treatment will also affect which method we use and the timing. Breast reconstruction does not affect the recurrence of cancer or other diseases.
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Although rarely discussed, enlargement of the male breasts is a common condition. Gynecomastia affects approximately 40 to 60 percent of men. There is no specific cause found for most gynecomastia, although there is occasionally some correlation with various drugs or medical conditions.
Men who feel self-conscious about their appearance are helped with breast reduction surgery. The procedure removes fat and/or glandular tissue from the breasts, and in extreme cases, removes excess skin, resulting in a contoured chest that is flatter and firmer.
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