Posts Tagged ‘breast augmentation’
Saturday, May 28th, 2011
Q: I am going to get a breast augmentation next month. I am 23 years old. My plastic surgeon never mentioned or suggested about getting a mammogram before surgery. I have read that some plastic surgeons require it while others do not. What is your recommendation?
A: Whether a mammogram is needed before breast augmentation has no uniform answer. Every plastic surgeon has a different perspective on this issue. My practice is to not get a mammogram under the age of 35 unless there is a family history of breast cancer or a history of breast problems such as cysts or fibromas. While breast cancer does rarely occur in younger patients, the statistical likelihood of a young patient having it is so low that I do not feel that the extra expense and radiation exposure justifies the effort. After age 35, I follow the recommendations of the American Cancer Society in regards to a baseline mammogram and subsequent studies. Some plastic surgeons routinuely get mammograms regardless of age before breast augmentation and this is a perfectly valid approach as well. You need to discuss this issue with your plastic surgeon and reach a mutually acceptable approach to the need for this presurgical breast screening study.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Tags: breast augmentation, dr barry eppley, indianapolis, mammograms before breast implants
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Monday, April 18th, 2011
Q: I would like to know some information for breast augmentation. Specifically I need to know about the recovery time as well as any long term problems associated with breast implants.
A: Depending upon what kind of work you do affects recovery time after breast augmentation. For a less active sit-down occupation, one could return to work with 5 to 7 days. For more physical or strenuous activities, it may take 10 to 14 days until one is completely comfortable with those efforts. There are no restrictions after surgery other than one’s level of comfort. I place my patients on range of motion arm exercises beginning the first night after surgery. The more and the sooner you move your pectoralis muscles, the quicker you will recover and feel better. Breast augmentation is essentially two big pulled muscles. Like rehabilitation from any muscular injury, early active range of motion is important.
While breast augmentation is exposed to all of the traditional risks of surgery (infection, bleeding), those risks are relatively small. The biggest concept to grasp about breast augmentation is that it is an implant-driven operation…meaning that most of the risks long-term are related to having an implant. One has to recognize that the implant is not going to last forever, they will eventually ‘fail’ and need to be replaced. This is not a maybe, it is a certainty. It in just a question of when it will occur. On average, many patients experience 10 to 20 years of use before replacwmwnt of one or both becomes necessary. So one needs to bear in mind that all breast augmentation patients will over their lifetime have more than just the initial placement surgery.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis Indiana
Tags: breast augmentation, dr barry eppley, indianapolis, long-term risks of breast implants, plastic surgery of the breasts
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Sunday, March 13th, 2011
Q: Dr Eppley I am currently in Iraq and my wife and I have been researching breast augmentation for her upon my return. She has had two children over 4 years and, as a result, has since lost much of her perkiness. She is currently 32 yrs old and is 5′ 3″ and weighs 124lbs and is a 34C. She wanting to go to a 34DD. We are currently stationed in Texas. We do not mind traveling if the price is right. If you could let me know the prices and also how long we would have to stay. We want the procedure to be done this summer but we could also wait until fall when I am on leave.
A: Thank you for your inquiry. I will have my assistant pass along the costs for breast augmentation through our Patriot Plastic Surgery program. In general, the cost is about 20% less that that of the average cost of the procedure. Several important questions to know is whether she prefers saline vs silicone implants as that has a major influence on costs of the procedure. (up to 20% in cost differential) Also with C cup breasts, having two children and having lost her perkiness, does she have any significant ptosis? (breast sagging) If she does, implants alone will not lift a breast up or move the nipples upward. Implants add volume and will only make the way her breasts look now bigger.regards. So the potential issue of a some form of breast lift may be needed although it is impossible for me to say without at least seeing some pictures of her.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Tags: breast augmentation, dr barry eppley, indianapolis, patriot plastic surgery program
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Saturday, February 5th, 2011
Q: Hi I actually live a few hours away and before I set up a consultation, there are a few questions I have. I am currently a small A cup and am wanting to go to a C cup. I was wondering how much that would be, just an estimate is fine. I know you can’t tell me exactly and also I was wondering how the payments work and what kind of insurance you take. I have Medicaid. i hope to hear from you soon. Thank you!
A: When it comes to the expense of breast augmentation, there are numerous misconceptions about that aspect of the surgery. The cost of getting breast implants is the same regardless of the size of the implant used. Cost differences in implants do exist, but it is based on the type of breast implant selected not its size. Saline implants will cost less than silicone gel as the cost of the devices from the manufacturer is different. Many patients do finance their breast surgery through outside companies such as Care Credit. Plastic surgeons do not finance the cost of the surgery for patients nor can patients make monthly payments until their breast implant surgery is paid off. Payment for the surgery must be all paid up front which is why patients acquire the necessary funds from a financing company and pay them back over time with interest. No health insurance covers breast augmentation or any breast implant surgery unless it is associated with reconstruction from breast cancer.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Tags: breast augmentation, cost of breast implant surgery, dr barry eppley, indianapolis, plastic surgery of the breast
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Sunday, January 30th, 2011
Q: I would love to have breast augmentation before my 21th birthday which is later this spring. My preferred approach would be breast augmentation with an incision through armpit area But I also considering the option of an inframammary incision using Memory gel breast implants. Which do you think would be better for me? Thank you.
A: Breast augmentation poses multiple choices for prospective patients to consider. These options are driven by implant choice which can secondarily control the placement of the necessary incision. Saline breast implants are often placed through a small armpit incision because they are inserted deflated and then inflated once into position. Silicone gel breast implants, unless they are very small, can not be placed through the ampit because they are inserted pre-filled or fully inflated. Thus, they are usually placed through a lower breast crease or inframammary fold incision.
But the incision is not the most important part of the breast augmentation procedure, the implant is. All incisions heal really well and are rarely of any secondary cosmetic consequence. Therefore, it is important to understand fully the differences between saline and silicone gel implants. While both work well and do an equally good job at making a larger breast, there are some important minor differences in them that are relevant in the long-term. This is especially pertinent to you at your young age since you will live to see them. These include such risks as implant deflation (saline) and silent rupture. (silicone) You will be replacing these implants at least once on your long remaining lifetime so understanding these differences is important to you.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Tags: breast augmentation, dr barry eppley, indianapolis, plastic surgery of the breast, saline breast implants, silicone breast implants
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Monday, January 24th, 2011
Plastic surgery, unlike some medical specialties, seems to always find its way into the news. 2010 was no exception in this regard. As a plastic surgeon, most of the items that become newsworthy were an incredible mix of the freaky, incredulous and even fantastic events.
Breasts always seem to make the news and the more freaky seems to be better. Whether it is basketball-size implants of quadruple FFFF proportions, dancers subject to IRS scrutiny trying to write off their surgery, or breast augmentation as part of a marathon makeover (aka Heidi Montag), women who seek their ten minutes of fame marr the perception of an otherwise highly successful body contouring surgery. While the real breast augmentation news this coming year will be the introduction of a new form-stable (gummy bear) implants, this will likely be overshadowed by the media’s never-ending focus on celebrities, their breasts and Hollywood’s version of silicone valley.
There is always the continued incredulous news of patients suffering complications and even death at the hands of so-called cosmetic surgeons. This seems to be most evidenced with liposuction, largely due to its popularity and the larger body surface areas that it treats. There is an obvious difference in the size of the trauma to the body from abdominal and thigh liposuction from that of a nosejob or eyelid surgery for example. Liposuction attracts a large number of inexperienced and often unscrupulous practitioners because of the relative ‘simplicity’ of the procedure and easy access to new liposuction devices. It only takes a medical license and a credit card to buy the newer laser liposuction machines. Equipment manufacturers are more interested in sales than safety as evidenced by their marketing and selling behavior. Patients died last year from one coast to the other at the hands of doctors with dubious credentials. The public would think that better regulations would exist but they would be wrong. Doing your homework is your best protection.
Botox continues to show its fantastic benefits and those are not only in those worried about their frown lines or crow’s feet. Last year Botox was approved by the FDA for the treatment of migraines. For some migraine sufferers, Botox injections can be a miracle even if its effects are only temporary. The benefits of Botox have translated into an actual migraine surgery procedure developed by plastic surgeons. If Botox injections relieve one’s migraines, a relatively simple muscular decompression around the nerve trigger points can provide a more permanent amelioration of one’s migraine pain and frequency of attacks. It’s a rare example of a cosmetic treatment turning into a really useful medical or reconstructive surgery, usually that works in reverse.
One other piece of fantastic plastic surgery news from last year has been the emergence of face transplants. While once thought impossible and something more akin to a movie or science fiction, more and more partial or complete face transplants are being done around the world. While the patients who need them are last resort problems of massive facial deformities and tissue loss, that is the history also of all organ transplants which are commonplace today. From the extreme technical advances of today come spinoffs that will benefit many more facial reconstruction patients in the future.
No telling what this coming year will bring, but if past history is any predictor of future events, plastic surgery will continue to make the headlines…let us hope it is largely in the fantastic category.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Tags: botox, breast augmentation, dr barry eppley, face transplants, indianapolis, liposuction, plastic surgery
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Wednesday, January 19th, 2011
Q: I have had two babies in three years and have lost nearly 50 lbs through an aggressive diet and execise program. While I have defnitely seen some body changes, I am not happy with the way my breasts and stomach look. I thought with all of this working out that my stomach would look better. I have loose skin and stretch amrks around my belly buttonm and my breasts droop and are floppy. I have read about a plastic surgery procedure called the Mommy Makeover. What is sone in this procedure and can it be done all in one surgery. I am worried about recovery time and getting back into the gym for my workouts. Thanks!
A: The Mommy Makeover has become a popular plastic surgery procedure amongst mothers between the ages of around 25 to 45, although it can be done at any age. It has gotten this catchy name because the procedures involved help reverse the effects that pregnancy has ravaged on a woman’s body. These procedures have been commonly done for many decades so they are not new. They have just been put together and ‘packaged’ for this specific set of female body problems, that being the breasts and the stomach areas. Breasts frequently have lost volume (deflated) and sag and the tummy has loose skin and stretch marks. The combination of breast reshaping (implants with or without a lift) and some form of a tummy tuck (with or without liposuction) is the backbone of a Mommy Makeover. They are almost always done together if a patient’s economics permits. While this combination of a breast augmentation and tummy tuck will have a dramatic change on one’s body, you must tone down the concern about getting back to working out as soon as possible. This is a setup for after surgery problems. It is understandable that you have an addiction to working out as you would not have gotten this far without doing so. But that same addiction, which you think is good, is not so good after this kind of surgery. You must mentally plan on 6 weeks before getting back to working out like you are now. Remember that in a span of a few hours you are going to make changes that you can’t do by working out for the rest of your life. The risk is not worth it for a few extra workouts that, in the big picture, will gain you nothing.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis Indiana
Tags: breast augmentation, dr barry eppley, indianapolis, mommy makeover, plastic surgery, tummy tuck
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Monday, November 29th, 2010
Q: I am interested in getting a breast augmentation but also have concerns about my nose. I think a rhinoplasty would almost help me as much as the breast augmentation in both appearance and my self-confidence. My questions is can I do them at the same time and is there any discount on getting more than one surgery at the same time?
A: Multiple operations during a single plastic surgery encounter is very common. Since one is going to be asleep under general anesthesia, it just makes sense to do as much as is medically safe and reasonable from a recovery standpoint. I have seen all sorts of different types of plastic surgery procedures put together and there really is no limitation as to what can be combined. The only limitation is whether the plastic surgeon feels comfortable doing all that the patient needs…and that the patient is healthy and can tolerate the surgery.
Breast augmentation is a relatively short operation, generally an hour or so, while rhinoplasty can take two or three hours to do depending on what type of rhinoplasty it is. These two operations combined are well within a safe operative time period of 3 or 4 hours and can even be done as an outpatient. I have performed these two plastic surgery procedures together more than one time. Younger women are exactly the type of patient who would commonly have one or both of these cosmetic concerns.
Any time multiple cosmetic procedures are combined, there is some economy to be had in both recovery and costs.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Tags: breast augmentation, dr barry eppley, indianapolis, plastic surgery, rhinoplasty
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Wednesday, November 24th, 2010
Q: I am considering breast augmentation but am just insure about what size to go to. I have been an A cup all my life and have no real idea what would like right on me. Do you have any suggestions to offer in choosing size?
A: When it comes to breast size, beauty is truly in the eyes of the beholder. While there are certainly trends in each culture that reflect the ‘average breast size’, that has little to do quite frankly with what you want for yourself and how you want to look.
Breasts should be proportionate to a woman’s body frame and build. The historic concept of 36-24-36 inches, though quite exaggerated, basically refers to breast size being equal to the hips, with a significant narrower waist in between. This creates that classic hourglass figure but that may not be right for everyone and probably is more uncommon than common.
It is important to consider a woman’s body build in determining the most suitable breast size because if one’s arms or tummy is bulky then the breasts will have to be bigger to give the right profile. In thinner women smaller sized breasts will give the same look of fullness in the breasts.
With all of that being said, the one single parameter that seems to work for most patients is to choose a breast size (implant) whose base width matches the natural base width of your breast. This is a simple horizontal measurement. As breast implants increase in diameter as they get bigger, having an implant that is no wider than your natural breast will never give one a final breast size that is too big. (which is the most common fear of most breast augmentation patients before surgery.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis Indiana
Tags: breast augmentation, choosing implant size in breast augmentation, dr barry eppley, indianapolis, plastic surgery
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Saturday, October 16th, 2010
Q: Hi there. I read your blog about rippling in implants. I had breast implants 10 years ago and over the last few years I have noted rippling. I am not sure if I had saline implants or silicone but I want to know if it is possible to inject more saline or silicone into the implant to rectify this problem.
A: The physical characteristic of rippling in saline breast implants is quite normal. Not every women will feel the rippling unless they had scant breast tissue prior to their augmentation. It will always be felt on the side of the breast where the tissue is the thinnest. While most plastic surgeons overfill saline breast implants to lessen rippling, it inevitably occurs over time as the containment bag relaxes a little. (just like a stretched rubber band) The manufacturers generally recommend that a saline implant can be filled up to about 20% over its base volume size. (e.g., a 500cc implant can be safely inflated to 600cc)
More saline can be added to the implant at a later date through a simple procedure. This can help decrease the amount of rippling. But one has to be careful to not place too much volume as the implant can get a very hard feel which is quite unnatural.
Silicone implants generally have little to no rippling as they do not contain a liquid filler but a gel material. This reacts with the containment bag differently as is not prone to the same amount of rippling as that of saline implants.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis Indiana
Tags: breast augmentation, dr barry eppley, indianapolis, plastic surgery, saline breast implant rippling
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