July 01, 2009 | Blog
3 minute read
Breast Augmentation 101
Every day I hear from one of my patients that they don’t understand why their breasts look the way that they do. They ask “Why am I droopy?”, ” I’m so young is this normal?”, ” I didn’t even have kids yet, why do I look like this?”, ” Did breast feeding do this to my breasts?”, ” Will they get worse with age?”, ” What is the right time to “fix” my breasts?” And most commonly.”Am I normal???”.
The answer is yes…you are normal. The female breast is one of the most variable anatomic structures. In some reports, up to 80% of women have uneven breasts. The differences can be size, shape, projection or many other variables. Sometimes one breast develops normally and the other one only develops slightly or asymmetrically. There are breasts that develop as a “tuberous” breast. This just means that there is a constriction or tube like breast. The tuberous breast can be on just one side or bilateral. Women often come into my office very upset about the way their breasts are shaped. They are embarrassed by the breast asymmetry, size or shape. Well, there are ways to correct the uneven, or poorly shaped breasts.
Cosmetic breast surgery can be divided into several components including; breast augmentation, breast lifts, breast reductions, or a combination of these techniques. Often uneven breasts can be simply corrected with breast implants alone. If there is significant “droop” to the breast or “tube like” breast then a breast lift will be mostly helpful (usually with a implant at the same time). An implant can be used to enhance ones’ size or shape. Sometimes, just a small implant can correct shape or asymmetry problems. A breast lift, also called a mastopexy, can lift the breast and give a rejuvenated appearance to the droopy breast. This can be used for those patients who developed a droop to the breast either after pregnancy, weight loss, or as a result of congenital “sag”. Finally, a breast reduction procedure can be used to reduce the size of the breast and lift the breast at the same time. Breast reductions can be performed on patients who are older than 16 years old, and have stopped breast development.
The majority of breast procedures can be performed in the office’s ambulatory surgical center with only a couple of days off from work. In most cases, there is only minimal discomfort and patients can go back to the gym in about three or four weeks.
Overall, there are many options for making the breasts larger, smaller or more up-lifted. The procedures are easier than ever to perform and recover from, and with the newest implants and techniques you will see very positive results.
Stephen T. Greenberg, M.D., F.A.C.S is a Board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in cosmetic surgery. He is the director of New York’s Premier Center for Plastic Surgery with offices in Woodbury and Manhattan. For a complimentary consultation, call 516-364-4200. If you have a question for Dr. Greenberg, please e-mail him or listen to his radio show on Saturday nights at 10 PM on WKJY (98.3 FM).