Breast Enhancement The Woodlands
In the US alone, over 380,000 women undergo breast augmentation yearly. There was a time when implants were considered dangerous, especially those made of silicone. Furthermore, there is a whole natural trend these days. People are leaning towards more natural or organic products. This is why medicine and researchers have been trying to find better materials to produce implants, but also some alternative method to enhance a woman’s breasts apart from the classic augmentation with implants.
Until now, there are only two possible procedures known to be able to efficiently augment your breasts: via fat grafting or implants.
Pros and cons of fat grafting for breast augmentation
This new procedure started to be used recently for breast enlargement. Until some years ago, fat grafting was mainly used to correct asymmetry or during revision surgery for incorrect implant surgeries. It has been studied extensively since then, and now it is a procedure that can augment the breasts of a woman.
This procedure consists of two parts: first, liposuction through which the fat is extracted from a part of your body, and then injected in the breasts for enhancement. The part of your body selected for liposuction will very much depend on your body structure and weight, but this is usually the belly, thighs or butt. Between the two steps, there is an intermediary part in which the harvested fat is filtered to remove impurities and any other components. Both steps can be done on the same day. Fat is collected and then injected using a syringe called a cannula. Fat is slowly injected in the breast through the inframammary fold.
The surgeon must be very careful with the way he injects the breasts, and this needs to be done in layers. The best results are obtained by previous use of a special device called BRAVA. Patients are given a bra-like device that they need to use for a period of three to five weeks before the surgery and then one week after. It uses a vacuum light pressure on the breast in order to expand the tissue. The survival rate of fat cells after being injected in the breasts is 80% if this device is used, in comparison with 55% if it is not used prior to the surgery.
This last part, the necessity of using a device at home for better success might fall under the cons category since this could be a cumbersome task. It is a device you will need to use for 10 to 12 hours a day, and in the days leading to the surgery, you will have to use it all the time except for when you are bathing. Your commitment needs to be high, so if you are not convinced this is for you, you better choose the implants.
Fat grafting can enhance your breast size by one cup at the most. If you want to have a bigger size, then this is not the method for you. Another downside is that the fat injected might be absorbed by your body in a rather short time. This might lead to additional injections several times. This procedure presents the risk of fat calcifications and might interfere in future breast cancer screenings. Another risk will be the possible appearance of nodules and/or lumps in the breasts or irregularities at the site where the fat was harvested from.
On the other end of the scale are the pros, which includes probably the main advantage of this procedure: the most natural way to enhance your breasts. Fat is not only a part of your body and a natural component of your breasts, but it is extracted from your body so it is part of you; it has your cells and specific markers. There are people whose bodies might reject foreign objects or develop a protection reaction called an allergy. But if you inject a body component, then these risks are non-existent.
Another important thing to remember regarding this procedure is that it is practically scar-free. Liposuction is done by using a special syringe and so is the fat injection into your breasts. Recovery is very quick, and you might experience only some pain and swelling for a few days, but other than that you will be able to resume your daily activities in just a few days. With autologous fat transfer, there is no risk of rippling, a risk usually associated with implants. Fat adheres to your breast, so there is no rippling possible.
Apart from being less invasive than breast enhancement The Woodlands with implants, fat grafting offers an important advantage of contouring your body by taking fat from places like the tummy or the butt and place it in the breasts so that your body will become more proportional and sculpted.
Pros and cons of Breast Enhancement The Woodlands with implants
This procedure is the classic way to enlarge your breasts. Implants, which are medical devices, are placed inside a breast pocket and thus they augment its size. This is surgery and supposes the use of a scalpel and general anesthesia. The surgeon will make an incision, create a breast pocket by separating skin and muscle, and insert the implant in this pocket then suture the incision. Implants might be saline or silicone, both having the same silicone shell, but containing different fillers. The saline one is filled with sterile saline water, and the silicone one is filled with a cohesive silicone compound. The incision might be made in various places: in the armpit (intra-axillary), in the crease below the breast (inframammary), around the areola (peri-areolar) or around the belly button (transumbilical). Also, the implant can be placed above the chest muscle (subglandular) or below it (sub-muscular). Each technique has its advantages and disadvantages, but they all aim to get the same result.
One of the main advantages of this procedure is the extremely large range of sizes for implants. According to your doctor’s recommendations and your desire, you can get any breast size, from very small to very large. There are over 100 sizes for implants. These are measured in CC (cubic centimeters), not cups, therefore there are slight differences in size between many of them, and this allows you to choose the best for you. Plastic surgeons will provide you with sizers and sometimes even 3D imaging; thus, you will be able to not only choose a size but visualize it on you.
Implants are also a more reliable way for Breast Enhancement The Woodlands, the reason being that an implant cannot be absorbed by your body; it is something added. The breast will change over time, but not as much as a natural one.
A fuller appearance and a catchier cleavage might be obtained only by using implants. This is because with implants the surgeon has some kind of control over the size, shape and the way he positions the implant. With fat transfer, this could be hardly predicted, since no one can say how the body will absorb the added fat. Today’s implants are reliable devices; they have a very natural look and feel. Moreover, if you need a breast lift together with your augmentation, then this can only be done with implants.
Implants pose some risks as well. Some women might develop complications like implant rippling, rupture, or capsular contracture. Rippling is a visible side effect that might appear with implants, sometimes immediately after surgery and other times sometime after. There are several reasons for implant rippling, amongst which are insufficient breast tissue compared to the implant size, the implant type, saline ones being more inclined to do so, implant placement, etc.
Capsular contracture is an exaggerated defense reaction of your body. For some, the scar formed between the breast and the implant becomes too thick and pushes the implant or squeezes it, leading to deformation of the breast shape. Rupture is the one thing that happens to most implants, but for some, this happens sooner than expected. Modern implants are usually very resistant, but they can also leak due to accidents or manufacturing faults.
Whilst with fat, once it is fully reabsorbed by your body, you might choose not to make another injection. When it comes to implants, this might be a lifetime commitment. Once they rupture, sooner or later, the implants must be taken off. Giving them up will not be a very easy decision to make since your tissue has changed and you might look very different afterwards.
Conclusion
Choosing the type of procedure to follow if you want a Breast Enhancement The Woodlands could be a very complicated process. Every method described above has pros and cons, but each is a personal decision. It is important to know exactly what you are expecting from enhancing your breasts, but at the same time, it is essential to accept your surgeon’s advice on every aspect of your procedure. That is why one of the utmost important steps for your surgery will simply be choosing the right doctor.