Expert breast augmentation, breast reduction, breast lift, breast reconstruction after mastectomy from Dr Villalobos in Columbus OH
Proportions in a woman's figure are vital to how clothes fit and how a woman feels about herself. Whether child bearing left you with less than you had or you have always wanted the tops to fit with the bottoms, breast augmentation is a safe operation that will help you gain your figure back.
Bra strap grooving, neck pain, headaches, upper back pain, irritation under the breasts, these are a few of the common complaints of ladies who seek to have breast reduction surgery. Studies have shown that after their surgery, breast reduction surgery patients, as a group, are the most satisfied patients seen by plastic surgeons.
Thanks to the efforts of breast cancer support groups and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the Federal Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998 provides benefits for mastectomy related services including reconstruction and surgery to achieve symmetry between the breasts, prostheses, and complications resulting from mastectomy.
The goal of a plastic and reconstructive surgeon is to create a soft, natural looking breast for a woman who has lost a breast to cancer. Dr. Villalobos believes this will improve her quality of life and restore femininity. Breast reconstruction can be performed immediately following a mastectomy or delayed because of further treatment by the oncologist or the patient's personal decision.
There are several choices for breast reconstruction. During the consultation, Dr. Villalobos will consider the patient's physical health to determine which reconstruction method would be appropriate. The options available are:
Skin expansion with a tissue expander: A balloon expander or tissue expander is surgically placed beneath the chest muscles, and over several weeks is gradually filled with a saline solution. Once the skin and muscles are stretched, the expander is removed and a softer more anatomic permanent implant is inserted.
Flap Reconstruction: Tissue consisting of a portion of skin, fat and muscle, is taken from the back or abdomen and tunneled to the breast to form a mound. The flap is still attached to its original blood supply. Many women prefer this procedure because the breast is reconstructed with natural tissue. This method may require a long recovery, adds new scars, only one surgery not two as with an expansion and increases time in the hospital. Advantages are an immediately reconstructed breast mound and using your own tissue.
Over the years, factors such as pregnancy, nursing, weight loss and the force of gravity take their toll on a woman's breasts. As the skin loses its elasticity, the breasts often lose their shape, firmness, volume and begin to sag. The breast lift or Mastopexy is a procedure to reshape the breast and create or restore a more youthful "perkier" appearance. Many women seek a Mastopexy because pregnancy and nursing have left them with stretched skin and less volume in their breasts. While there are no special risks in the surgery that affect future pregnancies, pregnancy is likely to stretch your breasts again and offset the result of this procedure.
Most breast reductions and breast lifts are done with a pattern called an inverted "T" or anchor scar. This places an incision around the nipple-areola, one vertically downward from there and one in the fold. This leaves the patient with a better shape but with scars on her breast that may be visible in lingerie, bathing suits, and low cut tops.
In most cases the scar can be either limited to around the nipple-areola complex, or add a short vertical scar going down from the areola. This technique eliminates the incision under the breast.
In our practice we have used the vertical scar pattern (around the nipple-areola and up and down) for most breast reductions with great success. |
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