Breast Augmentation
Breast augmentation surgery: Breast tissue is an important organ for women in terms of both its shape and functions. A woman with ideally sized breasts is freer, more comfortable and more active in social relationships. Breasts can be structurally small for various reasons. One may be smaller than the other, asymmetrical. One may not be present at birth. There is no other method other than silicone prosthesis application to make both breasts equal or increase their volume.
There are types of silicone prostheses, these are;
- Prostheses filled with silicone gel,
- Prostheses that can be inflated with physiological serum.
What you need to know before surgery;
In patients who will have a prosthesis, breast tissue is evaluated with ultrasonography and, if necessary, radiological examinations called mammography before surgery. Some patients may complain of increased or decreased sensitivity in the nipples after surgery. This is usually a temporary condition. It has been suggested that some connective tissue diseases develop in the body against the prosthesis, which is a foreign body, that it becomes difficult to breastfeed the baby and that the prosthesis causes cancer. However, none of these have been scientifically proven.
Surgery; Breast implant placement is performed under general anesthesia in an operation that takes approximately 1 hour. Silicone implants can be placed in 3 places inside the breast:
- From the nipple
- Under the armpit
- Under the breast
Breast implants can be placed under the muscle tissue or only under the breast tissue. No matter where the implants are placed, they do not affect the patient’s mammary glands. Therefore, there is no difficulty in getting pregnant or breastfeeding. The patient can go home a few hours after the surgery.
Post-Surgery Period
The post-surgery is usually comfortable. If the silicone implant is placed under the chest muscle, there may be a limitation in arm movements and pain for a few days. The surgical dressing is removed on the 5th-6th day, the stitches are removed on the 9th-10th day, and the patient is advised to wear a sports bra for 6 weeks and do the indicated breast massage. The patient can return to work in 3-4 days, and it would be appropriate to stay away from heavy sports for 3 months.
Complications of Silicone Prosthesis Surgery
The biggest complication of this surgery is the hardness, asymmetry and pain in the breasts that develop due to the thickening of the membrane that normally develops around the prosthesis. If these complaints become disturbing to the patient, another minor surgery may be required. Evaluation of mammography examinations to be performed on breasts with prosthesis does not pose any problems for experienced radiologists.
