MYTH #5: “ANATOMICAL” OVAL SHAPED IMPLANTS GIVE

A MORE NATURAL RESULT

New York City, NY- When these breast implants first came out, we hoped that they would give more natural looking breasts, but this has proven to be completely untrue.  There are good clinical and x-ray studies showing that it is impossible to tell the difference — judging by breast shape — whether the patient has a round implant or an “anatomical” implant.  We get very natural looking breasts using round implants.

In addition to the fact that these “anatomical” implants have no benefit, then should be avoided because they have two big negatives.

First, the “anatomical” implant can slip around because of its oval shape, and therefore can create a significant breast deformity.  This cannot happen with a round implant.

The second negative is that, to try to prevent the slipping around, “anatomical” implants are made with a textured rough surface that sticks to the surrounding breast tissue.  This sticking of the implant to your tissues increases the risk of visible and palpable rippling.

For all of the above reasons, more than 90% of plastic surgeons use round, smooth walled breast implants for breast augmentation.

MYTH #4:  Rippling is a common problem with breast implants.

            Rippling following breast augmentation is extremely rare if the following guidelines are followed:

            1.         Silicone implants are much less prone to rippling than saline filled implants, and therefore silicone breast implants are better for most patients.

            2.         If saline breast implants are used, they should be overfilled beyond the manufacturer’s recommendations in order to minimize the risk of rippling.

            3.         So-called “moderate” profile implants are really low profile implants and they are underfilled.  “Moderate” profile implants, whether they are saline or silicone, are more prone to rippling.  Therefore when doing breast augmentation in Manhattan, we use either “moderate” plus profile breast implants or high profile breast implants.  With these two last profiles, rippling is almost never seen.

For more information on breast implants, please go to www.drberaka.com

THIRD MYTH ABOUT BREAST IMPLANTS:  IMPLANTS CORRECT SAGGING OF THE BREASTS

1.         Breast implants correct mild sagging of the breasts.  For moderate sagging, I make an individual decision for each woman.

2.         Breast implants will not correct severe sagging.  In fact, they will create a deformity.  If you have severe sagging, you really need a short scar breast lift.  The lift is done alone or together with breast augmentation.  Women accept the scars just fine if they love their new perky shape.

3.         When using breast implants to correct sagging, they should be smooth walled, round, cohesive silicone gel breast implants, and they must be placed over the muscle.

For more information on procedures such as Breast Augmentation and Breast Lifts, please  visit our website at www.drberaka.com

SECOND MYTH ABOUT BREAST IMPLANTS: THEY HAVE

TO BE REPLACED EVERY TEN YEARS

I don’t know how this got started, but every other patient I see has the impression that breast implants need to be replaced every ten years.  This is absolutely not true.  Here are the facts.

1.         Any breast implant can leak eventually.

2.         And a leaking implant must be replaced.

3.         But the newer breast implants have a very, very low rate of leaking, and silicone breast implants have a lower risk of leaking than saline implants.

4.         Your risk of a breast implant leaking at ten years is about 5% and the estimated risk at twenty years is 10%.  So, for most women, their implants will be fine for ten years, and way beyond.

New York City, NY- FIRST MYTH ABOUT BREAST IMPLANTS:  Breast implants need to drop or settle after surgery.

Many patients (and some plastic surgeons) think that you have to wait weeks or months after surgery for breast implants to drop into the right position.  This is not true.  If the implant pockets are made accurately, your breasts should look great right after surgery.

In fact, when we do breast augmentations in Manhattan, we put the patient in the sitting position before the operation is finished (of course you are still under anesthesia).  This way, we can see exactly if the implants are in the right place, and if the size and symmetry of the breasts are as perfect as we can made them.  If not, we keep working until we get the result that we want.

Breast implants should not look too high after breast augmentation.

For Before and After photos of breast augmentations, please visit us at www.drberaka.com

We now use an alternative technique which has minimized the need for drains.  We use either no drain or just one drain, and we leave it in for fewer days.  The new technique consists of closing the cavity under the lifted skin of the abdomen with several buried absorbable sutures.  The role of these internal stitches is to eliminate the potential cavity under the skin and therefore they are very effective in preventing fluid accumulation.  Thus, much less need for drains.

Tummy Tuck Before and After Photos.

For more information on Tummy Tucks, please visit our website at www.drberaka.com.

With the patient in the sitting position during surgery, we decide on the optimal implant size by trying different implant sizers, and also that is the time to make any adjustments in shape.  At the conclusion of the operation, when all of the wounds are sutured closed, once again we check the appearance of the breasts to make sure that they are as good as they can possibly be.  Therefore the final result with the implants at exactly the right level is achievable during surgery and your breast implants should look exactly where they belong immediately after surgery.  Breasts implants do not need to settle over time.

For more information on breast augmentation and implants, please visit our website at www.drberaka.com.

PART I

New York City, NY-  It is not clear where this idea came from, but many women feel that after breast augmentation, the implants have to come down into their ideal position over a period of time.  The implication of course is that the breast implants are too high right after surgery.

We feel that his notion is not correct.  When performing breast augmentation, we insert sterile implant sizers into the breast pockets and then the patient is placed in an upright position. (Of course the patient is still under anesthesia).  With the patient in the sitting position, the exact shape and size of the breasts can be seen exactly as they will look in the final result.

Please visit our website www.drberaka.com for more information on breast augmentation.

2.         If an implant inventory is available, then the plastic surgeon can put sterile disposable implant sizers in your breast pockets during surgery to see what a particular implant actually looks like when it is inside you.  This is the only way to make a choice without the chance of making an error.  An implant sizer costs only $45 and it takes all of the guess work out.

3.         We look at the appearance of your breasts with the implant sizers in place with you in the upright position.  Of course, all of this is done while you are still under anesthesia.  Only in the upright position can the actual size, shape and symmetry of the breasts be accurately judged.

4.         When the best size has been determined by this process, the implant sizers are discarded, and only then are the correct breast implants opened from the operating room inventory and put inside your breasts to complete the operation.

2.         You need to make sure that your surgeon really understands the look that you want.  Your surgeon’s idea of a beautiful breast may be quite different from yours.  Just mentioning a cup size is not adequate.  Your surgeon should show you pictures of different breasts so that you can point out what you like.  If he or she does not show you pictures, you can provide your own.  Then your surgeon has to tell you if your chosen look is appropriate for your anatomy.  The most common mistake is to pick breast implants that are too big.

3.         I strongly recommend that the plastic surgeon not make a final choice of breast implants in advance of surgery.  This is just an educated guess.  The best approach is to make the final implant selection during your surgery.