Breast augmentation is an aesthetic procedure that allows women to achieve the desired breast size. You can get an increase in a non-operational size - with exercises, creams, wearing corrective underwear and so on. But these methods do not help everyone, and not all women are patient enough (the results of popular methods do not appear until six months later). For a quick effect and for a significant enlargement of the glands, you will have to get into a plastic surgeon's knife.
Breast Augmentation Surgery
Mammoplasty is the name of an operation related to the field of reconstructive and aesthetic surgery. Bust augmentation is performed according to the indications:
- Aesthetics - when there are no deviations in the proportions and the shape of the breasts, but the woman experiences psychological discomfort from the bust.
- Medical - when the breast is totally or partially absent (after surgery or injury), malformed (for example, there is a disproportion).
Breast augmentation is performed by installing implants or introducing fat cells. The second method is new (it was first performed in 2004 in Tokyo) and is used only in some clinics worldwide. The first type of surgery is ubiquitous - in every major city there are dozens of institutions offering breast arthroplasty. The procedure can be performed with a simultaneous breast lift to shape the breast.
The tactics of the operation are compiled individually for each patient. The type of incision (under the breast or under the armpit), the option of placing the biomaterial (under the muscle, glandular tissue, mixed), as well as the shape of the implant are determined by the characteristics:
- development of the pectoralis major muscles;
- the presence or absence of mastoptosis (acquired lowering of the mammary glands);
- thickness and elasticity of the skin and subcutaneous tissue;
- the presence of deformation of the sternum and ribs.
Women undergoing mammoplasty should be prepared for temporary breast enlargement. After a few years, the implants wear out (become less elastic), the size of the mammary glands decreases again and the shape is lost. Reoperation is performed approximately every 7 to 10 years (the exact expiration date depends on the material).
Choice of implants
Implants differ in the type of filling. The following materials are used in mammoplasty:
Silicone fluid
It is similar in consistency to vegetable oil. It allows to achieve a significant increase (up to 4 sizes and more), but badly corrects the shape, additional tightening is necessary. The main disadvantage is that the content easily changes position in the bust, which makes the mammary glands look different. Silicone breasts look the least natural.
Cohesive gel
This material is harder than silicone and feels like gelatin. Breasts with this type of implant appear more natural, there is less risk of losing their shape. Cases of shell breakage and content leakage are excluded. Less - in a short service life (will have to be changed every 5-7 years) and relative severity (which is why it is not recommended to increase by more than 2 sizes).
Highly cohesive gel
Material with the consistency of marmalade. It is considered the safest for breast implants. Provides a natural shape of the breasts. Less - in high "shape memory" - with prolonged exposure to the mammary gland (for example, with constant falling asleep with the stomach down), a persistent deformation is formed that cannot be corrected.
Saline water solution
The most outdated and unreliable material. The risk of complications is very high. After 8 months of the operation, the salts crystallize and can pierce the implant's shell. Saline solution continues to be used in cosmetic surgery due to its low cost.
Round or drop-shaped implants will be offered for women to choose from. They differ in shape. The second variety is considered anatomically correct.
Round implants are recommended for small corrections (for 1 increase in size), more suitable for correcting the shape (for example, after delivery or after feeding). If used to create a significant bust, it will end up looking unnatural (the mammary glands will protrude too much).
Drop-shaped implants have an asymmetrical shape - the upper edge is thinner, thicker towards the bottom. Her appearance is as close as possible to the natural female breast. A relative disadvantage is its dense texture (necessary to maintain its shape), so when you feel it, you can guess that the bust is artificial.
Preparation and execution of the operation
Mammoplasty is only done for absolutely healthy women. For 5-10 days, the patient must undergo a thorough medical examination to rule out contraindications. Mandatory are:
- laboratory tests (blood for clotting, general and biochemical tests for infections and inflammations);
- ECG;
- fluorography;
- Breast ultrasound;
- examination by a therapist, mammologist, gynecologist.
The operation to increase the size of the breast is canceled in case of mastopathy and other diseases of the mammary glands, infectious diseases of any genesis, any untreated neoplasms, blood clotting disorders. The age limit is 18 years - mammoplasty cannot be done earlier due to incomplete body formation. Another contraindication is incomplete lactation.
In addition to health checks, preparation for breast augmentation includes not taking hormones and salicylate medications (14 days before surgery). Do not smoke or drink alcoholic beverages 10 days before the surgical procedure.
The operation takes place under general anesthesia. During mammoplasty, the entire surface of the breast and the site of future tissue dissection are treated with an antiseptic to prevent it from penetrating the wound and spreading the infection. The duration of the procedure is 60 to 130 minutes.
The cost
Breast augmentation can only be done by paying a fee. Prices are determined by the costs of:
- preliminary examination of specialists and analyzes;
- direct work of the surgical team;
- anesthetic drug;
- endoprostheses (the price of the implants depends on the material and size);
- hospital stay and post-operative care (you must stay at the clinic for 1-3 days).
The price is also influenced by the qualification of doctors. The more experienced specialists perform the operation, the higher the cost of the suture or breast augmentation without suture.
Possible complications
Before the operation, it is necessary to carefully weigh the pros and cons, since mammoplasty has a significant disadvantage - it is a high risk of negative consequences of breast enlargement. If the operation was performed on a patient with contraindications, safety rules were violated during the operation or during the recovery period, then complications can occur:
- bruises;
- lymphoea (accumulation of tissue fluid in the subcutaneous tissue of a sutured wound);
- keloid scar (as a result, a scar that protrudes above the skin is formed);
- infectious infection;
- rupture or displacement of the endoprosthesis;
- fibrous formations.
Even with the observance of the rules, the risk of consequent breast enlargement as a rejection of the implant installed by the body is not excluded. The only way out of this situation is the complete removal of the endoprosthesis and the long-term elimination of the resulting consequences.
Rehabilitation
Any surgical correction of the breast requires a long-term recovery. Complete rehabilitation protects against complications. In the first week, it is recommended to stay in bed (1-3 days in the hospital, the rest of the time - at home). Pain in the first days after mammoplasty is normal due to skin tension and post-operative edema, but it gradually weakens and disappears (at the end of the 10th day, the symptoms should definitely disappear).
Immediately after the operation, the woman must take antibiotics to prevent infection (the course is 5 to 10 days, depending on the medication prescribed). A month or a month and a half after mammoplasty, it is necessary to wear special compression underwear, which will fix the correct shape of the renewed breast and accelerate the healing of the surgical wound.
An important recommendation concerns physical activity. For 2-3 months, you must not lift weights over 3 kg, you must not play sports (including stretching and running). You can have sex after 7 to 10 days (depending on how you feel), but for the first 8 weeks, use only the classic missionary position - on your back.
Photo: before and after
According to statistics, about 65% of requests for mammoplasty services are associated with loss of shape of the breasts after delivery and breastfeeding. In addition to a facelift, women also request an increase in volume (in 1–2 sizes).
Without medical advice, women more often turn to surgeons to eliminate their lack of body, such as too small breasts (including those of zero size). Even without a photo before and after the operation, it is clear that these women need mammoplasty to get rid of doubts. Natural bust sizes 2 and 3 are the least treated.
According to statistics, in 2017 more than 2. 5 million breast augmentation surgeries were performed in the world. Of these, only in 11% of cases were huge implants installed to increase the bust to size 5 (more than "six" orders, only 5%). The most common is the average size 3 (over 71%).
The most common breast augmentation method is silicone-free (using helium implants) through the armpit. If five years ago the preference was for rounded endoprostheses (about 85%), now women prefer naturalness and opt for teardrop implants.
Non-surgical methods of augmentation
It is impossible to achieve significant growth of the glands without surgery. You can only strengthen the pectoral muscles, correct the posture, add a little fatty tissue, improve the skin's elasticity - at best, it will increase by 1 size, but most of the time it will simply correct the shape. The main method of breast augmentation is sports exercises and creams. Wearing corrective underwear allows you to get a visual squeeze: push-up bras raise your bust, which makes it look bigger.
Exercises
Regular exercise will strengthen your muscles - they will tone and "lift" the mammary glands. As a result, the bust is tightened and adds a little volume. The main disadvantage is that this process is very long and laborious. To get a pronounced effect, you will need at least 6 to 10 months of daily chest exercises (20 to 40 minutes each).
The five simplest exercises you can do at home are turning with your arms extended, closing your palms in front of your chest, pulling your arms back, lifting any object in front of you and behind your head, lifting your chest from a lying position. Add dumbbell swings to this exercise.
food
Scientists have shown that increased consumption of vegetables and grains, as well as any protein-rich foods, contributes to the growth of the mammary glands. But this diet will only be useful for girls during puberty. With a formed figure, it will not be possible to induce breast growth with nutrition (with diet, you can only decrease the amount of adipose tissue, that is, decrease the bust).
Popular methods
There is a lot of information on the Internet about non-traditional methods of increasing breast volume. Be careful with home experiments, as many of them are dangerous. For example, many forums discuss the popular method of enlarging the bust using toothpaste. Supposedly, if mixed with a cream and applied every day, due to the irritation of the tissue in 1-2 months, the mammary glands will grow one size, or even more. This is a myth, nothing but a burn with this method cannot be achieved.
An even more dangerous tip is to inject saline solution into the chest with a syringe. These injections slightly increase the bust for 1-2 days. But the cost of temporary beauty will be serious problems, like the rapid development of tumors.
Of all the ridiculous advice at first glance, the most harmless is an enlarged bust with the power of thought. Of course, there will be no real increase in the volume of automatic training. But self-hypnosis makes a woman more confident in herself - the lady straightens her shoulders, straightens her back, which makes her breasts look bigger visually.
Results (photo)
Of all the non-medical ways of changing the appearance of the bust, sports are the most effective. But the result will be noticeable not earlier than six months later (subject to regular training).
Second is self-training and postural correction. As you can see in the photo, the size of the chest has not changed formally, but due to the straight back, the drawn abdomen and the stretched shoulders, the bust looks more attractive.
If it is not enough for a girl to shape the bust and the visual effect of a tight breast, she cannot go without an operation. Only implants can add multiple sizes. But before going to the operating table, you need to weigh the pros and cons - assess whether the desired beauty outweighs the possible post-operative complications and whether the woman is ready to change endoprostheses every 5-7 years.