What you should know about breast implants

Breast augmentation is the most popular kind of plastic surgery procedure across the United States. Many women want to change the size, shape or appearance of their breasts in order to enhance their look, improve the fit of clothes or boost their confidence whether on the beach or in more intimate situations. Every year, around 280,000 women choose to have plastic surgery for breast enlargement, making use of silicone or saline implants. This is not to mention the approximately 106,000 breast cancer patients who have reconstructive plastic surgery after mastectomy every year; in many cases, these women also opt for breast implants.

This means that in the past 20 years, the popularity of breast augmentation has more than doubled. It may seem that having your ideal body is more achievable than ever and safer than in the past, due to advances in medical technology. If you’re thinking about breast implants, there are some facts that you can keep in mind to help you make a decision and choose the right doctor and solution for you.

Why do you want breast implants?

Every woman is unique, with individual motivations behind her desire for larger breasts. There are a number of reasons why women consider breast implants, including:

• Enlarging breasts that are naturally smaller
• Restoring breast size after changes due to weight loss, pregnancy or breastfeeding
• Enhancing breast symmetry when one breast is naturally larger than the other
• Restoring the appearance of the breasts after mastectomy

Studies have shown that women who opt for breast augmentation surgery typically feel higher self-esteem, more body confidence, and greater libido after the procedure because they feel better about the appearance of their bodies.

When considering breast implant surgery, it makes sense to think about what you want to get out of the procedure and to have some achievable goals in mind. Breast implants cannot totally reshape the body, but a skilled plastic surgeon can help you to achieve a beautiful, natural appearance that can boost your comfort in your own skin.

What are the types of breast implants?

There are two major types of breast implants that women choose when opting for breast augmentation: saline implants and silicone gel-filled implants.

Saline implants are filled with a sterile saline solution, similar to salt water. This solution is contained within a silicone shell. Each implant is filled with different amounts of saline solution in order to produce differences in size, feel and shape. Saline implants first became popular in the 1990s after concerns about early silicone implants leaking into the body and causing health problems. Unlike silicone, if the saline solution leaks into the body, it will be naturally absorbed and expelled with no ill effects.

Silicone gel-filled implants are a modern silicone option approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2006. They are filled with silicone gel. In 1962, silicone implants were first introduced and they became very popular by the 1980s. In 1992, after reports of health concerns and lawsuits against the manufacturers of leaking breast implants, these earlier silicone options were taken off the market. Today’s silicone implants were approved in 2006 and have become widely used in the ensuing 13 years.

Why choose one type of implant over another?

Women have great options for breast augmentation, but there are a number of reasons why they might prefer one type of implant over another. All current research indicates that there is no significant difference in the safety of saline and silicone gel implants for women’s long-term health. Still, women seeking breast augmentation can consider their choices.

Risk of Rupture

Ruptured implants are a possibility with any type of breast implants. In some cases, women’s implants can rupture during a fall, severe accident or another type of strong pressure on the breast. However, what happens after a rupture can vary based on whether you’ve chosen silicone or saline implants. It is usually obvious if a saline implant ruptures; the breast will change size and shape as the fluid leaks. Since saline implants contain essentially sterile saltwater, this will be harmlessly expelled by the body in the ensuing days.

On the other hand, it is more difficult to spot a ruptured silicone gel-filled implant. In addition, the human body cannot absorb silicone, so the leaked material stays inside the body and can spread outside the breast, including the lymph nodes. Studies have not found an increased risk of disease associated with ruptured silicone implants, but you should probably have the ruptured implant and loose silicone removed in this case.

In addition, the FDA recommends that women with silicone gel implants get an MRI

three years after surgery and every two years after to detect the possibility of rupture. You may wish to investigate whether these scans will be covered by your insurance.

Look and Feel

With all the extra testing, why do women choose silicone implants? Aside from the fact that their safety is supported by clinical research, the look and feel are often considered superior to saline. The heft of silicone gel implants and their unique texture allows them to feel, move and look more like your natural breasts. They can be almost undetectable in the hands of a skilled surgeon.

The Choice is Yours

People have many different aesthetic preferences, and breast augmentation can help them achieve their goals for their appearance and body. There is one thing to keep in mind: choosing a board-certified plastic surgeon for the look you want to achieve. While other types of doctors may offer cosmetic breast procedures, only board-certified plastic surgeons have gone through a plastic surgery residency and are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery that they have gone through extensive training, detailed education and demanding examinations.

Dr. Scot Glasberg is an experienced board-certified NYC plastic surgeon who has successfully performed breast augmentations for thousands of satisfied patients. When you come in for a consultation with Dr. Glasberg, he can recommend specific surgical options or implant sizes based on the outcome that you want to achieve, based on your unique desires, medical history and vision for the outcome.

If you’re thinking about whether breast implants, call Dr. Glasberg’s office at 212-717-8550 or use our simple online form to set up an initial consultation at our Manhattan location.

After a mastectomy, an operation to remove breast tissue to treat or prevent breast cancer, the breast can be reconstructed through various measures. While there are multiple options for breast reconstruction following a mastectomy, one of the best options is breast reconstruction using your own tissues. As with any type of surgery, as a patient, you should take the time to thoroughly research and understand both the benefits and risks of breast-reconstruction surgery and carefully consider and discuss all options with your physician.

Autologous Reconstruction

Autologous-tissue reconstructions usually referred to as tissue-flap procedures, are methods used to reconstruct the breast after cancer surgery using tissue from the patient’s own body. These types of procedures use tissue from other areas of the body, like your back, stomach, thighs or buttocks, to reconstruct and reshape your breast.

Tissue-flap procedures will typically appear more natural and act like your own natural breast tissue than will saline- or silicone-based breast implants. For example, implants have the potential to shrink or enlarge as you lose or gain weight. Breast implants will need to be replaced if the implant should ruptures, which can happen if you are in some sort of accident or even from routine exercise. This, of course, is not a concern with natural tissue-flap type surgeries.

Tissue-flap surgeries result in two surgical procedures and scars, the donor site where the tissue is removed from and the site of the reconstructed breast. These scars will fade over time, but do not completely disappear without some further cosmetic procedures. Some women experience donor-site issues that can include muscle damage and weakness, including abdominal hernias.

Because tissue-flap procedures require transplanted tissue to have healthy blood vessels for optional blood flow, this procedure may not be the best choice for patients who smoke, have vascular diseases or poor circulation from vascular disease, uncontrolled diabetes or connective-tissue diseases. Types of tissue-flap procedures include:

• Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator, or DIEP, and Transverse Rectus Abdominis Muscle, or TRAM, flap surgery utilizes tissue taken from the abdomen area.
• Latissimus Dorsi Flap Surgery utilizes tissue taken from the upper-back area.
• Gluteal Artery Perforator, or GAP, flap surgery utilizes tissue taken from the buttock area.
• Transverse Upper Gracilis, or TUG, flap surgery utilizes tissue taken from the inner thigh.

TRAM Flap

TRAM-flap surgery utilizes tissue and muscle taken from both the transverse and rectus abdominis muscles. Skin, adipose tissue, or fat, and blood vessels along with one abdominal muscle are transplanted from the abdomen to the bust. While the TRAM-flap procedure can result in a tummy tuck that will tighten the lower abdomen, this surgery can also increase the risk of a hernia as it will weaken the stomach muscles. TRAM-flap procedures are not always possible in women who have had abdominal tissue removed previously or are very thin. There are two basic types of TRAM flaps:

• A pedicle-style TRAM-flap procedure leaves the flap of tissue connected to its original blood supply of arteries and veins that are rerouted under the skin and up and into the chest. This typically requires removing a large percentage of the rectus abdominis muscle on one side, increasing the risk of bulging and/or herniation on that side of the abdomen. This can also result in your stomach muscles being weaker after the surgery.
• A free TRAM-flap procedure involves taking more tissue, and typically and less muscle, from a donor site in the lower abdomen. However, here the flap of tissue is totally removed and then reattached to the chest. The blood supply is reattached directly to the chest with microsurgery, using a microscope. This procedure takes longer than a pedicle TRAM-flap procedure, but the blood supply is usually superior to pedicle flap procedures. Additionally, this procedure normally involves less risk of loss of abdominal-muscle strength and leaves the abdomen in better condition. The main risk here is that the blood vessels can sometimes become clogged, restricting blood flow to the flap.

DIEP Flap

The deep inferior epigastric perforator flap procedure does not require the use of muscle to rebuild the breast. Instead, this procedure requires the uses of skin and adipose tissue from the same donor-site area as the TRAM-flap procedure. The DIEP procedure uses a free flap of tissue removed from the abdomen and transplanted to the chest. As with the Free-TRAM procedure, microsurgery is used to reconnect the blood supply. Because no muscle is removed there tends to be much less risk of bulging or herniation. A related procedure, known as superficial inferior epigastric artery, or SIEA-flap, procedure uses essentially the same tissues as the DIEP-flap procedures, but with different blood-supply vessels.

Latissimus Dorsi Flap

The latissimus dorsi flap uses a section of skin, muscle, adipose tissue and blood vessels taken from your upper back and routes it under the skin to the chest. While this procedure is sometimes used with breast implants to create a more natural-looking breast, it can also be used without an implant. Through rare, some women may develop a weakness in their arms, shoulder or back following this procedure.

GAP Flap

The gluteal free-flap procedure, known as GAP, uses tissue taken from the buttocks and transplanted into the chest. This option is better for women who are unable or don’t want to use the abdominal-donor sites due to things like previous abdominal procedures or stomach-muscle thinness.

TUG Flap

The transverse upper gracilis, or TUG, flap procedure is a newer method that offers another option to women who aren’t able or willing to use either DIEP or TRAM procedures. A strip of tissue is taken starting at one of the inner thigh muscles and ending at the bottom fold of the buttocks. This procedure is best for women with small- to medium-size breasts and whose inner thighs touch each other.

Fat Grafting

Fat transfer breast augmentation, or fat grafting, is a technique that harvests fat cells via liposuction from donor sites in the abdomen, buttocks or thighs. The fat cells are transplanted by injections to reshape the reconstructed breast. Fat grafting has been used safely and effectively on cancer patients who have undergone mastectomy procedures.

Breast reduction surgery can be an important procedure for many women with large breasts who experience pain and discomfort as part of daily life. From difficulties with exercise and back pain to a desire for a different appearance and overall silhouette, breast reduction surgery in NYC can help women to achieve their goals for their breast shape and size. This effective, safe procedure includes the removal of fat, tissue and skin in order to decrease the overall size, weight and volume of the breasts.

As with any plastic surgery procedure, breast reduction surgery cost can be a major factor for many patients planning their procedure. There are a number of pricing claims that are presented by different facilities. When you set up a consultation with Dr. Glasberg for NYC breast reduction surgery, we can go over the total costs for breast reduction and present to you a complete price estimate for the surgery. If you’re considering breast reduction and want to find out more about making your goals a reality, please contact our office today to set up a consultation with Dr. Glasberg.

Breast Reduction Cost and Your Procedure

In order to achieve your goals for breast reduction surgery, the procedure will be customized for your individual body shape and desired outcomes. During the consultation, Dr. Glasberg can learn about your personal desires for the surgery and recommend the best type of procedure to meet your needs and achieve natural and beautiful results. The right procedure for you depends on the size and shape of your breasts as well as the amount of reduction that you wish to achieve.

There are several methods for breast reduction, including traditional incision breast reduction, vertical incision breast reduction and scarless reduction, which involves the liposuction of excess tissue. The outcomes of each of these procedures are dependent on the amount of reduction that you seek. Dr. Glasberg will determine the most appropriate procedure for your body and goals.

The cost of your procedure will vary depending on the type of procedure selected and its complexity. Because the consultation will provide Dr. Glasberg with an opportunity to thoroughly review your case, medical history and desired outcomes, he can present you with a complete estimate for costs based on the procedure that can achieve the outcomes that you desire for breast reduction.

The procedure itself takes approximately two hours and is conducted in Dr. Glasberg’s accredited surgical facility. You will receive detailed recovery advice and instructions and can expect to return to work and daily activities after five days to one week following your breast reduction surgery.

Determining Your Individual Breast Reduction Cost

Because there are several types of procedures and the cost of the procedure is influenced by the complexity of the case, it is important to have a full medical consultation in order to provide an accurate cost assessment for NYC breast reduction surgery with Dr. Glasberg. There are some advertisements available that list procedure costs; however, these one-size-fits-all estimates do not take into account the specifics of your individual case and generally cover only one part of the total cost of breast reduction surgery, including anesthetic, post-operative care and surgical center costs.

All of Dr. Glasberg’s surgeries are performed at his private and fully accredited surgical center in order to eliminate expensive hospitalization fees. When you receive your cost estimate for breast reduction surgery, the final price will include all relevant costs so that you are fully aware of the total costs of your procedure. This personalized estimate will be calculated based on the specific procedure Dr. Glasberg selects for your case in order to achieve the results that you desire from your breast reduction procedure.

Insurance and Financing

In many cases, plastic surgery procedures are not covered by health insurance, because they are considered to be cosmetic surgeries. However, some breast reduction procedures can be covered by health insurance, depending on your reason for pursuing the procedure. If you are experiencing back, neck or shoulder pain or other medical consequences as a result of large breasts, it may be possible to receive coverage for breast reduction surgery from your health insurance provider. If you are seeking breast reduction for medical reasons, please bring your relevant information in order to pursue insurance eligibility for the procedure.

Another option that some patients may pursue to make breast reductions surgery costs more manageable is CareCredit financing. This form of credit-based lending is available only for medical care and allows patients to complete payments for their procedure in a structured, organized fashion.

Schedule Your Breast Reduction Consultation

To learn more about the costs of your breast reduction procedure, schedule a consultation with Manhattan breast reduction specialist Dr. Glasberg. He provides daily private consultations and performs breast reduction surgeries at his New York City office for patients who come to see him from across the United States and around the world. Please phone our office to schedule a consultation with Dr. Glasberg and receive a full breast reduction surgery cost estimate.

About Breast Reduction