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Whether restoring or enhancing the female breasts, the key to breast surgery is to improve symmetry while enhancing the natural breast contour and shape. Our plastic surgeons will evaluate your breast tissue, skin elasticity and chest wall dimensions to determine what will work best for your needs and desires.
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The information provided is an introduction to various breast surgical procedures. If you are interested in having plastic surgery, a consultation with one of our plastic surgeons will help you decide what procedures might benefit you.
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Please select from the following list for more information.
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Breast Augmentation
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Breast augmentation, technically known as augmentation mammoplasty, is a surgical procedure to enhance the size and shape of a woman's breast for a number of reasons:
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-To enhance the body contour of a woman who, for personal reasons, feels her breast size is too small.
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-To correct a reduction in breast volume after pregnancy.
-To balance a difference in breast size.
-As a reconstructive technique following breast surgery.
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By inserting an implant behind each breast, surgeons are able to increase a woman's bustline by one or more bra cup sizes.
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| Procedure: |
Enhance the size of breasts using inflatable implants filled with saline. |
| Length: |
1 to 2 hours. |
| Anesthesia: |
Local with sedation, or general. |
| In/Outpatient: |
Usually outpatient. |
| Side Effects: |
Temporary soreness, swelling, change in nipple sensation, bruising. Breast sensitive to stimulation for a few weeks. |
| Risks: |
Lack of implant permanence -- surgical removal or replacement of the implants may be required to treat problems, including: deflation; the formation of scar tissue around the implant (capsular contracture), which may cause the breast to feel tight or hard; bleeding or infection. Increase or decrease in sensitivity of nipples or breast skin, occasionally permanent. Mammagraphy requires a special technique. (Note: Some women have reported symptoms similar to those of immune disorders. Ask your doctor about these and other FDA concerns.) |
| Recovery: |
Back to work: a few days. Physical contact with breasts: 3 to 4 weeks. Fading of scars: several months to a year or more. |
Duration of
Results: |
Variable. Implants may require removal or replacement. |
Information provided by ASPS
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Breast Lift
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(Mastopexy)
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Over the years, factors such as pregnancy, nursing, 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 and firmness and begin to sag. Breastlift, or mastopexy, is a surgical procedure to raise and reshape sagging breasts--at least, for a time. (No surgery can permanently delay the effects of gravity.) Mastopexy can also reduce the size of the areola, the darker skin surrounding the nipple. If your breasts are small or have lost volume--for example, after pregnancy--breast implants inserted in conjunction with mastopexy can increase both their firmness and their size.
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| Procedure: |
Raise and reshape sagging breasts by removing excess skin and repositioning remaining tissue and nipples. |
| Length: |
1 to 3 hours. |
| Anesthesia: |
Local with sedation, or general. |
| In/Outpatient: |
Usually outpatient. Sometimes inpatient. |
| Side Effects: |
Temporary bruising, swelling, discomfort, numbness, dry breast skin. Permanent scars. |
| Risks: |
Thick, wide scars; skin loss; infection. Unevenly positioned nipples. Permanent loss of feeling in nipples or breast. |
| Recovery: |
Back to work: 1 week or more. Strenuous activities: 1 month. Fading of scars: several months to a year. |
Duration of
Results: |
Variable; gravity, pregnancy, aging, and weight changes may cause new sagging. Results may last longer or be enhanced when breast implants are inserted as part of the procedure. |
Information provided by ASPS
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Breast Reduction
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Breast reduction, technically known as reduction mammaplasty, is designed for such women. The procedure removes fat, glandular tissue, and skin from the breasts, making them smaller, lighter, and firmer. It can also reduce the size of the areola, the darker skin surrounding the nipple. The goal is to give the woman smaller, better-shaped breasts in proportion with the rest of her bodyWomen with very large, pendulous breasts may experience a variety of medical problems caused by the excessive weight-from back and neck pain and skin irritation to skeletal deformities and breathing problems. Bra straps may leave indentations in their shoulders. And unusually large breasts can make a woman-or a teenage girl-feel extremely self-conscious.
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| Procedure: |
Raise and reshape sagging breasts by removing excess skin and breast tissue and repositioning remaining tissue and nipples. |
| Length: |
1 to 3 hours. |
| Anesthesia: |
Local with sedation, or general. |
| In/Outpatient: |
Usually outpatient. Sometimes inpatient. |
| Side Effects: |
Temporary bruising, swelling, discomfort, numbness, dry breast skin. Permanent scars. |
| Risks: |
Thick, wide scars; skin loss; infection. Unevenly positioned nipples. Permanent loss of feeling in nipples or breast. |
| Recovery: |
Back to work: 1 week or more. Strenuous activities: 1 month. Fading of scars: several months to a year. |
Duration of
Results: |
Variable; gravity, pregnancy, aging, and weight changes may cause new sagging. Results may last longer or be enhanced when breast implants are inserted as part of the procedure. |
Information provided by ASPS
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| Breast Reconstruction |
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Reconstruction of a breast that has been removed due to cancer or other disease is one of the most rewarding surgical procedures available today. New medical techniques and devices have made it possible for surgeons to create a breast that can come close in form and appearance to matching a natural breast. Frequently, reconstruction is possible immediately following breast removal (mastectomy), so the patient wakes up with a breast mound already in place, having been spared the experience of seeing herself with no breast at all.
While there are many options available in post-mastectomy reconstruction, you and your surgeon should discuss the one that's best for you.
Skin expansion. The most common technique combines skin expansion and subsequent insertion of an implant.
Following mastectomy, your surgeon will insert a balloon expander beneath your skin and chest muscle. Through a tiny valve mechanism buried beneath the skin, he or she will periodically inject a salt-water solution to gradually fill the expander over several weeks or months. After the skin over the breast area has stretched enough, the expander may be removed in a second operation and a more permanent implant will be inserted. Some expanders are designed to be left in place as the final implant. The nipple and the dark skin surrounding it, called the areola, are reconstructed in a subsequent procedure.
Some patients do not require preliminary tissue expansion before receiving an implant. For these women, the surgeon will proceed with inserting an implant as the first step.
Flap reconstruction. An alternative approach to implant reconstruction involves creation of a skin flap using tissue taken from other parts of the body, such as the back, abdomen, or buttocks.
In one type of flap surgery, the tissue remains attached to its original site, retaining its blood supply. The flap, consisting of the skin, fat, and muscle with its blood supply, are tunneled beneath the skin to the chest, creating a pocket for an implant or, in some cases, creating the breast mound itself, without need for an implant.
Another flap technique uses tissue that is surgically removed from the abdomen, thighs, or buttocks and then transplanted to the chest by reconnecting the blood vessels to new ones in that region. This procedure requires the skills of a plastic surgeon who is experienced in microvascular surgery as well.
Regardless of whether the tissue is tunneled beneath the skin on a pedicle or transplanted to the chest as a microvascular flap, this type of surgery is more complex than skin expansion. Scars will be left at both the tissue donor site and at the reconstructed breast, and recovery will take longer than with an implant. On the other hand, when the breast is reconstructed entirely with your own tissue, the results are generally more natural and there are no concerns about a silicone implant. In some cases, you may have the added benefit of a improved abdominal contour.
Follow-up procedures. Most breast reconstruction involves a series of procedures that occur over time. Usually, the initial reconstructive operation is the most complex. Follow-up surgery may be required to replace a tissue expander with an implant or to reconstruct the nipple and the areola. Many surgeons recommend an additional operation to enlarge, reduce, or lift the natural breast to match the reconstructed breast. But keep in mind, this procedure may leave scars on an otherwise normal breast and may not be covered by insurance.
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Information provided by ASPS
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