What is Breast Augmentation Surgery? How to Perform It?

n breast augmentation surgery, which is often preferred by women who have smaller breasts than what is considered normal or desired, prosthetic implants filled with silicone gel are used. Thanks to the prostheses placed under the breast tissue or breast muscle, the breast volume is made larger than it is. If sagging and loosening of the breast are also experienced, breast augmentation surgery is also applied to recover the breast tissue together with breast augmentation surgery.

The biggest reason for applying breast augmentation surgery is to increase the size of the breasts of women who are not satisfied with the size of their breasts. In addition, breast augmentation surgery can be performed to recover sagging and volume-losing breasts due to breastfeeding or dramatic weight loss. Breast augmentation surgery can be applied to provide breast volume in women whose breast structure has not developed due to an anomaly in the chest wall, or to create breasts in people who have undergone a sex change process.

Silicone Prosthesis Should Be Determined Specific to the Patient

The size of the breasts that the patient will have after the operation should be decided by the patient and the doctor jointly. While making this decision, factors such as the patient’s chest wall characteristics, the location of the breast on the chest wall, the dimensions of the breast base, the thickness of the breast tissue, and the asymmetry between the breasts should be carefully evaluated. The patient’s expectation from the surgery is also among the important factors regarding the shape and dimensions of the prosthesis to be used.

Silicone prostheses can be placed with different methods during breast augmentation surgery performed under general anesthesia. Silicone prostheses can be placed with incisions made in the fold under the breast, around the nipple or under the arm. After the incision is made, the patient’s breast tissue is separated from the chest muscles and connective tissue. Thus, it is possible to create a pocket in front of or behind the pectoral muscle, which is the outermost muscle of the chest wall. After the implant is placed in this pocket, it is centered behind the nipple. Saline implants are placed empty due to their structure and are then filled with salt water. After the implant is placed, the incision is closed by the surgeon. 

In case the silicone prosthesis is placed under the muscle, the prosthesis is covered with a thicker tissue layer. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain a more natural result. In addition, the possibility of the development of deformation known as capsular contracture, which can be experienced after breast augmentation surgeries, is less. When the silicone prosthesis is placed under the muscle, the tissue layer covering the prosthesis becomes thinner. In addition, the possibility of developing capsular contracture is higher in this method.

Before and After Breast Augmentation Surgery

Before breast augmentation surgery, taking aspirin and its derivatives, which have blood-thinning effects, should be discontinued. A mammographic examination should definitely be performed for patients over the age of forty, especially for patients with a family history of breast cancer. Patients who smoke should stop smoking at least ten days before the surgery. Likewise, smoking should be avoided after the surgery. This is because smoking has a negative effect on the healing process. 

Complications that can be experienced after breast augmentation surgery include the development of infection, bleeding, and capsule contracture formation. Rarely, an infection may develop in the prosthetic place. In such a case, antibiotic therapy is administered. If the treatment is not effective and the infection persists, the silicone prosthesis may need to be removed and replaced. However, performing the operation by an experienced surgeon and following the surgeon’s pre- and post-operative recommendations reduce the possibility of developing any complications.

Breast augmentation surgery, i.e. silicone prostheses, does not prevent pregnancy and breastfeeding. Care is taken to use very thin sutures to minimize the incision marks made for the placement of the prosthesis. Since it coincides with the color change area, a much more indistinct scar remains in the incisions made around the nipple. 

It is possible to experience pain, swelling and bruising after breast augmentation surgery. Swelling and bruising disappear within a certain period of time, and the pain that occurs is at a level that can be controlled with painkillers. While the scars on the incision areas are very obvious at the beginning, they fade over time and gradually become obscure. Some factors such as the incision site and the patient’s skin quality are effective in how much the incision will heal and how uncertain the scar will be.

In order to provide extra support to the implants during the healing process, to protect the positioning and to increase the success of the operation result, a sports bra should be used for the period specified by the surgeon. Patients should avoid tiring activities that may cause elevated blood pressure or heart rate, for at least two weeks after the operation. It should not be ignored that the breasts will be sensitive to physical contact and movements that may cause shaking during the healing process. It is considered normal for the patient to have difficulty in raising their arms for a certain period of time. Heavy housework, excessive physical activity and tiring sports should be avoided for one month following the operation. Care should be taken to lie on your back for a few weeks after breast augmentation surgery. You should not be in environments such as Turkish bath, sauna, and steam bath for 6 weeks. Before starting sports such as swimming and tennis, a doctor’s approval must be obtained. In the recovery process, control examinations should not be hindered. Thus, in case of any problem, it can be diagnosed early and necessary precautions can be taken.