Breast Aesthetics
Jason Harrison
The female breasts are perhaps the most central symbol of feminine beauty in Western society. Unfortunately, the vast majority of women believe they have less than ideal breasts. The effects of aging, childbearing, nursing and genetics can combine to afflict even the most attractive woman with drooping, asymmetric or poorly-contoured breasts. And diseases of the breast, including breast cancer, can result in mastectomy - and the need for breast enhancement and reconstruction.
While the ideal of once again possessing the flawless bosom of a teenager is unrealistic for adult women, a variety of techniques exist for enhancing adult breasts that have become less than flawless thanks to time, disease, and/or changes in appearance due to their performance of their natural biological function. These techniques are known collectively as breast aesthetics.
Generally speaking, breast aesthetic procedures consist of four surgical procedures:
• breast augmentation (enlargement)
• breast reduction
• breast lift
• breast reconstruction.
Breast augmentation (augmentation mammoplasty) is characterized by the surgical implantation of silicone- or saline-filled breast implants. Women with small breasts or those whose breasts have decreased in size or fullness after substantial weight loss or childbirth can restore their breasts to their former proportions using this method. Augmentation is the most popular form of cosmetic surgery, with over 300,000 procedures performed every year.
Breast reduction is the flipside of this procedure. Every year, thousands of women suffer the effects of oversized breasts, including physical and psychological pain and damage. Breast reduction often provides relief from back pain and discomfort caused by oversized breasts. In a reduction mammoplasty, excess fat, tissue, and skin are removed and discarded until the patient's breasts are proportioned to her body frame.
A breast lift gives the breasts a firmer, higher appearance. The procedure is similar to an arm lift or tummy tuck - the surgeon cuts away and removes excess skin from the breast along with some underlying fat, then repositions the nipple; the skin is then tightened around the underlying tissue, sutured and bandaged.
Breast reconstruction is the process of restoring the breasts to normal appearance by means of plastic surgery. In a typical breast reconstruction case, the surgeons must replace breasts that have been removed due to mastectomy with new breasts formed from the patient's own tissue, along with implants as necessary. A series of operations may be required to sculpt and position the new breasts, install necessary channels for drainage and correct any complications that may occur subsequent to the reconstructive process.
A typical breast augmentation procedure takes up to three hours and is frequently performed on an outpatient basis. Recovery is reasonably rapid in most cases, although discomfort, discoloration, swelling and numbness may persist for some time. Scarring, loss of feeling and uneven positioning of the nipples are also frequently experienced by recovering breast augmentation patients.
Women do not choose the natural shape of their breasts, nor can they completely control the changes in shape and size of their breasts that accumulate as time passes. Breast aesthetic procedures give women the ability to restore natural beauty to their breasts and in so doing restore their self-confidence, self-esteem and feminine image.
About the author: Breast aesthetics are often at the forefront of cosmetic concerns. You can learn more about the various plastic surgery options for breast aesthetics on The Plastic Surgery Channel.
http://www.theplasticsurgerychannel.com
While the ideal of once again possessing the flawless bosom of a teenager is unrealistic for adult women, a variety of techniques exist for enhancing adult breasts that have become less than flawless thanks to time, disease, and/or changes in appearance due to their performance of their natural biological function. These techniques are known collectively as breast aesthetics.
Generally speaking, breast aesthetic procedures consist of four surgical procedures:
• breast augmentation (enlargement)
• breast reduction
• breast lift
• breast reconstruction.
Breast augmentation (augmentation mammoplasty) is characterized by the surgical implantation of silicone- or saline-filled breast implants. Women with small breasts or those whose breasts have decreased in size or fullness after substantial weight loss or childbirth can restore their breasts to their former proportions using this method. Augmentation is the most popular form of cosmetic surgery, with over 300,000 procedures performed every year.
Breast reduction is the flipside of this procedure. Every year, thousands of women suffer the effects of oversized breasts, including physical and psychological pain and damage. Breast reduction often provides relief from back pain and discomfort caused by oversized breasts. In a reduction mammoplasty, excess fat, tissue, and skin are removed and discarded until the patient's breasts are proportioned to her body frame.
A breast lift gives the breasts a firmer, higher appearance. The procedure is similar to an arm lift or tummy tuck - the surgeon cuts away and removes excess skin from the breast along with some underlying fat, then repositions the nipple; the skin is then tightened around the underlying tissue, sutured and bandaged.
Breast reconstruction is the process of restoring the breasts to normal appearance by means of plastic surgery. In a typical breast reconstruction case, the surgeons must replace breasts that have been removed due to mastectomy with new breasts formed from the patient's own tissue, along with implants as necessary. A series of operations may be required to sculpt and position the new breasts, install necessary channels for drainage and correct any complications that may occur subsequent to the reconstructive process.
A typical breast augmentation procedure takes up to three hours and is frequently performed on an outpatient basis. Recovery is reasonably rapid in most cases, although discomfort, discoloration, swelling and numbness may persist for some time. Scarring, loss of feeling and uneven positioning of the nipples are also frequently experienced by recovering breast augmentation patients.
Women do not choose the natural shape of their breasts, nor can they completely control the changes in shape and size of their breasts that accumulate as time passes. Breast aesthetic procedures give women the ability to restore natural beauty to their breasts and in so doing restore their self-confidence, self-esteem and feminine image.
About the author: Breast aesthetics are often at the forefront of cosmetic concerns. You can learn more about the various plastic surgery options for breast aesthetics on The Plastic Surgery Channel.
http://www.theplasticsurgerychannel.com