THE 3 MOST APPLIED METHODS IN BREAST AESTHETICS

From this early period, breasts have been an important organ for women both in terms of aesthetic appearance and nutrition of the baby during their motherhood. Sagging breasts, small breasts, and very large breast tissue are among these problems. Breast reduction, breast augmentation and breast lift surgeries are among the most commonly applied breast aesthetic methods today.

The structure of the breast can be easily affected by the hormonal changes and its effects on our metabolism. This causes changes in the breast structure and appearance. Especially as a result of processes such as pregnancy and breastfeeding, shrinkage and sagging of the breasts are one of the most common reasons for applying for breast aesthetics. These negative changes in the breast tissue not only affect the psychology of women, but also cause some problems in their sexual and social life.

Surgical methods generally used in breast aesthetics can be grouped under three main headings as breast augmentation, breast reduction and breast lift. Today, breast augmentation can be done with silicone-coated prostheses, the patient’s own fat tissue or externally applied synthetic materials. Breast augmentation surgeries are among the most applied aesthetic surgeries all over the world and in our country in recent years. In addition, hybrid (fat injections with prosthesis) operations are also used in breast augmentation. In this way, more natural and aesthetically successful results can be obtained.

How is breast augmentation surgery done?

Since the breast tissue has its own unique tissue regarding the shape, there is not a single breast type tissue defined in the literature in this field. According to the literature, there are three main types of breast tissue in women: drop, flat and round. Breast augmentation aesthetics, which will be performed as a result of changes in breast structures from person to person, structural changes and deformity due to various reasons, must be planned individually. From this point of view, silicone prostheses are used in breast augmentation operations, which are among the most frequently performed breast aesthetic surgeries, and in the aesthetics of breasts that cannot reach sufficient size as a result of growth issues or that shrink for various reasons. With silicone prostheses placed behind the breast tissue, fuller, more upright and aesthetically better looking breast tissue is created.

One of the most frequently asked questions by those who apply to the surgeons for breast augmentation surgery is whether silicone prostheses will cause problems during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Since the silicone prostheses used in breast augmentation are placed under the muscle, the milk glands and milk ducts are not damaged. Therefore, there is no problem for the mother to breastfeed her baby. Another frequently asked question is whether there will be a scar after the surgery. Since the scars that occur in the breast augmentation surgery are hidden under the breast, around the nipple or under the armpit, an image that may disturb the patients aesthetically is prevented. It is important that the patient and the physician decide together before the surgery on the area where these scars should be hidden.

What is done in breast reduction and lift surgery?

In some women, breasts that are structurally large, regardless of weight, get larger and sag due to weight gain, breastfeeding, and pregnancy. Enlarging and sagging of the breast does not only spoil the aesthetic appearance, it also causes back, shoulder, neck and lower back pain. Finding clothes is a problem. Social life and sexual life are also adversely affected. In this case, a rejuvenating breast surgery is performed on sagging breasts and the breast size is reduced, while the breast lift technique is also applied. The techniques applied in breast reduction and breast lift surgeries are similar. Unlike breast augmentation surgeries, the scars may differ according to the size of the breast, the degree of sagging, the skin structure and texture of the patient, as well as the color of the skin. The larger the breast tissue is, the more the fat tissue removed for lifting there is, and more scars can remain. Before the operation, the patient should be well informed about the scars issue. 

Breasts can be reconstructed after cancer-caused amputations

In breast aesthetic surgeries, there is another patient group besides breast augmentation, reduction and lift surgeries. This patient group consists of women who had their breasts removed as a result of breast cancer. Today, one out of eight women is diagnosed with breast cancer. As a result of breast cancer, women’s breasts are surgically removed.

After it is removed, balance problems, psychological problems and anxiety appear. Breast tissue needs to be reconstructed in order not to disturb the balance of the body and to make the patients psychologically comfortable. This process is called “breast reconstruction”, that is, the reconstruction and creation of the new breast tissue. After the removal procedure performed by general surgeons on breast cancer patients, breast tissue can be reconstructed in the same session, that is, while the patient is still on the operating table or afterwards. 

Physicians decide together with the patient whether such surgeries will be performed at the same time as the surgery in which the cancerous breast tissue is removed or months later. If the breast tissue is removed and reconstructed during the operation, patients do not suffer from psychological depression. In these surgeries, in addition to prostheses, the patient’s own fat tissues can also be used. Sometimes, the use of the silicone prosthesis and the person’s own fat tissues are preferred. The tissues used in the reconstruction of the breast are taken from the abdomen, back, thigh or hip. 

Before all these procedures are performed, the physician must communicate very well with the patient, explain very well what will be done in the operation, and inform the patient about the results after the operation. The most important point is that all these surgeries are performed by experienced and knowledgeable plastic surgeons.