Beauty is very relative. Some women dream of breast augmentation, others prefer to have small compact breasts and choose breast reduction. Of course, much depends on fashion magazines and Hollywood standards. Teenagers follow grown-ups' example, the grown-ups are trying to resemble movie stars, and the latter imitate each other. Among the celebrities only the laziest one hasn't undergone some plastic surgery procedures. Such an approach permits to say that nowadays not diamonds, but implants are a girl's best friends.
In general, there are two types of breast implants – silicone and saline ones. Both of them have a silicone elastomer envelop, which is filled either with silicone gel or with saline liquid (salt water). Saline-filled breast implants are considered more convenient, as they don't require such long incisions as silicone implants. In addition, in case of rupture, saline liquid has no toxic effect on the body. However, silicone breast implants have their advantages, for example, they are preferable for women with little breast tissue.
According to the studies, an average breast enlargement-seeking patient is young, healthy, married, belongs to the higher groups of society and mostly has children. Strange enough, but these successful, from the point of view of public opinion, women have a low level of self-esteem. They have distress about their appearance and are characterized by a higher percentage of suicide attempts. After breast implant placement their mental health becomes normal. Most of these women are very pleased with their breast implants, although they often have to undergo re-operation.
The procedure of breast implant placement usually lasts 1-2 hours, during which surgeon makes incisions and place breast implants under the skin. The most widespread types of incisions are periareolar (along the areolar border), transaxillary (in the armpit), inframammary (in the infra-mammary fold below the breast). Less common types of incisions include transumbilical and transabdominoplasty – in both of them the breast implants are tunneled up from the abdomen.
There also exist several types of breast placement, such as subpectoral (under the pectoralis major muscle), subglandular (between the breast tissue and the pectoralis), submuscular (below the pectoralis muscle) and subfascial (under the fascia of the pectoralis muscle). The risk of capsular contracture diminishes with subpectoral breast implant placement which is more popular in the USA.
Post-operation period is usually hard. The breast is swollen and painful, so patient should have a complete rest for 2-3 weeks. Over the course of her life woman is likely to undergo additional surgeries either for aesthetic reasons of because of some complications like rupture. But, in spite of all the difficulties, courageous women aren't going to refuse of breast implants, and the number of breast implant operations is growing year by year. |