Breast Augmentation Surgery And The Different Types of Implants Used

A lot of people these days are well aware of the popularity of Breast Augmentation surgery. What most do not realize is that there are different types of breast implants, and each type has its own use and application, depending on the preferences of the patient, her surgeon and lastly, the technique used for the placement of the implants also has some bearing over the choice of implant used.

The saline breast implant has an exterior shell made of solid silicone, which is filled with a sterile saline solution much like the salt-water solution that is administered for intravenous fluids during and after a surgical procedure. One of the advantages of this saline solution is its safety. Should a saline implant leak, the saline solution is absorbed by your body, just as the intravenous fluids would. Another notable advantage of saline breast implants is a very low infection rate, which has been reported to be less than two percent.

The silicone implants are filled with a silicone gel surrounded by a solid silicone shell. More than one million women in America currently have silicone breast implants. Some feel that the silicone implant results in a more natural appearing breast.

Cohesive gel implants (commonly referred to as the "gummy bear" implant) are silicone implants that are filled with a thicker silicone gel that will hold its shape and form much like a "gummy bear" candy. If you were to cut open a standard gel implant, the liquid silicone gel leaks out of the implant shell. However, when you cut into a cohesive gel implant, the implant itself maintains its shape and integrity and the thicker silicone gel does not leak out. These shaped implants were designed with a focus upon a natural look, rather than for the sole purpose of breast enlargement. "Gummy bear" implants maintain their shape in an upright position, which decreases the incidence of the implants shell folding or rippling. If a cohesive gel implant ruptures, it maintains both its shape and integrity.

When electing to have breast implant surgery, one should always consult with a plastic surgeon prior to the surgical procedure. This is an important step and one that should not be taken lightly. As with any surgical procedure, there is some level of risk, and it is important that anyone considering Breast Augmentation surgery become informed of the risks involved, and that person fully understand the procedure, and be realistic about her results.

For Women With Chronic Back Pain, Breast Reduction May Be The Answer

Breast Reduction surgery, also known as Reduction Mammoplasty surgery, is a breast procedure designed to reduce breast size and weight by removing excess breast tissue, fat and skin. During a breast reduction surgery procedure, the plastic surgeon reduces the breasts to create a more proportionate figure, and also lifts the breasts.

According to the ASPS, more than 114,000 Breast Reduction surgeries were performed in 2005 on women who had excessively large breasts, conditions also known as Macromastia, Mammary Hypertrophy and Mammary Gigantism. Some girls experience over-development of thier breasts (Mammary Hypertrophy) during puberty, while some women develop very large breasts (Gigantomastia) during pregnancy. All of these women chose breast reduction surgery because it was the best method of correction for the physical and emotional issues that are caused by excess breast weight. For many with Mammary Hypertrophy, the mere weight of the breasts makes it impossible to maintain any kind of regular exercise plan.

A woman with "F" cup breasts is carrying approximately six pounds more than a woman with "D" cup breasts. This additional weight is sustained in the neck, back and shoulders, causing chronic pain in these areas of the body. Many find relief through the use of strong narcotics and muscle relaxants, leading to possible physical addiction, and emotional anguish. With these considerations, Mammary Hypertrophy is a physical disability. Breast reduction surgery can be the answer to these issues for women with overly large breasts.

What is a MicroLaserPeel?

The Microlaser peel is an intra-skin laser peel that 'melts away' the outermost layers of the skin. The Microlaser peel procedure is customized for each individual to the nature of the skin condition needing correction. Skin conditions such as wrinkles, scars, acne scars, keratoses, or pigmentary problems have been successfully treated with a MicroLaserPeel procedure. MicroLaserPeel was designed for those people looking for more than microdermabrasion or light chemical peel procedure, and have do not have the time for a prolonged healing process. Now you too can have younger looking, healthier feeling skin with a Microlaser Peel. This "weekend" skin peel, treats the skin conditions associated with aging and active lifestyle. You can see real improvements in your skin within only a few days.

Bigger, Easier, Better - LookingYourBest.com Reaches for the Next Level

LookingYourBest.com, the nationwide reference guide to a Who's Who of America's Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeons, offers more than just a bold new look with its comprehensive re-tooling. It offers an enhanced experience.

The first aspect of the new LookingYourBest.com that will surely catch the eye is the new layout and color scheme. The old, sterile layout with its pastel colors blending out to the window's edge has been supplanted by a sharp, clean page set against a rich chocolate tone, with deep rose accents and a commanding presence. In all the site wears a more focused, sophisticated feel that visitors are sure to appreciate.

The visual changes, however, belie the underlying metamorphosis that now makes it even easier to seek out doctors and procedures by multiple criteria. A simplified menu and site structure are two of the keys to the improved ease of use, despite the addition of even more data than before. LookingYourBest has long been an excellent source for finding and comparing professionals in aesthetic medicine, both locally and nationally. Now, the search function in both the gallery and surgeon areas has been simplified and visitors are treated to informative videos and 3D procedure animations to further enhance their search.

There's an important difference in the underpinnings as well, though a casual visitor may not even notice. Nevertheless, by streamlining the site's code, the programmers at LookingYourBest have sought to improve what is often the most important aspect of a web site; browsing speed. The new LookingYourBest.com loads faster and is more intuitive than ever.

Thinking of Giving Each Other the Gift of Plastic Surgery?

Important Tips for Would-Be Gift Givers, Recipients

More and more couples are considering plastic surgery as the ultimate gift. However, it is important to weigh the risks and benefits of any aesthetic procedure, as well as choosing the surgeon, and setting that are right for you.

There are benefits to coming in for a consultation with a loved one, but decisions about individual surgeries should only be made by the person who is going to undergo the procedure. Additionally, couples who are both undergoing procedures should time their surgeries so that the other person can be available to care for their partner when they have surgery.

For anyone considering aesthetic surgery, Here is some important advice:

• The idea for plastic surgery should come from the person who intends to have it, not from a spouse, relative or friend.
• Plastic surgery takes planning. If you expect to give or receive a "gift" of plastic surgery, make sure that everyone involved does their homework well ahead of time. A self-motivated, well-informed patient is more likely to be a satisfied patient.
• Patients should discuss risks, benefits, expectations, and desires with a board-certified plastic surgeon. Surgery should be performed at an accredited surgical facility. All members of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, have significant documented experience in cosmetic surgery, and operate only in accredited surgical facilities.
• Not all patients are good candidates for all procedures. Patients need to be evaluated by a qualified and board-certified plastic surgeon to determine if they are an appropriate candidate for a particular procedure.

Many Facelift Surgery Options Are Available Today

Today many facelift options are appealing to men and women of various ages. Patients often will ask what is the best age for a facelift. That varies on an individual basis, as every face ages differently. Some patients opt to do a little bit of surgery in their early 40's while others wait and decide to do more of a major surgery in their 50's and 60's. Overall, the most important goal is to rejuvenate the patient and produce the most natural outcome, without appearing as if you have had surgery.

Heredity, personal habits, the pull of gravity, and sun exposure contribute to aging of the face. Therefore, facial rejuvenation is tailored specifically to the individual. Individual needs may include a browlift, eyelid surgery, necklift or even replacing the deep grooves or volume loss with fat. Your plastic surgeon will listen to your goals, assess your facial structure and will create a vision to rejuvenate your face to create the best, most natural results. Successful facial plastic surgery is result of good communication between patient and surgeon. Trust, based on realistic expectations develops in the consulting stage before the surgery is performed.

Nowadays facelifts are more than just pulling the skin as tight as possible, as evidenced by the wind tunneled looks of the past. Plastic and cosmetic surgeons use the most up to date and modern techniques of addressing the "deep plane, or underlying muscles as well as excess skin. The goal is to restore the contours of youth by repositioning muscles where they once were and replacing fat back where it has slowly disappeared.

What is Capsular Contracture?

Capsular contracture is the term used to describe hardening of the breast that can occur as a consequence of implantation of a breast prosthesis. It actually represents shrinkage of the circumferential scar that universally occurs as a normal response to the presence of any foreign body, or in response to injury of tissue. Any wound to the body results in a biological response to that injury that ultimately leads to healing of tissues together by scar. Without scar, injured tissues would never rejoin. When a foreign object, including a medical device such as an artificial joint, a heart valve, or a breast implant is placed within the body, the normal biological response is for scar to be laid down where the prosthesis abuts the host’s tissues.

When it comes to a breast implant, the surface area of this scar must exceed the surface area of the prosthesis for the prosthesis to freely move within the space that is occupies. If the layer of scar that surrounds the implant, which is itself like a bag or rough sphere of scar tissue, were to shrink (like “shrink wrap” on a package) then the implant would be unable to move around within that space. This results in a loss of fluidity of movement, which makes the implant feel hard to the touch. In severe cases, the breasts are distorted and tend to ride up on the chest. It can even become so hard that the breasts ache.

Plastic surgeons have studied this problem from many different perspectives and the exact cause of capsular contracture is unknown. What is known is that it doesn’t improve once is progresses to a particular degree. A classification scheme (known as the Baker Classification) has been proposed that describes different levels of severity of capsular contracture and it goes like this:

Grade I Normally soft and natural
Grade II Firm to the touch, but not apparent without feeling the breast
Grade III Visible distortion of the breast
Grade IV Severe firmness, with distortion and pain

There are no tests that can predict whether a patient is likely to develop capsular contracture. There is currently no known non-surgical treatment, like a pill or physical therapy, which will improve capsular contracture. The treatment involves surgery in which the scar tissue surrounding the prosthesis is removed or scored to open up the space so that the implant can move around. This is sometimes more involved than the original breast implantation surgery, though the recovery is usually much less painful. Unfortunately, this treatment does not guarantee that the problem will not recur.