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Fun Facts About Breasts and Breast Augmentation

Quick, name three materials other than silicone or saline that have used historically for breast augmentation! On what animal were recent predecessors of modern silicone implants first tested on? Think you know? Breast augmentation is one of the most popular cosmetic surgeries in the United States, and it isn’t surprising when you consider the level of satisfaction most women report after their surgery. However, very few know the history of augmentation and statistics that surround this popular procedure. Read on to learn a brief history of breast augmentation, as well as the reasons why women seek breast augmentation and other fun facts.

BREAST AUGMENTATION IN THE 19TH CENTURY

Long before modern silicone and saline implants were available, women were subjected to a number of questionable materials when seeking breast enhancement. At one time, surgeons used materials such as glass balls, carved ivory, wood chips, peanut oil, and even ox cartilage to fill out the breasts. The resulting complications are too disturbing to describe.
In the 1880s, an Austrian physician named Robert Gersuny began to offer paraffin injections in the breasts as an augmentation method. However, women suffered from complications such as having unnatural hard masses in the breasts to experiencing life-threatening conditions such as blood clots in the lungs and brain. Later, silicone was injected directly into the breasts without good results, although with significantly fewer complications than Gersuny’s methods and materials. Scarily, these methods of breast augmentation are still in use in some parts of Asia.

20TH CENTURY BREAST AUGMENTATION ADVANCES

Moving forward to the 1960s, an American surgeon named Thomas Cronin was carrying a bag of blood when he realized that it was similar in consistency to a human breast. Cronin had already developed silicone prosthetics and realized that he could put together the idea of a solid bag with silicone gel to form implants. Cronin and his colleague, Frank Gerow, developed the first true predecessor to modern breast implants. The first prototypes were implanted in a dog named Esmeralda.
After World Wars I and II, mass media such as movies and magazines began to place wider emphasis on appearances, and starlets such as Marilyn Monroe were often cited as the ideal for body shape and breast size. This created a push for proper surgical solutions for women who were unsatisfied with their breasts.
Technology advanced fairly rapidly after Cronin and Gerow’s developments, and now breast implants are safer than ever before with oversight by the Food and Drug Administration (the FDA). Although there are risks with any procedure, cosmetic or otherwise, breast implants have come so far in terms of both materials and surgical approach that breast augmentation is now often considered one of the safest of all surgeries performed in the United States.

WHAT ABOUT BREAST IMPLANTS USED TODAY?

In the United States, the FDA currently has approved two types of implants, both of which are encased in silicone shells. The choice of material inside the implants is either silicone or saline. Thirty-one percent of implants used in the United States are saline-filled, and these implants may come either pre-filled or they may be filled after they are placed. Saline implants are FDA-approved for women 18 years of age and older. The remaining 69 percent are filled with a stable, silicone gel. Silicone gel implants are available pre-filled, and are FDA-approved for women over the age of 22.
If you have been considering breast augmentation, a great first step is to schedule a consultation with Dr. Mark Bishara at The Paragon Plastic Surgery & Med Spa. Call us today at (817) 473-2120 to schedule your consultation. We look forward to meeting you!

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Silicone Breast Implants

Breast augmentation surgery, also known as augmentation mammoplasty, involves enlarging or reshaping the breast with the use of an implant. If you are thinking about getting breast augmentation surgery, there are a few things you should know before embarking on the process. The first thing is to not be intimidated by the word “surgery”. This type of cosmetic enhancement is one of the most common types of procedures performed in the United States, with thousands of women having breast augmentation done every year.
About Silicone Implants
Silicone implants are considered to be more realistic in that the gel with which they are filled has a similar consistency to breast tissue. Saline implants are firmer and filled with salt water instead of gel. While there is the potential for a silicone gel implant to rupture as a result of an injury, this is a rare event. If it does rupture, the silicone should remain within the implant shell or move to the implant pocket. If a saline implant ruptures, its contents will be absorbed by the body.

  • Silicone is used safely in the body in many medical devices and products, including pacemakers, hear valves, artificial joints and baby pacifiers
  • Silicone gel breast implants are among the most studied medical devices in existence, with thousands of peer-reviewed and published reports on studies
  • Silicone implants have a softer feel that is closer to that of natural breast tissue than saline implants

Dr. Mark Bishara provides a wide range of cosmetic procedures to help patients look and feel their best. These procedures are designed to improve the appearance of the face and body through minimally invasive techniques that provide highly effective results. Many of these procedures can be combined in order to achieve your desired appearance. Please call our office for more information at (817) 473-2120 or visit our website at www.MarkBisharaMD.com.
Please visit our Facebook page at The Paragon Plastic Surgery and Medspa

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Silicone Breast Implants

In 2012, more than 330,000 women in the United States elected to have breast augmentation surgery; worldwide, that number exceeded 1.5 million.
About 30 percent of the women who get breast implants are in their 20s. They often report being self-conscious about their lack of development or embarrassed about their breasts being asymmetrical or uneven. About 35 percent are women in their thirties, many of whom lost breast volume after childbirth. Some want to recapture their pre-pregnancy breast size, while others liked the breast fullness they had during pregnancy and want to recreate it with implants.
Whether women are having cosmetic breast surgery, their goals are similar: They want to look feminine, natural and proportional. They want their clothes to fit better.
In consultation, women ask dozens of questions about the safety, durability and longevity of saline and silicone gel implants – the two types that are approved for sale by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Silicone breast implants- The most popular choice

Silicone breast implants are filled with silicone gel. The gel feels a bit more like natural breast tissue. If the implant leaks, the gel may remain within the implant shell, or may escape into the breast implant pocket. A leaking implant filled with silicone gel will not collapse.
If you choose silicone implants, you may need to visit your plastic surgeon regularly to make sure the implants are functioning properly. An ultrasound or MRI screening can assess the condition of breast implants.
Silicone breast implants are FDA-approved for augmentation in women age 22 or older.

Are Silicone Gel or Saline Breast Implants Better?

There is no simple answer to which type of implant is best for you. If a saline breast implant leaks, it is just salt water that is easily absorbed by the body. When compared to silicone, it also has less of a chance of leaking or hardening. The main benefit of silicone is that it feels more like a normal breast and is less likely to cause rippling. However, silicone may rupture without you knowing it, and has a higher chance of hardening (capsular contracture).
This Information is Brought to you courtesy of Dr. Mark Bishara and The Paragon Plastic Surgery & Med Spa

 
 

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Facts about Breast Augmentation- Silicone Implants

Breast augmentation, also called augmentation mammaplasty, involves surgical placement of an implant behind each breast to increase its volume and enhance its shape. Often, after weight loss, childbirth, or as a result of aging, the breasts lose volume and their shape changes. Also, many women choose to have their breasts enlarged in order to satisfy their desire for a fuller bustline. Breast augmentation can be performed at any age after the breasts are developed.

Silicone Breast Implants:
Silicone implants are pre-filled with silicone gel — a thick, sticky fluid that closely mimics the feel of human fat. Most women feel that silicone breast implants look and feel more like natural breast tissue.
They come in different sizes and have either smooth or textured shells.
Silicone gel-filled breast implants are approved for breast augmentation in women age 22 or older and for breast reconstruction in women of any age. They are also used in revision surgeries, which correct or improve the result of an original surgery.

BENEFITS:

  • Positive aesthetic results, and data has shown patients often receive a substantial psychological boost.
  • It is often possible to return to work within a week, depending on the nature of your work.
  • No scientific evidence that breast augmentation increases the risk of breast cancer, autoimmune disease, or any systemic illness.
  • No evidence that breast implants affect pregnancy or ability to breast-feed.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:

  • Every surgical procedure carries some risk. Potential complications may include reactions to anesthesia, blood accumulation that may need to be drained surgically, and infection.
  • Changes in nipple or breast sensation may result from breast augmentation surgery, although they are usually temporary.
  • When a breast implant is inserted, a scar capsule forms around it as part of the natural healing process. The capsule may sometimes tighten and compress the implant, causing the breast to feel firmer than normal. If the capsular contracture is severe, it may cause discomfort or changes in the breast’s appearance. Additional surgery may be needed to modify or remove scar tissue, or perhaps remove or replace the implant.
  • Breast implants can make performing and reading mammograms technically difficult. Placement of the implant underneath the pectoral muscle may interfere less with mammographic examination.
  • As with other surgical implants, breast implants cannot be expected to last forever. If a saline-filled implant breaks, its contents are harmlessly absorbed by the body, usually within hours.
  • Pregnancy can alter breast size in an unpredictable way and could affect the long-term results of breast augmentation.
  • As of May 2000, Federal regulation prohibits breast augmentation for purely aesthetic surgery in women less than 18 years of age

This Information is brought to you courtesy of Dr. Mark Bishara and The Paragon Plastic Surgery & Med Spa

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Body Contouring: Is It For You?

About forty-five million Americans diet each year and Americans spend approximately one to $2 billion a year on weight loss programs. It is believed that consumers spend about $30 billion per year trying to lose weight or prevent weight gain, and 55% of Americans are actively trying to maintain or lose weight. In the last five years weight loss surgery has experienced a tremendous resurgence. Over fifty thousand patients in the United States will undergo some form of gastric bypass surgery during the year, and the positive effects of this surgery are immeasurable. The health benefits of massive weight loss are numerous and profound.

However, after a patient experiences massive weight loss, the body skin is not able to retract to the smaller size of the body underneath. This results in large pendulous hanging breasts, significant excess underarm skin (sometimes known as bat wings), and significant lower abdominal skin and laxity that causes rashes, impairs the ability to wear normal clothes and sometimes even daily activity. In the face, this excess skin often leads to significant signs of aging when the skin is no longer able to retrace following massive weight loss.
Body Contouring is a safe and effective group of procedures that can help a patient drastically improve their appearance!  Dr. Mark Bishara and The Paragon Plastic Surgery & Med Spa offer body contouring surgery designed specifically for patients who have achieved significant weight loss. Procedures that remove skin or fat, tighten and lift can be used as a complement to help your clothes fit better and allow you to participate more comfortably in your favorite activities.

BODY CONTOURING – ARE YOU A CANDIDATE?

Not everyone who loses a lot of weight needs body-contouring surgery. Moreover, experts say, not everyone needs it for the entire body.
A lot depends on your age, your genetics, level of sun exposure, how evenly the weight was distributed, and, more importantly, how you feel when you look in the mirror. If you’re not unhappy about the way you look, you shouldn’t be made to feel you need body- contouring surgery.
What can also make a difference, however, is where you lose the weight. While a loss of 50 pounds that was concentrated in your midsection might leave you with a lot of loose skin in that area, a 100-pound loss that was more evenly distributed on your body may have less of an effect on skin.
If you do end up with droopy, sagging skin and think there’s some other way around it, experts say, forget it. Short of surgery, there is really nothing that can help. Exercise won’t tighten it, and skin creams and lotions won’t do a thing to help.
Interested in what body contouring can do for you? Contact Dr. Mark Bishara’s Office in Mansfield and Southlake, today to learn more about the transformative treatments we offer. Call us at (817) 473-2120 to find out more information.
www.MarkBisharaMD.com


 

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