Know All About Your Breasts – Q&A

Answer: There is no fixed time for how long one should breastfeed. It is very personal and varies from one individual to another. It will depend on the mum herself. But the usual recommendation is around 6 months.

But should you decide to go for any surgery to enhance the breast, it is best to stop breastfeeding and wait for about 2 – 3 months before going for any treatment or surgical procedure.

Answer: There are various options & it depends on how one presents when she comes in for a consultation. We have to see what is the situation/condition of the breasts and know what one wants to achieve.

Breast augmentation using a silicone implant is one of the common treatments. Besides this, we also see an increasing interest in using their own body fat to refill their breast, and this can be done together when using silicone implants.

For those ladies who used to have big breasts, breasts can sag after breastfeeding. A skin tightening procedure, such as breast lifting or mastopexy can be done.

Using commercial fillers is not recommended as they can comprise breast cancer screening. It can cause many white spots and shadow images that can disturb the findings in the initial stage of breast cancer.

Answer: Breast augmentation is a common plastic surgery procedure for those that are dissatisfied with the size and want to have fuller and shapelier breasts. This can be enhanced with either the use of silicone implants or with fat grafting.

Breast Silicone Implants: There are a variety of brands in the market, and every brand comes in different shapes, sizes, textures, and profiles. Currently, more plastic surgeons are using silicone implants, also known as gummy bear implants or silicone cohesive implants. The other type of implant is the saline implant.

Silicone Shell: The silicone shell or envelope comes in different textures, such as smooth, textured, or polyurethane.

Shapes: The two common shapes of implants are round and anatomical. In every shape, there are also various types of profiles. Profiles of implants measure the distance an implant projects outwards from the chest wall. There are low, medium, and high profiles.

Sizes/Volume: The sizes or volumes for implants vary from 100 cc right to above 500 cc.

Incisions: There are three common locations where we place the incision for breast augmentation: the axillary, the nipple-areola, or below the breasts. It depends on one’s lifestyle and how the breast presents.

When it comes to determining which implants fit, Dr Marco explains there are many factors to consider, including the patient’s goals and the present condition of the breast.

The amount of breast tissue, the skin envelope, and the skin texture and elasticity. It should also consider the patient’s body physics, such as her thorax or chest wall size. Body asymmetry also impacts the choice of implant.

Every breast augmentation procedure is customized and tailored case by case because every woman is unique.

Answer: Fat grafting, also known as autologous fat transfer, is a procedure where liposuction is done on those unwanted fat areas (e.g., hips, inner and outer thighs). The fat is harvested and goes through a centrifugation process to separate and remove unwanted components such as blood, water or oil, and the remaining fat is then grafted mainly at the subcutaneous tissue of the breast, which increases the thickness of the fat layer that covers the breasts or in between the breast and chest muscles. We avoid putting the fat inside the fat tissue.

It is good for those whose breast has shrunk a bit and just want to refill the breast to make it look fuller.

Those who had breast augmentation done before and breastfed may complain about a fake-looking breast, or the edge of the implants are very obvious. Fat grafting can be done to the areas at the edge of the implant to give the breast a more natural look or create a more anatomical shape for the breasts.

Fat grafting can also be done with breast augmentation at the same time or after breast augmentation should they find that their chest is quite bony. The procedure can also help those with breast asymmetry. There are also cases where one decides to remove her implants for whatever reasons.  In such a case, fat grafting can rebuild the breast.

For all fat grafting, the breast might look very much fuller after the procedure due to some slight swelling, but it will reduce a little in size. Procedure time will vary from 1.5 hrs to 3 hrs depending on what is the complexity, and recovery time usually takes around 5 to 7 days.

Answer: A breast augmentation with a good size implant will be able to help to regain the breast. We have to see how much the skin and breast envelope there is before deciding on the size. There is a high chance that the implant can be placed on top of the muscle, behind the breast tissue, to give a nice aesthetic look and feel. If one feels that the implant may look a bit too obvious, especially in the cleavage area, a bit of fat grafting can give a nice natural look.

Answer: For most whose breast tissue is still quite full with only a bit of shrinking, it is possible to refill the breast tissue with some fat. This will give a very natural result.

Answer: A breast lift or mastopexy may help if there is sufficient breast tissue. This surgery will be able to lift the breast by removing the excess skin and tightening the surrounding tissue to reshape to rebuild the breast.

If there is insufficient breast tissue and lots of skin to remove, but one wants much fuller breasts than before, we sometimes have to combine the breast lifting/mastopexy with a small breast implant to lift and tighten the skin to rebuild the breasts.

These surgeries will leave you with scars around the nipple-areola and an inverted T scar. When the nipple areola is too big, it can be reduced to make it nicer. This surgery takes time and may take up to 3 to 4 hrs, depending on complexity. Stitches can be removed within 10 days.

For more details on this surgery, click: https://www.drmarco.com/plastic-cosme…/breast-lift-mastopexy/ for more informatio.n

Answer: It can be pretty common for a mum to breastfeed more on one breast. In reality, no one breast is similar. We have a small slight difference in our left and right breast in terms of the amount of breast tissue (the size), or one side higher than the other etc. These minor differences can be more evident after breastfeeding.

Dr Marco commented that to balance both breasts, he has to place different shapes, projections, and sizes of breast implants. If one side is more saggy and has a lot of redundant folds of skin (excess skin), Dr Marco may even have to cut and tighten the skin to accommodate and balance both breasts.

Answer: It is fairly common for the nipples to be enlarged after breastfeeding, as your child might have latched it. Nipple reduction can be done to reduce and restore to the pre-pregnancy size.

The procedure is usually done under local anaesthesia and usually takes around an hour. The plastic surgeon will make a very small incision on the nipple, where the excess tissue is removed via the incision. The nipple is reshaped and stitched. A light dressing is placed over the breasts, and stitches removal is usually between 5-7 days. The recovery period varies but usually takes around 10 days.

To know more about nipple reduction, click https://www.drmarco.com/plastic-co…/nipple-reduction-surgery/.

Answer: Yes, you should be able to breastfeed after having a breast augmentation. This depends on where your incisional cut is for breast augmentation. If your plastic surgeon did not cut through the milk ducts, you should be able to breastfeed again.