BREAST AUGMENTATION
WITH BREAST PROSTHESES
WITH BREAST PROSTHESES
Breast augmentation with prostheses : Presentation
This technique has been used since the 1960s. Breast augmentation concerns women whose breasts are underdeveloped, or whose breast volume has decreased. This surgery makes it possible to reshape the breasts in order to give them a larger volume in accordance with the patient’s wishes.
To do this, Dr Diacakis, a plastic surgeon in Paris, will introduce a flexible prosthesis through an incision, which will create the missing volume.
There are two kinds of prostheses, the envelope is always made of silicone but they are either filled with :
- physiological solution
- or with silicone gel
Today silicone gel implants are unanimously accepted for a more aesthetic appearance and a more natural touch.
Before a breast augmentation
operation with prostheses
Each patient is unique, so the information is personalised because many criteria are involved in the decision and choice of techniques.
First of all, it is necessary to make sure that there are no anomalies. Clinical examination, mammography and ultrasound are essential to be able to benefit from this intervention.
You will be given a preoperative check-up and a bra to wear for 4 to 6 weeks.
A consultation with the anaesthetist is obligatory and must take place at least 48 hours before the operation. The anaesthetist will ask you to wash your body and hair with betadine the day before and the morning of the operation.
You will have to fast (without drinking, eating or smoking) 6 hours before the operation.
Any medication containing aspirin must be banned 2 weeks before the operation.
In order for a breast augmentation operation to be perfectly successful, the patient’s anatomy, size, shape of the breasts, the silhouette of the chest, the quality of the gland, the skin and the desire of the patient must be precisely analysed beforehand. In fact, it is a question of defining whether your desire and your anatomy are compatible in order to obtain the desired result, guaranteeing a natural appearance and respecting a rapid post-operative recovery.
As in all cosmetic surgery operations, the surgeon-patient relationship is essential. The surgeon must understand your request and you must feel understood. The surgeon is there to inform you about the conditions, the course and the possible risks of the operation. The surgeon becomes your doctor, guaranteeing you advice and listening. The choice of your surgeon is an important element in the success of the operation, you must feel comfortable with him. A first consultation is highly recommended to give you a precise idea of what you can expect from this operation and in case of doubt after this consultation, you can ask for a second consultation which will be free of charge.
Procedure for breast augmentation
surgery with implants
General anaesthesia is often the rule, with the administration of sedatives to alleviate post-operative pain.
Several techniques are used depending on the case, the incision is hidden in the areola, it can be under the breast or in the armpit. The prosthetic implant can be placed in front of or behind the muscle. Or in the so-called “dual plane” position, which allows a prosthesis to be placed behind the muscle on its upper half and behind the gland on its lower half.
The position of the prosthesis and scars depends on your initial breast. The final choice will be decided with you, explaining the advantages and disadvantages of each technique in order to choose the “tailor-made” method that will give you the best possible result.
The procedure takes approximately one hour.
You will usually be discharged the next day with or without a support bra. In any case, the bra should not hurt you. A bra that is too tight can cause the prostheses to rise and thus alter the result. If the bra is too tight, it is best to remove it and contact Dr Diacakis, a plastic surgeon in Paris.
After a breast augmentation
operation using implants
The post-operative pains are of the aches and pains type and are alleviated by painkillers and muscle relaxants.
Doctor Richard Diacakis, a plastic surgeon in Paris, systematically puts in suction drains to avoid a postoperative shell. The drains will be removed the day after the operation at the same time as the dressing. The bra will then be put on with the surgeon in order to check if it fits well.
After a breast augmentation, a shower is possible from the next day, preferably with Betadine.
The stitches are absorbable.
The breasts are swollen especially during the first month.
Sports activities will only be resumed after 4 to 6 weeks.
You will be given the telephone numbers of the clinic, the practice and the surgeon. Check-ups will be carried out at 8 days (essential), 15 days, 1 month, 2-3 months, 6 months, 1 year and every year. Post-operative check-ups are included in the initial estimate.
A week’s rest is absolutely necessary in order to avoid “a shell”.
Implants must be changed every 10 to 15 years. The prosthesis change will most often be done on an outpatient basis and practically painlessly, even if an increase in volume is desired.
The fitting of breast implants does not interfere with the radiological screening for breast cancer.
It is possible to breastfeed after breast implants.
What is a shell ?
One of the main complications to be aware of is the phenomenon of a breast shell, which exists in about 3 to 5% of cases. It can be avoided in a large number of cases by resting after the operation for a week to 10 days.
The rest consists of not working, not having young children to look after at home, i.e. reserving a week for yourself only. Remember that the implant placement that is performed the first time is for life. When an implant is placed in the human body, the body will react to this foreign body by isolating it, i.e. by creating a “separate room”, a lodge, inside the body. To do this, the body creates during the first week a thin, flexible, imperceptible and impermeable membrane all around the implant. This physiological reaction is normal and constant when the human organism is in the presence of a foreign body. The production of this membrane takes place mainly during the first week, which is why rest is essential during this period. Indeed, not resting during this period means taking the risk of disturbing this foreign body reaction and inducing the production of a thicker membrane which is then called a “shell”. A shell, depending on its intensity, i.e. its thickness, induces a retraction of the tissues on the implant which can go as far as a visible deformation, hard and painful to the touch.
This shell phenomenon can also occur, more rarely, several years later, without any particular cause and in an unpredictable way. When a “shell” exists and is troublesome, a surgical resection is necessary, which consists of the release or removal of this too thick membrane. The breast then becomes supple again.
The result of a breast augmentation
operation using implants is the following
It is obtained from one month onwards but the breasts only take on their final shape after three to six months. It is an operation that gives excellent aesthetic results and an important psychological contribution.
The price of a breast augmentation
operation with prostheses
The price of the consultation for breast implant surgery by Doctor Richard DIACAKIS, plastic surgeon in Paris is 100 euros.
The price of the operation depends on many factors which will be defined during the consultation.
This operation is most often aesthetic, it is then neither reimbursed by the social security nor by the complementary mutual insurance company.
During the consultation you will be given an estimate including :
- The clinic’s costs (operating theatre costs, accommodation in a single room)
- Surgeon’s fees
- The anaesthetist’s fees
- Assistance costs
- The application of 20% VAT.
Only the first consultation is charged. All other pre- or post-operative consultations are free of charge without any notion of time.
For all cosmetic surgery the patient has a minimum reflection period of 15 days.
