ADJUSTABLE BREAST IMPLANTS FOR BREAST AUGMENTATION

Medical Home > Cosmetic Plastic Surgery > Aesthetic Trends > Adjustable Breast Implants

By Ben Lee, M.D., M.B.A.

BECAUSE IT IS A WOMAN’S PREROGATIVE TO CHANGE HER MIND, A REVOLUTIONARY ADJUSTABLE BREAST IMPLANT ALLOWS HER TO DO JUST THAT WITHOUT THE NEED FOR REMOVAL.

When a woman purchases a dress in a department store, she may feel satisfied with the way the dress fits, return home and notice it is too snug or just not flattering and return the garment.  In this day and age of adjustable cigarette lighters, car seats, hair dryers, beds, and the Victoria’s Secret “click” bra, women have the option and flexibility to adjust and change the size of a breast implant.

Breast Augmentation - Breast Implants

Breast augmentation is now one of the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures performed in the United States.  In 2003 alone, 280,401 women underwent this procedure.  What is the number one complaint associated with breast augmentation?  The answer is patient dissatisfaction with size!

Adjustable Breast Implant Size

Often, women seek breast augmentation and merely know that they want to be “bigger” or “fuller.” Frequently a patient can overestimate the size she wants to be or underestimate the “ideal cup size.”  It is often difficult for a patient to know exactly what she wants until she sees how a fuller breast actually fits her proportions.  Without the benefit of an adjustable implant, patients often have to undergo multiple breast augmentations until the doctor and patient feel it is an ideal aesthetic result.  Repeated surgery entails one or more postoperative recovery periods which impedes a patient’s personal and professional life.

Patients now have the option to change their breast implant size after surgery.  Traditional saline breast implant surgery involves creating a pocket, placing and filling the breast implant, and closing the incision (all done with a patient lying flat and unconscious on the operating table).  The filling tube is left inserted in the breast implants and brought out between the stitches of the closed incisions.

A small piece of gauze is placed over the incision, incorporating the filling tube, hidden within the supportive bra.  With the patient now awake and in a sitting position, the surgical dressing is removed; and saline is added or subtracted within seconds according to the patient’s preference. The tube is then removed and the incisions are self-sealed.  As a result of this technique, patients can go up or down one full bra size.

The good news is that there is no pain associated with the removal of the filling tube, as the incision for the filling tube is only 1/8 inch in diameter with a self-healing incision.  With the adjustable breast implants technique, not only can patients change the size of the implant without pain or further surgery, but they can also choose the shape and position which will provide the most ideal aesthetic result.

Adjustable Breast Implants - Feedback

The reaction to adjustable breast implants has been uniformly positive.  Most patients do underestimate the size they want to be.  This is especially true when women have loss of breast volume following pregnancy.  For any woman who has ever felt trepidation when considering breast augmentation, the adjustable filling tube gives her complete flexibility and control over her aesthetic outcome—an attribute which is rare with any cosmetic procedure.

Dr. Ben Lee, M.D., M.B.A., is a Board-Certified Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeon who has been in practice since 1988 and currently practices in Denver, Colorado.  Working closely with various well known reconstructive surgeons at the prestigious Duke University Medical Center, Dr. Lee has developed a deep respect for the excellence and dedication which plastic surgeons apply to those in need of their expertise.  Dr. Lee and his staff are committed to providing state-of-the-art cosmetic and reconstructive surgery services, with special interests in aesthetic and reconstructive surgery, facial cosmetic surgery, and body contouring.  For more information visit www.drbenlee.com.

Find Local Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeons

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington D.C., West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming