Tag Archives: breast enlargement

Breast Augmentation, Breast Enlargement: “What about the muscle?”

Categories in: Breast Augmentation, Breast Procedures
Listed in Tags:, , , , , , ,

Cosmetic breast enlargement or breast augmentation is done to give a women a more attractive, full, and larger shape to the breast. The operation has a very high success rate and is considered extremely safe. The operation is almost always done on an out-patient basis with a reasonably quick recovery. Women interested in the cosmetic operation often ask about “muscle work” or “the muscle” and this educational writing on breast augmentation will review this.

The chest of a women has a large flat fan shaped muscle called the pectorals major muscle beneath the breast. This is the large chest muscle you see in male body builders. This pectoralis muscle is the main muscle for breast enlargement. The serratis anterior muscle and the rectus abdominus muscles play a smaller role for breast surgery, but most of the focus is on the pectoralis muscle.

Breast implants are placed either beneath the pectoralis muscle or on top of it. Placing it beneath the muscle is called sub-muscular placement. Placing the breast implant on top of the muscle is called sub-glandular. This means beneath the breast- BUT on top of the muscle! Breast augmentation technique involves placing the implant in one of these two locations.

Most medical studies show superior results with placing the breast implants beneath the muscle. The muscle provides improved coverage and lower complications. Dr. Saunders emphasizes how the muscle and breast together are an important concept he calls “soft tissue coverage.”
“Soft tissue coverage” is all the muscle, breast, and skin that are covering the breast implant and “hiding” it. The more tissue or coverage that hides the breast implants- the better the result will be.

Imagine a women who naturally was as “flat as a board” and then gets extremely large breast implants. She now is at the beach! She will look fake, round, and not natural. Many people don’t want this result after breast augmentation surgery. She looks like this because she has poor “soft tissue coverage.” She has mainly “skin” covering the breast implants. She will also have a worse “feel” and a worse “look” to the breast with higher complications.

It is placing the implants beneath the muscle that gives us the most “soft tissue coverage” possible. Dr. Saunders tries to get the breast implants behind all the muscle possible that a women has on her chest. These breast augmentation techniques give the best results with the softest breast, most natural result, and lowest complications. Understanding the importance of the muscle is the key to understanding the latest breast augmentation techniques.

More info: Saline vs Silicone Breast Implants

Breast implants placed on top of the muscle sometimes is done. As far as breast enlargement techniques is concerned- this can be a mistake! It is not the first choice for location as described above. Higher complications can occur in this location. These problems might be seeing the breast implants (wrippling) or feeling the breast implants (palpability) more than normal or desired. Options include placing them beneath the muscle or switching to Silicone breast implants. Saline breast implants versus silicone breast implants is discussed in detail in another educational writing. You can link to this now. It is called – Breast Implants Saline or Silicone? For extra discussion- consultation is recommended in this situation.

People interested in breast augmentation cosmetic surgery or breast enlargement cosmetic surgery or other topics such as breast augmentation cost, breast augmentation recovery, or breast augmentation technique should please call the office for an appointment. Dr. Saunders will review your breast surgery with you in detail!

Dr. Saunders is a board certified plastic surgeon who practices exclusively cosmetic surgery. Please check out the breast enlargement before and after photos on our web site. Also, please come in for a complimentary consultation to learn about your choices and options!

Click here to visit our Breast Augmentation photo gallery.

Breast Augmentation, Breast enlargement: What is settling?

Categories in: Breast Augmentation, Breast Procedures
Listed in Tags:, , , , , , ,

Cosmetic breast augmentation or breast enlargement is one of the most commonly performed cosmetic surgery procedures done each years! Statistics by the American Society of Plastic Surgery show that this operation is in the top three almost every year. Results and patient satisfaction is usually very high with cosmetic breast surgery.

However, women need to understand that it is not an operation where the breast implants are placed and “presto-chango” you wake up with perfect breasts. It takes time for healing to occur- and that is what this writing will focus on. Breast augmentation or breast enlargement involves putting breast implants behind the muscle. They are almost always placed there. The muscle is the pectoralis muscle predominantly, but also the serratis on the side to a lesser degree.

The placement of breast implants behind the muscle is called sub-muscular breast augmentation or breast enlargement. The muscle provides soft-tissue coverage and improved results. However, the space behind the muscle is very tight at first and it takes time for this space to stretch out.

This process or “stretching” is commonly referred to as breast implant dropping, breast implant settling, and or breast implant drop and fluff! These are layman terms for the changes that occur after this cosmetic breast operation. This stretching out of the muscle does take time- a short period of time usually but sometimes several months or even longer. Most people however can look good in just a couple of weeks! This is true especially in clothing or swim suits, but undressed it can be seen longer.

This process of breast augmentation settling is gradual, because it takes time for the muscles to stretch out and relax. It is similar to the slow changes that happen to the abdominal muscles with pregnancy. However, getting stretch marks in the skin with breast implants is exceedingly rare but more common with pregnancy.

During this process of breast enlargement settling, the breasts will gradually change and soften. The shape and appearance changes also. The breasts tend to slowly look more round and natural. It takes time, so be patient! Sometimes the breasts even look bigger as the muscle relaxes and the implants “come out.”

Breast enlargement settling gradually occurs and the implants “drop” during this process. When this happens the nipple comes down. It might seem unusual but breast implant settling or breast implant dropping occurs inside. So as the breast implant drops- the nipple moves up! This is extremely normal! When breast implants settle this is what happens.

Breast augmentation recovery or breast enlargement recovery has two phases. The first phase is the short period around the actual operation. This is the part unfortunately where pain is involved. However, Dr. Saunders uses a “Pain-Buster” to really decrease this and help make it as pain free as possible. The second phase of breast augmentation recovery is this slow stretching of the tissue and muscle that is called breast enlargement dropping or breast augmentation settling.

This second phase does take time as described above but usually there is no real pain with this phase! Breast massage or breast implant displacement are stretching maneuvers that are done to speed up the breast implant dropping. Dr. Saunders has a breast implant massage technique video that shows this in detail. He also has another educational writing that talks about and explains breast implant massage in detail.

People interested in breast augmentation or breast enlargement or other topics such as breast augmentation cost, breast augmentation recovery, or breast augmentation technique should please call the office for an appointment.

Dr. Saunders is a board certified plastic surgeon who practices exclusively cosmetic surgery. Please check out the breast augmentation before and after photos on our web site. Also, please come in for a complimentary consultation to learn about your choices and options!

Click here to visit our Breast Augmentation photo gallery

Do your homework! – Plastic Surgery Delaware

Categories in: General Plastic Surgery
Listed in Tags:, , , ,

Dr. Chris Saunders uses this phrase for different important concepts related to cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery. For example, he will use this expression to help Delaware cosmetic surgery patients or Pennsylvania cosmetic surgery patients choose breast implant size before cosmetic breast enlargement. It involves looking at breast photos and doing the “Rice Test” to give a person a better understanding of breast sizes before cosmetic breast augmentation. (Please see the section under “procedures” and also the blog on choosing breast implants for extensive discussion.) Dr. Saunders also talks about how to “Do Your Homework” in reference to learning different choices or options about abdominal plastic surgery. For example, the choice of doing cosmetic liposuction or a cosmetic tummy tuck should be learned. Or should a mini tummy tuck be done? A thorough discussion of the operations will give the patient a better understanding about the plastic surgery procedures. This will enable them to pick the correct procedure for them.

But Dr. Saunders, also wants his patients to “Do Your Homework” when it comes to learning about different doctors who do cosmetic surgery and their different training. Not all doctors are trained equally! Did you know that a doctor can advertise about cosmetic liposuction surgery or cosmetic face lift surgery and be board certified in Family Medicine or Dermatology? Most people want a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon! Did you know that cosmetic surgery is not a recognized specialty by the American Board of Medical Specialties? Cosmetic surgery is a specialty “within” Plastic Surgery and is not a separate board. Confused?

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons had a recent national advertising campaign to educate people about the facts. It helps people learn about different surgeons who do cosmetic surgery. The focus is on the advantages and safety of board certified Plastic Surgeons. Some doctors (not plastic surgeons) actually learn how to do liposuction at a weekend course! Yes, this is true. They take a coarse that might be called Liposuction 101. They are board certified in some other specialty and then advertise as a cosmetic surgeon. This is legal! It can be horribly misleading. A major medical study showed this type of poor training can definitely be associated with higher complications. Many patients do not understand how different medical specialties are trying to do cosmetic surgery or open a cosmetic med spa to make money. Most patients actually want a board certified plastic surgeon to be their surgeon and do not like being mislead.

Dr Saunders encourages his patients to learn about their doctors. To “Do Your Homework”!!  Did you know that Dr. Saunders went to school and surgery training for 16 years starting with undergraduate at Duke University!  That is a long time! His training in plastic surgery was extensive, and he trained for almost a decade at the University of California, Davis Medical Center. That’s a lot more than a weekend coarse. He is considered an expert in cosmetic surgery, which he exclusively practices.

When looking for a cosmetic surgeon, a patient should specifically ask is the doctor board certified in plastic surgery. If he is, then the patient knows and can trust that he has extensive and thorough knowledge of plastic and cosmetic surgery!

Dr. Saunders is a board certified plastic surgeon who practices exclusively cosmetic surgery in Delaware and Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. Please check out the before and after photos on our web site. Also, please come in for a complimentary consultation to learn about your choices and options!