To date, nothing is impossible for a woman. Beautiful tightened breasts of suitable shape and size can be made in each plastic surgery clinic. However, there are different types of breast implants, the choice of which depends on the final result of the operation. Endoprostheses for the breast are selected by the surgeon, however, the patient will have more information about them.
What are implants?
Implants for breast plastic surgery (endoprostheses) are medical devices that are placed under the pectoral muscle or gland in order to obtain the desired volume, size and shape of the breast.
Breast implants are often also used to restore breasts after surgical interventions related to the treatment of breast cancer, in which the breast is removed completely or partially. Thus, it is possible to completely restore the woman’s natural appearance after the disease and restore her physical and psychological comfort.
Types of breast implants may vary depending on:
- forms;
- size;
- type of surface;
- filling.
Surface type
Smooth and textured types of breast implants are distinguished by the type of outer layer. Smooth-coated implants are distinguished by a very thin capsule, many believe that this can achieve an ideal and natural softness of the bust. As practice shows, when installed under the pectoral muscle, such endoprostheses to the touch are no different from textured ones. In addition, the big disadvantage of smooth implants is the fact that they take root much worse than textured ones.
Modern endoprostheses with a rough texture have a fairly dense shell, which improves the adhesion of the medical device to the surrounding tissues. In the process of breast healing after prosthetics, the body creates a shell of tissues around the implant (as well as around any other foreign body). With a high density of such a shell, a side effect occurs - capsular contracture. Body tissues compress the implant too much, causing not only external deformation of the chest, but also severe pain, which requires repeated surgical intervention.
The form
Types of breast implants in shape can be round or anatomical (teardrop-shaped).
The main advantage of round prostheses is their ability to create maximum breast augmentation in the upper pole. Often this is necessary to obtain harmonious proportions of the body and the symmetry of the mammary glands.
Round implants are indispensable for corrective operations on the mammary glands associated with the elimination of signs of pronounced asymmetry. You can give the breast maximum volume and raise it to the desired height. But there is a high probability that such implants will turn over under the gland and give the breast an unnatural appearance. The advantage of such medical devices is their affordable cost.
Round implants can be low profile and high profile. It all depends on the proportional ratio of the height of the protruding part of the endoprosthesis to the width of its base. Low-profile implants allow you to create breasts as natural as possible, and products with a high profile - the necessary breast volume for fragile girls.
The anatomical implants allow the plastic surgeon to form the most natural and natural breasts, but at the same time require high professionalism of the doctor, as they are quite difficult to install.
Such endoprostheses are used to correct a flat chest and, if necessary, maintain a natural and smooth contour of the mammary glands. The cost of such products is much higher than round. In the process of recovery after surgery (due to an increase in the tissue capsule around such an implant), it can take a round shape. The disadvantage of anatomical endoprostheses is the fact that they can move under the gland, deforming the contours of the chest. The density of such implants is higher than that of round ones, so even when lying they do not change shape, they may look unnatural. Difficulties with teardrop-shaped implants can also arise in the process of selecting underwear.
The size
Types of breast implants in size: fixed or adjustable. Fixed prostheses have a clear fixed size that cannot be adjusted during surgery. The size-adjustable types of breast implants (the photo of which differs little from the fixed ones) are equipped with a special valve through which a physiological (saline) solution is introduced into them during the operation. Thus, the volume of the prosthesis is adjusted.
To determine the required volume of the endoprosthesis, the ratio of standard breast sizes to the volume of the implant filler in cubic milliliters is used. One size corresponds to 150 cubic milliliters. Thus, in order to get a breast of the third size, when the girl’s own breast is the first, endoprostheses with a volume of 300 ml cubic are required.
Fixed implants can differ in volume from each other by only 10 ml. To determine the right size, plastic surgeons often use computer modeling of the result of an upcoming operation. Thus, the girl can choose the types and sizes of breast implants from the photo.
Filler
The types of breast implants and their characteristics may differ depending on the internal filling of the prosthesis. Allocate:
- salt implants;
- silicone;
- bioimplants;
- endoprostheses with silicone;
- dentures with a complex composition.
Salt implants appeared on the market among the first and are still quite popular due to their low cost. At the same time, such prostheses have significant drawbacks, the main among which is the transfusion of fluid in the implant, which creates squelching sounds during the active movements of the girl in whom they are installed. But the continuous flow of information in the media about the dangers of silicone implants makes patients choose salt prostheses quite often.
To date, there is scientifically based data on the safety of silicone prostheses, but because of rumors, many are very afraid of their use.
In bioimplants, a natural polymer - carboxymethyl cellulose is used as a filler for breast augmentation and correction. Hydrogel prostheses are no worse than silicone ones in terms of elasticity, but they have a higher cost and certain disadvantages. If the walls of such an endoprosthesis are damaged, the filler can leak, and even without violating the integrity of the outer layer, the volume of the implant decreases over time due to the outflow of its internal contents.
Silicone-based endoprostheses made implants lightweight, preventing mastoptosis (prolapse of the mammary glands).
Complex implants have a two-chamber design. The internal cavity of such a prosthesis is filled with physiological saline, and the external chamber is filled with silicone gel. Implants with this filling can be additionally equipped with a valve (for size correction during surgery). Dentures with a valve can be inserted into the mammary gland through a skin incision in the navel, after which they are filled with saline until the desired size is obtained.
With the introduction of excess fluid, the implant may become too dense and will not look so natural.
Silicone gel used as a filler for implants can be of two types: cohesive and highly cohesive.
Highly adhesive gel does not spread at all and maintains stable elasticity, similar to natural female breasts. Often such a gel is called shape memory silicone. Even if the shell of the implant filled with such a gel is damaged, leakage of the contents is impossible, the shape of the breast is preserved. Such a filler is used exclusively in expensive anatomical implants.
The cohesive silicone filler has a viscous structure and also does not extend beyond the prosthesis. It may vary in degree of density and softness. A denser composition is used in anatomical implants.
Advantages
Breast implants, the types and differences of which depend on many factors, including not only the shape and filling, but also the installation method (under the gland or under the muscle), have common advantages and disadvantages for all types.
Advantages of endoprostheses are:
- Imitation of natural and natural female breasts both visually and tactilely.
- Biological compatibility and sterility. Filling of modern breast prostheses does not lead to the development of inflammatory processes, which minimizes the risk of rejection.
- Filler Safety. Implants with saline inside are absolutely not dangerous even in the event of a rupture, and silicone prostheses do not spread and do not move, so their flow is impossible.
- Low chance of damage. Endoprosthesis rupture is possible only due to severe injury or shock. Before releasing medical devices of this type for sale, they are tested for tension. If any type of breast implant is ruptured, the manufacturer agrees to replace it with a new one completely free of charge, as evidenced by the warranty of the prosthesis manufacturer.
disadvantages
With all the desire of the girl to get a natural breast of a suitable size and shape, modern implants are still not natural and in some situations can impersonate.
The disadvantages of endoprostheses include:
- Probing the implant. In some cases (especially when installing a prosthesis under the mammary gland), a medical device can be felt as a foreign object separate from the chest.
- Circuit. In the supine position, the contours of the prosthesis can be visible visually.
- The risk of capsular contracture (for prostheses with a smooth outer layer).
- Incorrect selection of size, asymmetry of the breast after surgery (depends on the professionalism of the surgeon and the accuracy of breast modeling before surgery).
What types of breast implants are better? From the photo it’s not always possible to understand, since the final choice depends on the decision of the doctor who selects the appropriate medical product after examining the patient and taking into account her wishes.
Life time
Today, all well-known manufacturers of all types of breast implants provide a lifetime warranty on their products. However, do not try to save on prostheses by purchasing them somewhere outside the clinic or manufacturers' sales offices. Installation of a poor-quality endoprosthesis can lead to serious consequences with a risk to health and life, often this causes repeated operations.
To create a spectacular and beautiful breast, plastic surgeons use only high-quality medical products and recommend a prosthesis that is ideal for all patient requests. Modern endoprostheses even allow breastfeeding a baby without any harm to his health and without physical discomfort for mom.
Quality implants of well-known brands do not require replacement and do not carry any health risk. Repeated surgery may be required only if the integrity of the endoprosthesis sheath is compromised. In such a situation, the manufacturer undertakes to compensate for all costs associated with the replacement of the implant, and to provide new products.
In some cases, a second breast correction operation is performed at the patient’s request:
- shell defects;
- change in breast shape after pregnancy and lactation;
- sharp jumps in body weight.
How to choose
The final choice of the appropriate type of breast implant, the required shape and size is determined by the doctor. To receive a new breast of a natural form, the following rules are considered:
- the height should only slightly exceed the width;
- the beginning of the chest is located in the region of the 3rd rib, the gland gradually descends with a gradual increase in thickness;
- in the lower pole, the chest has the shape of a densely filled oval;
- in the lateral projection, the most prominent area of the chest is the nipple;
- the distance between the chest and the nipple (chest thickness) is approximately equal to one third of the height.
It is almost impossible to independently determine from the photo which types of breast implants, in compliance with all the rules and the proportional ratio of the prostheses to the patient’s body. To get the perfect breast, it’s worth describing the surgeon as accurately as possible what result you are striving to achieve, the doctor will choose the endoprosthesis according to your wishes.
At the first consultation with the surgeon, the patient is offered to view different types of breast implants in the photo before and after the operation. During the discussion, the doctor and the girl come to a common decision and set the date for mammoplasty. Depending on what type of breast implant was chosen, the method of its installation and the access (incision for the prosthesis) are determined.
In addition to general factors, the following are also taken into account when selecting an implant:
- proportions of the patient's figure;
- skin condition;
- glandular tissue density;
- initial breast size;
- the height of the girl.
Security
According to medical research, modern breast implants (regardless of filling, shape and size) are absolutely safe for health.
In 1999, the results of a report by the US Institute of Medicine published data according to which the risk of developing cancer and other diseases of the mammary glands in patients with mammoplasty and girls who never had breast enlargement was absolutely equal.
In 1996, after the scandal with implants in the United States, a national expert council was established to study the safety of endoprostheses and their relationship with diseases of the connective tissue and the immune system. After examining several thousand medical documents in 1998, it was found that there was no connection between such diseases and breast implants.
An independent expert group from the UK examined all the possible problems caused by prostheses installed in the chest and found that no relationship between diseases and breast plasty was found.
The European Committee for Quality Control of Medical Products also found no relationship between autoimmune diseases or connective tissue diseases and plastics. The effect of prostheses on the risk of developing breast cancer and other neoplasms has not been proven in the course of research.