The New "Natural" Breast - Ideal Proportion is Key

A recent study in the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery reveals the ideal proportions that may be used as a basis for helping your patients define the perfect breast.

You've all seen it happen; every woman wants perfects breasts and is convinced she knows what that means. Why then, is she dissatisfied when you deliver the modifications she's asked for? It turns out there's a new standard of beauty and a new study to help you, and your clients, achieve it.

In a recent survey, 1,315 men and women were asked to rate the attractiveness of breasts shown to them in three-quarter profile.  The results showed a clear pattern; the best chests have 45% fullness above the nipple line and 55% fullness below in a slightly teardrop shape.  Upward pointing nipples, a mildly concave upperslope and a convex and smooth lower slope were also key. Ironically, the traditional emphasis on upper pole fullness is not what patients now want. Round is out, natural is in!

So, how do you transfer the old ideal to the new real? Use these tips to guide your consultation:

• Educate - find out what she already knows about the procedure and use this  knowledge as a basis to discuss the safest and healthiest way to achieve the result. Augment what they "know" with your expert medical opinion.
• Communicate - Eveyone woamn has her own opinions about ideal shape and size. It is also critical to know whether a natural or augmented look is desired. Also useful is a  discussion of implant location, fill material and resulting profile in addition to size. It is also key to help her understand that a naked breast will have a shape that differs from a clothed breast.
• Be specific - Size and proportion alone isn't enough.  Discuss frame size, body shape and activity level with your patient.
• Use images - Pictures, drawings and 3D imaging are all excellent tools to guide the process.

In the end, a common standard of beauty may be ideal, but your goal is to also help a woman be beautifully real.  If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, use her as a collaborator to achieve both of your goals.

Read more about the survey discussed above at: http://journals.lww.com/plasreconsurg/Fulltext/2014/09000/Population_Analysis_of_the_Perfect_Breast___A.8.aspx?WT.mc_id=HPxADx20100319xMP

Revolutionary Single-stage Breast Reconstruction Procedure

This new procedure preserves the nipple, areola and surrounding skin by using a vertical mastectomy incision, a dermal flap for coverage, and a definitive adjustable smooth saline implant.

Hilton Becker, M.D., a local plastic and reconstructive surgeon and an affiliate professor in FAU's Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, studied and developed this procedure as an alternative to radical mastectomy. His findings were published in the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Journal, co-authored by Jeffrey Lind II, M.D.

According to Dr. Becker,

There are numerous advantages to using a vertical incision over a horizontal incision. From the surgical perspective, it allows for ease of access, and from an aesthetic perspective this incision leads to a better cosmetic result with a scar that resembles that of a breast lift procedure. The procedure is minimally invasive as no new tissue planes are opened after the general surgeon has completed the mastectomy.

Procedures that spare the nipple and skin have been shown to be oncologically safe and allow for much more flexibility in implant-based breast reconstruction. Single-stage breast reconstruction will become more important as there continues to be increasing financial strains on our healthcare system.

Elizabeth Hopkins is an aspiring physician and pre-med student who has been mentored by Dr. Becker. She is also a patient of his and shared her personal feedback after undergoing this new procedure.

This blessing in disguise introduced me to a brilliant surgeon whose unique procedure enabled me to have a skin and nipple sparing mastectomy free from animation deformity, which happens when implants are placed beneath the pectoral muscle – mine were placed over the muscle. Being his patient and working side-by-side with Dr. Becker has changed my life and will hopefully change the lives of many others.”

During the preliminary stage of the study, 31 patients with a median age of 51 underwent the single-stage breast reconstruction procedure. They were followed over the course of four and a half years.

Both a low complication rate and implant loss were shown and reported as part of the results of the procedure. Other benefits according to the authors of the study include: elimination of animation deformities or movement of the implants, elimination of asymmetry, less postoperative pain and discomfort, and a faster recovery.

In addition, the natural position of the implant above the muscle leads to a more natural feel.

Currently, both a one-stage and a two-stage reconstruction are available for patients.

In an immediate breast reconstruction, the plastic surgeon places the implant beneath the muscle of the patient's chest after the removal of the breast tissue. A special type of graft or an absorbable mesh is used to hold the implant in place, much like a hammock or sling.

In a two-stage reconstruction (also called delayed-immediate reconstruction), a short-term tissue expander is used wherein a saline-water solution is injected by the surgeon over a period of 2 to 3 months. When the skin over the breast has stretched enough, a permanent implant will be surgically done to replace the expander. This kind of reconstruction allows time for other treatment options such as radiation therapy to be done when it is needed by the patients.

For more info, you may visit:

http://www.fau.edu/newsdesk/articles/Mastectomy%20Alternative-study.php

FDA Approved Saline-filled Breast Implants

Ideal Implant Incorporated has recently announced the FDA approval of its Structured Breast Implant for use in the United States and Canada.

The breast implant was designed by a plastic surgeon and it is the first to provide women with the feel of silicone gel-filled implants combined with the safety of only saline inside. The natural feel of the breast implant is attributed to its patented unique design and internal structure which was a product of more than 10 years of research and clinical studies.

As to its design, the company's website provides the following:

Years of research and testing led to this innovative design, with a series of implant shells nested together and two separate chambers, which hold the saline filler. The internal structure controls movement of the saline, and is designed to reduce folding and wrinkling, thought to be the main cause of implant rupture and deflation. On the outside, the edges have been lowered for better contouring to the chest wall.

According to Robert Hamas, MD, a Dallas plastic surgeon:

Now, for the first time, women can have a breast implant that offers them a natural feel without silicone gel. It has only saline inside for their safety and peace of mind. Unlike silicone gel implants that have a high incidence of silent rupture that requires an MRI scan for detection, with the Ideal Implant, a women can look in the mirror each day and have the confidence of knowing her implants are intact.

In a study, patient satisfaction for those who received their first breast implants were at 94.3% while those who had replacements for their previous implants was at 90.6%. The high satisfaction rating among women were attributed to the natural feel of the implants coupled with ease of mind because of its saline-filled components. The surgeon satisfaction was also high at 95.9% for primary implants and 91.7% for replacements.

For more info,

you may visit www.idealimplant.com

or contact Adeena Fried, 917-633-4380, idealimplant@evolvemkd.com