Breast Augmentation with Breast Implants remains one of the most popular cosmetic plastic surgery procedures in the San Francisco Bay Area, but breast enhancement comes in all shapes and sizes. As a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon in the East San Francisco Bay Area City of Walnut Creek, a large part of my private practice is dedicated to the numerous aspects of breast enhancement, including:
The simplest way to decide what to do to achieve the optimal results in Breast Enhancement Surgery is to independently evaluate what needs to be done to the size of the breast and what needs to be done to the shape of the breast. While intimately related, size and shape often need to be addressed separately.
The Best Breast Size
The best size for your breasts depends on you. The best breast size will vary, and depends on the size of your body (preoperative breast size, the dimensions of the chest wall, height, weight); your level of activity (couch potato, gym enthusiast, serious athlete, Olympian); and most importantly, your comfort level with your desired cup size. This is a simplification, but a good sampling of what I am considering during every breast enhancement consultation. Whether increasing the size of the breasts with breast augmentation or decreasing the size of the breast with Breast Reduction, there is a range of aesthetic outcomes determined by physical parameters. In the vast majority of cases, this range includes what my patient has pictured in her own mind. On the other hand, the imagination has no bounds, and occasionally it outstrips what is possible.
The Best Breast Shape
The ideal breast is perky, with the nipple centered over the most projecting aspect of the breast. Changes in shape solely due to absent or lost volume, like that seen after pregnancy or weight loss, can often be improved with breast implants alone. Changes in shape due to increasing breast volume, whether due to genetics, pregnancy or weight gain, are addressed with breast reduction.
It may seem like breast reduction is the opposite of Breast Augmentation. If you are considering only breast size, it is. However, when we consider breast shape, just removing volume is not sufficient. The result would be a deflated, saggy breast. Breast reduction surgery includes a breast lift as an integral part of the procedure.
The Best Breast Lift
Breast Lifts, like breasts themselves, come in different sizes. Small breast lifts are effective for small amounts of sagging, while big breast lifts are necessary to correct large amounts of sagging. The topic is too large to cover in a paragraph, or even a web page, but more general information is available on San Francisco Breast.
The important part about breast lifts is that they help enhance the shape of the breast. Whether you are born with tubular breasts, have breast asymmetry or your breasts are ptotic (saggy), a breast lift can reshape the breasts into a more attractive form. Unlike breast augmentation, which simply magnifies the existing shape of the breast, a breast lift can remove excess skin and elevate the nipple’s position on the breast mound.
Breast Enhancement Consultations
If you are considering breast augmentation, breast lift or breast reduction surgery, be certain to find a qualified Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. It is important to remember that while there may be several ways to accomplish your desired goals, the method is not as important as the person you choose to do your surgery. Choose a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, who is an active member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). If you are considering cosmetic plastic surgery, members of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) are ASPS members who have shown a special interest in the cosmetic side of plastic surgery. For those truly dedicated to Cosmetic Plastic Surgery, the ASAPS also offers a Certificate of Advanced Education in Cosmetic Surgery. Mine is pictured below, as evidence that I am dedicated to providing you with the best that Cosmetic Plastic Surgery has to offer.
Dr. Mele's Certificate of Advanced Education in Cosmetic Surgery
If you are in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area, and would like to take the next step and schedule a personalized consultation appointment, please give us a call at (925) 943-6353, or use the contact form to the left.
Breast implants are used to increase the size of the breasts. If you are happy with the shape of your breasts, but desire increased volume, breast augmentation with a breast implant may be a good choice. Cosmetic breast enhancement includes other breast procedures also. For overly large breasts, breast reduction is an option. For deflated breasts, breast augmentation and breast lifts are the preferred treatments. Many of these options are outlined in detail on the San Francisco Breast site.
Last month, on KRON4′s Body Beautiful, I had the opportunity to discuss cosmetic surgery of the breast. Below is an excerpt from my interview with the Bay Area’s News Station’s Vicki Liviakis. This segment includes more caller questions. Please note, the 800 number in the video was used exclusively as part of the live show. If you have questions, or would like to schedule a consultation appointment, please call my office directly at (925) 943-6353, or use the contact form on the left side of this page.
This breast augmentation video includes answers to viewers questions about:
Breast implant revision surgery
Capsular contracture
Breast implant complications
Silicone breast implant leaks and MRI
Breast reduction insurance coverage
Breast feeding after breast augmentation
Transgender breast augmentation
Gynecomastia and male breast reduction
Finding the Right Breast Augmentation Surgeon
If you are considering breast augmentation, be certain to review the benefits, and the risks, with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon like myself, as part of your breast augmentation consultation appointment. If you have developed problems with your breast implants, a consultation with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon is the best first step toward finding relief.
Additional Information on Cosmetic Breast Enhancement
Dr. Joseph Mele appears on KRON4's Body Beautiful.
To celebrate the debut of the new San Francisco Breast dot com (SanFranciscoBreast.com), a site dedicated to cosmetic breast surgery for the San Francisco Bay Area, I will be dedicating my appearance on Monday’s Body Beautiful on KRON4 to the breast. Breast augmentation, breast lifts, breast reductions, breast implant revisions, everything related to enhancing the breasts is open for discussion.
Body Beautiful is broadcast live at 11:00 AM on KRON4, so tune in and phone in with your breast questions. Whether you have had breast surgery, or are considering it, the show will cover a variety of topics. For a preview of what’s in store visit SanFranciscoBreast.com.
What’s new in Breast Enhancement Surgery?
The new web site is a comprehensive and authoritative review of the latest techniques in aesthetic breast surgery. Located in the San Francisco East Bay Area city of Walnut Creek, Plastic Surgeon, Joseph Mele, has lent his years of experience, and breast expertise, to this free patient education resource. The site is illustrated with graphics, videos and before and after pictures, and there is more to come. The list of topics covered is long and includes:
I look forward to hearing from you on Monday. If you will not be able to watch KRON4 at 11 AM on Monday, December 13, 2010, and you have a question you want answered, you can send your question via the contact form to the left. I will send you a personal response, and perhaps your question will be answered live during Body Beautiful.
San Francisco plastic surgery patients have an extensive new local resource encompassing all aspects of cosmetic breast enhancement surgery. I have consolidated my years of experience, and the common questions that my patients ask, to create a site that is both informative and understandable. If you are considering cosmetic breast surgery, SanFranciscoBreast.com is a comprehensive collection of consumer information.
The web site is illustrated with videos and before and after pictures. The list of topics covered is long and includes:
SanFranciscoBreast.com is a specialty site dedicated to all aspects cosmetic breast surgery. Since the site is focused only on the breast, it gives me the opportunity to describe each procedure in detail, and to provide you with specific information to help you make an informed decision.
Dr. Joseph Mele appears on the Bay Area's News Channel, KRON4's Body Beautiful
Thank You
Thank you Bay Area plastic surgery patients, for a great show yesterday. We discussed breast augmentation, breast lifts, breast reduction and combinations of all the above. For anyone who missed the show, and is interested in seeing the broadcast, I will be posting it here in the San Francisco Plastic Surgery Blog very soon.
KRON4′s Body Beautiful
Body Beautiful is a live show that allows you to call in with your questions. Unfortunately, it was not possible to answer everyone’s questions in half an hour. However, you can always send me your question by using the contact form found in the lower left corner of this page.
Breast Lift Before and After Pictures
Several pictures where used to illustrate the results possible with Breast Augmentation (Mammaplasty) , Breast Lift (Mastopexy) and Breast Augmentation Lift (Augmentation Mastopexy). While censored for television, the breast augmentation before and after pictures demonstrated the natural fullness that can be achieved with a breast implant. The breast lift before and after pictures showed how the breast and nipple are lifted with the mastopexy. The two procedures can also be combined and the breast augmentation mastopexy, or breast augmentation lift. The breast augmentation mastopexy before and after pictures show what the procedures can achieve when performed together.
Breast Lifts not only lift the breast, but also reposition the nipple. Since the nipple and areola on the before and after pictures have to be censored for the breast lift video segment shown on network television, some of the details are lost. I will show you here, what I cannot broadcast on television.
Before Breast Lift with Breast Reduction: Notice the nipple position. When the nipple is located at the bottom of the breast, this is classified as Grade III ptosis. The breast mound is below the inframammary fold (IMF), and overlies the upper abdomen
After Breast Lift with Breast Reduction: The nipple and breast are now perky. The breast has been moved up onto the chest, and the nipple has been moved up on the breast. Can you find the freckle just above the nipple over in the before picture?
What Can a Breast Lift Do?
The above, breast lift with breast reduction before and after pictures, show what a lift can achieve. The breast has been lifted off the upper abdomen and placed back onto the chest. Since breast reduction was also performed, some breast volume was reduced. Reducing breast volume is not required to achieve a breast lift. A breast lift can be done with breast augmentation to add volume, with breast reduction to reduce volume or by itself when the breast volume is fine.
The pictures show that the nipple has been lifted from its dependent position at the bottom of the breast, to the point that is most anterior. The nipple was at elbow level before the lift, afterward the nipple is at the midpoint of the upper arm. Before the mastopexy the breast look old, sad and tired, afterward, the breasts appear young and perky.
Another measure of how for the nipple has moved is demonstrated by the freckle that is just above the nipple after the lift. The same freckle can be seen (more faintly) in the before picture, near the center of the chest, on the upper breast mound, about half way between the nipple and the collar bone. This shows not only how far the nipple has moved, but also how much breast tissue has been moved up under the skin. Even the cleavage has been moved up on the chest, and this is with volume reduction. Upper pole fullness can be further enhanced with the use of a breast implant.
Many Types of Breast Lifts are Available
The lift used above is an inverted-T mastopexy. This is also called the keyhole lift or anchor lift, and is the biggest lift performed. In the after picture the scar can be seen. It runs around in a circle around the nipple, from the nipple down to the base of the breast, and along the bottom of the breast in the inframammary fold (IMF). The vertical incision and the incision around the areola allow for the repositioning of the nipple higher on the breast. The periareolar (around the areola) incision also allows for reduction of the areola’s diameter if desired. The horizontal incision, in the IMF at the base of the breast, allows the breast mound to be moved upwards and reduces the skin in the lower breast to help support the breast tissue up.
Many types of breast lifts are available. My goal is to always choose the smallest lift that will give us the results we desire. In this case, this is the biggest lift available. While there is more scar length, the quality of the lift, and the control achieved, makes the result worthwhile. Not only is the breast rejuvenated in appearance, but the reduction of breast skin also firms the breasts, resulting in less pendulous breast movement and more patient comfort when physically active.
More Information on Breast Augmentation, Breast Lifts and Breast Reduction
Click on any of the following links for more information on the topic covered in this post courtesy of DrMele.com:
Before and after pictures for men and women are included; however, this video is geared primarily toward female breast reduction. For a video covering male breast reduction (gynecomastia reduction) go back one article or click here -> Gynecomastia Reduction (Male Breast Reduction) Video.
This video reviews many aspects of female breast reduction. San Francisco’s KRON4 anchor, Vicki Liviakis, asks the difficult questions that women considering breast reduction surgery need answered. This breast reduction video was broadcast live on Body Beautiful. The 800 number displayed was for the live show only. If you have questions about gynecomastia reduction surgery, please call my Walnut Creek Plastic Surgery Office at (925) 943-6353, or use the contact form to the left.
Breast Reduction San Francisco
What Breast Reduction Information is Provided?
This Breast Reduction Video covers:
The Indications for Breast Reduction Surgery:
Lower Neck Pain
Upper Back Pain
Shoulder Pain
Shoulder Rutting (dents from the bra straps)
Rashes in the Skin Folds under the Breasts
Breast Reduction Before and After Pictures
Male Breast Reduction (Gynecomastia Reduction) with Liposcution
Female Breast Reduction Surgery with Correction of Breast Asymmetry
Does Insurance Cover Breast Reduction Surgery?
Viewer Questions:
How Does Diabetes Effect Plastic Surgery?
How Does Scar Formation Effect Plastic Surgery?
If I Have a Breast Lift, Do I Have to Have Breast Reduction?
How Does Breast Reduction Influence Exercise?
How Does Breast Reduction Influence Breast Feeding?
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) have released their annual statistics on cosmetic plastic surgery for 2009. Surgical and non-surgical procedures are tallied and compared to previous years. Overall the numbers are down 2% from 2008, but still up 147% since 1997, when the statistics were first compiled. Of the almost ten million procedures performed in 2009, 85% were non-surgical and 15% were surgical. He are some quick facts, a link to the full statistics can be found at the end of this article.
Additional information can be found on the ASAPS web site, or downloaded here. It is a large file, and may take a while…
*Dr. Joseph Mele offers these procedures through his Walnut Creek Plastic Surgery Office. Search the San Francisco Plastic Surgery Blog categories to the left, or click on the links above for more detailed information available on DrMele.com.
