BREAST AUGMENTATION: Some women with small or asymmetrical breasts may choose to undergo breast augmentation. This procedure improves the contour of a woman's body by implanting specially designed saline-filled implants beneath breast tissue or the chest wall muscle.

BREAST REDUCTION: Women with unusually large, sagging, or uneven breasts may be helped through a procedure called breast reduction. This surgery reduces the dissatisfaction some women experience due to the discomfort that results from the size of their breasts or the pressure of bra straps on their shoulders. Large breasts may also interfere with physical activities and make it difficult to find clothes that fit properly.

BREAST LIFT: This procedure repositions or "lifts" breasts that sag. This sagging usually results from pregnancy and nursing or a large weight gain or loss. These conditions cause the amount of breast tissue to decrease, leaving a skin envelope that is too large. The remaining breast tissue sags within the larger skin envelope.

An important part of the preoperative consultation with Dr. English includes a determination of the desired breast size and shape. Although many different breast contours can be achieved, a decision must be made that coincides with total body size, shape and the existing breast tissue. In performing breast augmentation, Dr. English usually prefers to place the implants beneath the chest wall muscle. This technique results in softer and more natural looking breasts both standing and lying down. This placement also decreases the possibility of unnaturally firm and painful breasts while also improving the reliability of mammograms.

Understanding the procedure
At English Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery Center, breast surgery is carried out under general anesthesia and is performed as an outpatient procedure at the Little Rock Surgery Center. Prior to surgery, medication is given to relax the client and breasts are carefully marked to indicate where incisions are to be made. (This marking process may be performed in the office the day before the surgery.) The placement of these incisions depends upon the type of breast surgery that is being performed as well as the technique that will achieve the best result. Every effort is made to reduce the size of scars and to make them as inconspicuous as possible.

Understanding the recovery
Discomfort following surgery is generally minimal to moderate and is usually controlled with oral medications. Stitches are removed five to seven days after the surgery and involve little discomfort. Clients undergoing breast surgery wear a special bra for several weeks and must limit activities that interfere with the healing process. Strenuous exercise and overhead lifting must be avoided for several weeks.

Swelling and discoloration may occur but usually subside in a few weeks. Areas of numbness, firmness and tenderness around the incisions and under the skin are common. Normal feeling returns several weeks to months after surgery; however, the sensations of the breasts may never be quite the same. Scars from the incisions, although permanent, fade significantly with time. Eighteen to 36 months may be required for this fading process to be completed, especially with breast reduction and mastopexy procedures.

Visit our plastic / cosmetic surgery office located in Little Rock, Arkansas (AR).