Breast Augmentation

NATURAL LOOKING BREASTS

Breast augmentation, also known as breast enlargement, is a personal decision. The main underlying reason women want to have a breast augmentation is usually quite simple. They want to feel better about their shape and appearance. Many women report that they feel as if their breasts are too small and are desirous of increasing their cup size and shape of their breasts. Thousands of women each year choose to increase their breast size and improve their body’s contour.

Breast augmentation is a plastic surgery procedure, using FDA approved implants to augment the size and shape of a woman’s breast. At Vitenas Cosmetic Surgery Center, located in Houston, TX, Paul Vitenas, Jr., MD, FACS has safely performed thousands of breast augmentation procedures. His aesthetic surgical skills and “natural looking” approach to breast augmentation produces excellent results for women looking to proportionally shape their body. Dr. Vitenas advises, “With the advent of new silicone gel implants, it’s possible to obtain a completely natural feeling breast.”

During your consultation at Vitenas Cosmetic Surgery Center, located in Houston, TX, Dr. Paul Vitenas will discuss your breast augmentation goals and review the options you have for changing the size and shape of your breasts. Since cosmetic breast enhancement surgery has been available for approximately 50 years and is one of the most popular cosmetic plastic surgery procedures performed today, there have been many advances in surgical techniques and improvements in breast implant devices. Dr. Paul Vitenas has been at the forefront of many of the minimally invasive surgical advances which promote patient safety, healing, and rapid recovery for his breast augmentation patients.

With Dr. Vitenas’ rapid recovery breast augmentation procedure, patients report minimal pain and discomfort, no bruising and no swelling. Patients take one pain pill on the day of the breast augmentation surgery and usually only have to take an over-the-counter acetaminophen (pain relief) medication such as Tylenol™, as needed. In fact, there is very little downtime as women having breast enlargement surgery on Friday typically feel well enough to go out on the town on Saturday and are back at work on Monday! These remarkable results are due to Dr. Paul Vitenas advanced surgical skill and gentle technique with handling delicate breast tissue.

If you are considering a breast augmentation (enlargement) procedure, please review the following information and schedule a consultation with Paul Vitenas, Jr., MD, FACS, to thoroughly review your medical history and discuss your breast enhancement goals. Dr. Vitenas’ personal approach and surgical skill continually produces satisfied and extremely pleased patients.

MORE ABOUT DR. PAUL VITENAS’ RAPID RECOVERY BREAST AUGMENTATION PROCEDURE

What are your reasons for wanting breast augmentation procedure?

Many women explain to Dr. Paul Vitenas that they wish to enhance their breasts for the following reasons:

• To augment the size of their breasts
• To correct uneven breasts that may be different sizes
• To restore breast volume that can be lost due to weight gain, pregnancy or aging
• To improve their self-image

Since your breast augmentation goal is a personal decision, we encourage you to talk openly with Dr. Paul Vitenas and his aesthetic professional team. One of the questions most frequently asked by Dr. Vitenas breast augmentation patients is how to have natural looking breasts. Women don’t want to look as if they have had breast augmentation. Take a look at Dr. Vitenas breast augmentation patients (photo gallery) and you will see the difference!

Are you a good candidate for breast augmentation?

Good candidates include healthy women whose breasts are under-developed or misshaped and women who have lost breast volume as a result of pregnancy.

What should I expect during my enhancement consultation?

During your consultation for breast augmentation, Dr. Paul Vitenas will take time to go over your medical history and understand your individual goals. You will see pre-op and post-op photos of previous breast augmentation patients, and most importantly, Dr. Vitenas will have you try on various sizes of implants with a bra. This is an important step as computer imaging alone does not give you the proper 3D perspective when gauging breast implant sizes.

What are breast implant sizers and why are they important for natural looking results?

Sizers are implants that Dr. Vitenas has in his office so that patients can get the most accurate size and natural looking implant for their body type. Dr. Vitenas has over 100 FDA approved breast implant sizers available and a variety of bras for his breast augmentation patients to try.  This enables Dr. Vitenas to obtain and size your implant to the proper proportions for your body type; i.e. shoulder, breast, waist and hip ratios. Women can see a true picture of how they will look.

Remember, one size doesn’t fit all nor does one type of implant. The leading breast implant manufacturers (Mentor™and Allergan- NATRELLE®.) have different features and benefits in each of their styles. The implants can be moderate profile, moderate plus or high profile. Dr. Vitenas’ approach is highly customized for each woman.

What types of breast enlargement options and plastic surgical procedures are available?

During your consultation, Dr. Paul Vitenas will review with you the types of implants and the surgical procedures available to augment your breast. Perhaps, you are familiar with the terms which describe the surgical techniques used to insert the implants: breast, armpit, areola or belly button. The following information describes the implants and types of augmentation procedures.

Types of Breast Implants and Implant Location

Dr. Vitenas will review and show you the various shapes and sizes of implants as mentioned in the aforementioned question and answer, “what are breast implant sizers and why are they important for natural looking results.”

Dr. Vitenas only uses rounded implants for the most authentic and natural results. The best implant location will depend upon the individual patient’s needs and desire. Utilizing his twenty-five plus years of experience and thousands of breast augmentation procedures performed, Dr. Vitenas will recommend the best options for your individual body type and breast enhancement goal.

Breast implants can be filled with silicone gel or saline. Many patients are confused about the difference between saline-filled versus silicone gel-filled implants.

• Saline breast implants are filled with sterile saline solution at the time of the breast augmentation surgery. The outer shell is typically a silicone rubber shell that is sealed with a valve. Saline implants, for some women, don’t look or feel natural. However, improved surgical placement techniques have lessened these concerns. Dr. Vitenas advises, “Saline implants typically don’t feel as natural as silicone implants and have a shorter longevity than silicone implants. Also, saline breast implants have a greater tendency to ripple and are more easily felt by the patient.”
• Silicone implants are made and pre-filled with a silicone gel that feels much like breast tissue. The implant has an outer silicone shell. Most silicone-gel filled implants are not adjustable. In the early 1990’s silicone breast implants were restricted in their use as some studies suggested that they may be responsible for connective tissue diseases in women. However, a comprehensive study and review by many leading scientific entities, including a 12 year study by the FDA, found that “there is no definitive evidence linking breast implants to cancer, neurological diseases, neurological problems or other systemic diseases.”

Breast Implant Location and Surgery

Dr. Paul Vitenas will discuss with you the best breast implant location based on your individual body type and breast augmentation goals. Typically, the incision for breast augmentation is made in one of the following three locations:

(1) The armpit (axillary)
(2) In the crease beneath the breast (inframammary),
(3) Around the areola (periareola).

Once the incision is made, the implants may be placed beneath the chest muscle (submuscular) or above the chest muscle but below the breast tissue (subglandular). Dr. Vitenas uses minimally invasive surgical techniques resulting in less pain and discomfort and promotes rapid recovery.

Dr. Vitenas performs breast augmentation at the Houston Surgery Center, an outpatient facility at Vitenas Cosmetic Surgery in Houston, TX.

The surgery takes about one hour to complete and is performed with general anesthesia. Dr. Vitenas uses a board certified anesthesiologist for patients’ safety.

What can I expect after my breast augmentation procedure?

Dr. Paul Vitenas advises that recovery after breast enlargement cosmetic surgery generally takes a few days for implants placed subglandularly and for implants placed submuscularly.

During the first few days after surgery, patients may feel tired or sore. Medication can help to control any discomfort that patients experience. However, Dr. Vitenas patients typically take pain medication for only one day and then use over-the-counter acetaminophen pain relief, such as Tylenol® as needed. Bruising and swelling rarely occur. Dr. Vitenas patients typically return to work two-three days after their breast augmentation procedures.

Dr. Vitenas advises his patients that their breasts may remain sensitive to stimulation for several weeks. Patients should also avoid strenuous activities for about four to six weeks.

Dr. Paul Vitenas will provide you with specific after care instructions and directions. Follow up appointments are scheduled two days after your operation. Dr. Vitenas’ nurses and staff are available to take your calls regarding any concerns and questions you may have.

(For more questions and answers about breast augmentation surgery, please click here.)

SCHEDULE A CONSULTATION

If you are considering breast augmentation procedure, schedule a consultation with Dr. Paul Vitenas to learn about his natural looking breast enhancement procedure. Call (281) 407-7428 or use the Contact Us form.

i. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states: “For some years controversy has existed over silicone implants used for breast augmentation or replacement after mastectomy. Adverse effects from their use have been widely reported in the popular press, with conflicting information often appearing in the medical literature. This controversy and the attendant publicity led the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first to ban any use of these implants and then to permit limited use, mainly as replacement after mastectomy.

“Silicone is used not only in breast implants but also in implants located literally throughout every part of the body. It has been used: to construct heart valves and other cardiovascular prostheses; to fashion catheters which are used for purposes ranging from drug delivery to cardiac monitoring; in dentistry; in the gastrointestinal tract; as a facilitator for nerve regeneration; in ophthalmology; in the ear, nose, throat, and respiratory tract; as a prosthesis or ingredient in prostheses for many parts of the skeletal system; as a tissue expander; as a cosmetic agent for treatment of scars and wrinkles; in the urogenital tract, including penile prostheses; and in many other applications.”
Source: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/cbm/silicone.html