TYPES OF SURGERY ON BREASTS

We will highlight four different types of breast surgery:

AUGMENTATION MAMMOPLASTY (breast enlargement)

This type of surgery is meant to solve a birth defect in the breasts or in the chest wall, to complete a gender reassignment process and specially to get an image improvement. A simple augmentation mammoplasty can be either through an inframammary procedure, in which the lower part of the breast is cut (inframammary fold); a peri-aerolar procedure, in which the outer limit of the aureole is cut; and an axillary procedure. As regards the specific medical difficulties that might arise, besides from chest pain, we can highlight the presence of now visible wrinkles, the rippling effect (the outer skin of the chest and the cleavage fold) and the bust symnastia (an interruption of the natural connection between the breasts and the area between them).

MASTOPEXY

It is the name of the surgery used to lift and shape “fallen breasts” due to the effect of gravity, breastfeeding or weight loss. In these cases, the scar starts in the aureole (relocated on the skin) and continues vertically downwards to end at the inframammary fold. If there is a lot of extra skin, this scar will have to be extended all along the inframammary area.

REDUCTION MAMMOPLASTY (breast reduction)

We call reduction mammoplasty to the downsizing of the breasts for they have an excessive size which causes pain in the back, shoulders and neck as well as skin problems (dermatitis) in the inframammary folds and in the area between the breasts. It is hence a physical, image and mental issue, which is particularly relevant to young people. For this intervention, the surgeon will make similar incisions to those of the mastopexy (inverted “T”). First, the nipple-aureole area is circled; then, a vertical downwards incision is done, ending at the inframammary fold and extending along this area. These women tend suffer marked kyphosis on their dorsal spines, which increases with age. What all the patients suffer is pain in the back, in the shoulders, etc. It is important to remember that in cases of gigantomastia, the weight of each breast is expressed in kilograms and not in grams and this condition usually appears when young women are still growing.

BREAST RECONSTRUCTION

This surgery is for women who have suffered a neoplastic process and have undergone a mastectomy. The reconstruction can be either immediate or deferred for months or years. The technique changes, but the results are positive: the patient goes back to an image similar to that she had before and, at this moment, the mammary symmetry and their image helps them forget the process