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Do-It-Yourself Breast Implant Sizers
Monday, April 30th, 2012
Get a feel for the perfect implant size in the comfort of your own home.
If you’re considering enhancing your bust with breast implants, there is a question before you that you must answer: how big? Doctors can make recommendation, and there exists costly imaging technology that can help you answer that question. However, there is an inexpensive alternative. Just make some implants and try them out.
No, we’re not suggesting you go out and fashion silicone gel implants yourself. What we are suggesting is that with a few household items, you can make breast implant sizers, wear them under a sports bra, and see what size feels right for you.
You’ll need:
- Pantyhose
- Dry Rice
- Measuring Cups
- Scissors
Cut off the legs of the pantyhose about halfway down the leg. Measure out dry rice and pour it into the cut-off pantyhose legs. 1 cup of rice is equal to about 250 cc, ½ cup comes out to 125 cc, and ¼ cup is equivalent to 75 cc.
Once you’ve measured out the desired amount of rice, compress the rice to the bottom of the leg and shape it into a round shape. Tie off the remaining hose, and cut off the excess. Rinse and repeat to make a pair and voila! You’ve created your own sample implants!
This technique gives you a tactile sense of what to expect from your new implants, both in feel and appearance. Try out a few sizes and decide which one feels best for you.
If you require a visual aid, here’s a video of some sizers being made:
Tags: cohesive gel breast implants, implant sizers
Posted in Breast Augmentation, Breast Implants, How-To | Comments Off
The Silicone Breast Implant Turns 50
Wednesday, April 4th, 2012
The procedure that started it all, performed in 1962
This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the day Timmie Jean Lindsey, a mother-of-six from Houston, Texas, became the first recipient of the silicone breast implant.
It may be hard to fathom now, with breast augmentation being the second-most popular form of plastic surgery in the United States and abroad (after liposuction), but it all started with a single patient. And she was only there for a tattoo removal.
While at the hospital to get a tattoo removed from her breast, her doctors, Frank Gerow and Thomas Cronin, offered her the chance to volunteer for a new procedure they had invented to enhance her bust size. After haggling a bit and getting a free ear lift out of the deal, she agreed.
Two hours later, history was made.
Cronin and Gerow initially conceived of the silicone breast implant to help women who had undergone mastectomies, but they had no idea that they had just stumbled onto a plastic surgery revolution.
“Sure it was a little bit exciting, but if I’d had a mirror to the future I’d have been dumbstruck,” said Thomas Biggs, who worked with Gerow and Cronin as a junior resident in 1962.
When Cronin presented his implant to the International Society of Plastic Surgeons in 1963, his discovery was met with much ardor. “The plastic surgery world was absolutely set on fire with enthusiasm,” says Biggs.
There had been many attempts, non-surgical and surgical, to enhance busts in the past, but the silicone implant appeared to be the first viable solution, with minimal side effects. Fifty years later, updated technology has made the implant even safer.
Timmie Jean, now 80, still has those historical implants inside her body. While time and gravity have taken their effect on her body like it would any aging woman, she’s proud to have a piece of history inside her.
“It’s kind of awesome to know that I was first,” she says.
Tags: breast implants, silicone implants
Posted in Breast Augmentation, Breast Implants, In The News | Comments Off
Summer Plastic Surgery Suggestions
Thursday, March 15th, 2012
Some procedures that could help you look your best in a swimsuit
Punxsutawney Phil may have foreseen another six weeks of winter, but Summer is closing in nonetheless. Summer plastic surgery will soon be here, as people across the country set upon clinics to get this lifted, or that tucked, all to feel confident strutting their stuff by the pool. If you’re thinking of getting some work done in order to impress this Summer, here are some popular seasonal procedures you might want to consider.
Tummy Tuck
A tummy tuck would be a good choice if you expect to be seen in a bikini quite frequently. Since your midsection will be exposed, excess flab or skin might seem unsightly or be a source of self-consciousness. A tummy tuck would help make your abdomen firmer and more toned.
Thigh Lift
Another part of your body that will have optimal exposure over the summer will be your legs. Whether wearing a bathing suit on the beach, or just going about your normal routine in a pair of shorts, your legs will be out in the open. A thigh lift can contour your legs to look more proportional to the rest of your body.
Breast Augmentation
If you plan on looking sexy by the beach (and you’re a woman), you may plan on wearing something that will flatter your bosom. Do you feel that your bosom could be a little more ample? Breast augmentation might be for you. The procedure can shape, mold, or enhance your bust to fill out that bikini top perfectly.
Don’t feel like you have to limit yourself to just these procedures to make the best of your summer look. While these are popular summer surgeries and a good jumping-off point, any work that will make you feel better about your body and yourself will help you radiate when the Sun comes out.
Tags: Beach, Plastic Surgery, Pool, Seasonal, Summer, Swimsuit, Thigh Lift, Tummy Tuck
Posted in Body Sculpting, Breast Augmentation, Plastic Surgery, Tummy Tuck | Comments Off
New Breast Implant Monitoring Technology a Possibility
Thursday, February 23rd, 2012
Ultrasound System Might Save Time and Money
Monitoring your breast implants can be costly and inconvenient, but that may all change with the advent of new monitoring procedures that could make the process far more efficient.
The Aesthetic Surgery Journal, partially funded by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), has released a study that explores the potential use of new portable, high-resolution ultrasound imaging technology to monitor the status of silicone breast implants.
The report’s lead author, Bradley Bengston, MD, found that, “portable, surgeon-performed, high-resolution ultrasound is feasible for screening silicone gel breast implants, matching the capabilities of MRI in detecting shell failure.”
Keeping a close eye on the integrity of silicone gel breast implants is an important breast augmentation maintenance, because unlike saline-filled breast implants, silicone gel implant failure is not as noticeable, and the implant may even maintain its shape after springing a leak.
Currently, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the primary method of assessing the integrity of silicone implants. However, MRIs are costly, impractical, and can take time to book an appointment for a scan. This new ultrasound technology would offer comparable results to the MRI, but would be less expensive to use, and could be done in a doctor’s office.
According to Felmon Eaves, Clinical Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and co-author of this study, the technology could be used for more than just implant screening.
“This office-based technology may also have broader applications, such as hand and facial fracture identification and treatment, vein surgery and ablation, visualization prior to shaped implant rotation, identification and management of seroma, and general breast evaluation,” said Eaves.
The study is still ongoing, and will focus on calibrating the sensitivity of the technology, as well as ways to improve breast implant designs.
Tags: breast, breast implants, MRI, new technology, silicone implants, ultrasound
Posted in Breast Augmentation, Breast Implants | Comments Off
Hugo Chavez Criticizes Venezuela’s Latest Enemy: Breast Implants
Thursday, March 17th, 2011
Venezuela’s recent breast enhancement boom has not escaped the notice of the country’s leader Hugo Chavez, who now adds to his long list of complaints the work of plastic surgeons performing cosmetic breast surgery, which Chavez calls a “monstrous thing.”
According to a New York Times article, Chavez appeared on state television last weekend to denounce Venezuela’s burgeoning breast enhancement market, criticizing the amount of money spent on cosmetic procedures and shaming plastic surgeons who Chavez says “convince some women that if they don’t have some big bosoms, they should feel bad.”
Leading Venezuelan plastic surgeon Dr. Ramon Zapata disagreed with Chavez’s take on cosmetic breast surgery, saying, “I don’t think there should be any type of discrimination against these aesthetic procedures.”
El Nacional, an opposition newspaper, unsurprisingly also contested Chavez’s comments, comparing the Venezuelan leader to Libyan leader Muammar el-Qaddafi and saying, “Now comes this antiquated, militaristic, coarse, repressive attitude on the freedom of women to do what they want with their bodies.”
Regardless of whether one agrees with Chavez’s comments, they are well-timed in their delivery. Billboards in the country’s capital advertise loans for plastic surgery, gossip blogs teem with talk about cosmetic enhancement and the Venezuelan Society of Plastic Surgeons estimates that between 30,000 and 40,000 Venezuelan women seek breast implants each year.
Although Chavez has questioned the motives of breast augmentation patients, asking, “What is this, friend?!” he has not yet taken any action to prevent the thousands of Venezuelan women who desire bigger breasts from seeking plastic surgery, nor Venezuelan plastic surgeons from offering the procedure.
Tags: breast implants, plastic surgeons
Posted in Breast Augmentation, Breast Implants, In The News, Plastic Surgery | 153 Comments »
Controversy Over Heidi Montag Plastic Surgery Obsession Re-Ignites After Surgeon’s Death
Tuesday, December 7th, 2010
The untimely death of Dr. Frank Ryan, the celebrity plastic surgeon known for facilitating Heidi Montag’s plastic surgery obsession, has re-ignited public scrutiny of the reality TV star’s multiple cosmetic surgery procedures and the ethical questions they raise.
The most widely criticized aspect of the 10-procedure surgical makeover Dr. Ryan performed on Montag wasn’t the pair of nose jobs, liposuction or mini brow lift the then-23-year-old had done, but rather the gigantic G-cup breast implants Dr. Ryan gave her after surgically-enhancing her breasts for the first time about two years prior.
Heidi Montag has publicly denounced her obsession with plastic surgery and cartoonish new breasts since undergoing multiple plastic surgery procedures for the second time in November 2009, however before his death Dr. Frank Ryan expressed shock and surprise that Montag was experiencing buyer’s remorse.
“When I asked him how he could have been so foolish as to operate on someone like [Montag], he mentioned he was completely taken aback when she went public in such a negative fashion,” a source close to Dr. Ryan told Joan Kron in the December 2010 issue of Allure.
Dr. Steven Hoefflin, another colleague and friend of Dr. Ryan’s, said of the situation, “Frank said he had expected Heidi Montag would get publicity, but he was surprised at the tone and concerned about his reputation.”
While some surgeons defend Frank Ryan’s decision to perform the breast implant revision surgery and more on Montag, others feel it was unethical, especially given Montag’s notorious attention-seeking behavior and outlandish cosmetic goals. In fact, many plastic surgeons agree that ensuring good plastic surgery outcomes and avoiding post-procedure regret is largely dependent on patient selection.
“Plastic surgery obsession is a danger made all too real by television reality shows, Hollywood tabloids and glamour magazines,” says Indiana breast augmentation specialist Dr. David Robinson. “One warning sign I always look for is a patient with unrealistic expectations. It is very important for a plastic surgeon to distinguish between what a patient desires and what is realistically achievable.”
According to Dr. Robinson, trouble and patient dissatisfaction typically follow situations where plastic surgeons don’t first consider patient safety and ethics. In fact, Dr. Robinson shares the sentiments of many plastic surgeons who feel that it is better to decline to perform breast revision surgery rather than move forward with a procedure that may unnecessarily increase surgical risks and jeopardize aesthetic results.
“In terms of how I would address a patient presenting to my office to discuss a revision on a procedure I felt achieved a successful result, such as a breast augmentation patient who wanted to go much larger, I would review the discussion and expectations we had during her two preoperative visits. If the patient remained insistent on wanting to proceed with the revision, I would decline reoperating on the patient and offer them a referral to another plastic surgeon,” says Dr. Robinson.
Tags: breast implants, brow lift, liposuction, plastic surgeons, revision surgery, rhinoplasty
Posted in Breast Augmentation, Breast Implants, In The News, Plastic Surgery | 3 Comments »
New Technology May Make Breast Augmentation Without Implants Possible
Friday, October 29th, 2010
Although plastic surgeons have long explored using fat grafting to enlarge, enhance and reconstruct the breasts, most agree that it is not yet a viable option as a standalone procedure for breast augmentation or reconstruction.
However, Cytori Therapeutics recently developed new technology that may change that.
Cytori’s Celution System offers doctors a new way to prepare fat harvested from a patient’s body and enrich it with stem cells. This stem cell-enriched fat may then be injected in the chest using another Cytori tool called the Celbrush to enhance natural breasts or rebuild breasts that have been deformed by lumpectomy or mastectomy.
A kind of natural regenerative cell therapy, breast reconstruction or augmentation with fat grafts prepared with the Celution System and injected with the Celbrush will purportedly improve the survival rate of the fat tissue after it is re-implanted.
Clinical studies are still being conducted in Europe to prove whether this claim is true, but if it is, it could mean that the Celution System and Celbrush have solved one of the major problems that has historically plagued doctors in their attempts to augment or reconstruct breasts via fat grafting – unpredictable results and potentially low survival rate for transplanted fat tissue.
The concept of boob job by fat injection is not new. Plastic surgeons have been attempting this procedure for decades and still agree that breast implants, be they saline, silicone or cohesive gel, are the safest, most effective way to enlarge natural breasts.
As for breast reconstruction patients, they have had other “natural” methods of rebuilding their breasts available for sometime in the form of complex flap procedures, such as DIEP or TRAM flap reconstruction, that transplant skin, muscle, fat and blood vessels from other body areas into the chest area.
It remains to be seen whether fat grafting breast augmentation and reconstruction using Cytori’s Celution and Celbrush technology can safely and consistently provide beautiful, natural results, but if it proves successful, patients will have even more options to enhance and rebuild their breasts, which can only be good.
Tags: breast, breast reconstruction, fat grafting
Posted in Breast Augmentation, New Technology | 8 Comments »
Lessons Learned From Botched Boob Jobs
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
Sheyla Hershey with 38KKK silicone breast implants
Botched boob jobs are constantly making headlines, but the stories seem to do little more than pique the casual interest of shoppers stuck in checkout lines or entertain salon clients as they sit under hair dryers.
However, an article in the Orange County Register pointed out that many recent high profile breast implant disasters serve as cautionary tales and teach valuable lessons to prospective breast augmentation patients.
Buyer beware breast augmentation
The article starts by outlining the story of Kenyatta Brown, a mother of four who went to an Atlanta eye doctor in hopes of getting discounted breast implants. The surgeon was obviously practicing outside his specialty, which is ophthalmology, and nearly caused Brown to bleed to death during surgery.
Unsafe breast augmentation goals
The second botched boob job tale is decidedly the most “high profile” of the three, as it involves the 38KKK bustline of Sheyla Hershey, owner of the world’s largest breast implants.
Unable to get the gigantic breast implants she desired in the U.S. due to legal restrictions, Hershey traveled to Brazil to have her most recent breast surgery, after which she developed a near-fatal staph infection that forced her to have the new silicone breast implants removed. Hershey may also lose her natural breasts in whole or in part due to the infection.
Traveling abroad for breast surgery
Finally, the article concludes by describing the story of Nicola Stratton who flew from the UK to Los Angeles to undergo 30 hours of plastic surgery, including breast augmentation, for the British Extreme Makeover TV show.
After one of Stratton’s saline breast implants deflated and she developed a common scar tissue problem called capsular contracture, Stratton needed breast revision surgery but didn’t have the means to travel all the way to her original surgeon in L.A. for follow up or pay the necessary $5,000 hospital fee for the revision surgery.
Choosing the right breast augmentation surgeon
These stories of breast surgery gone bad primarily point out what patients should avoid when seeking breast enhancement and illustrate the importance of choosing a New Jersey breast augmentation surgeon who:
- Is certified in plastic surgery by the American Board of Plastic Surgery or Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
- Adheres to U.S. and Canadian health care laws and ethical practice guidelines
- Is located in an area that you can afford to travel to for follow up and breast revision surgery, if needed
- Will help you set realistic expectations and achieve healthy cosmetic goals
Tags: plastic surgeons, revision surgery
Posted in Breast Augmentation, Breast Implants, In The News | 144 Comments »
