Why less is more: the trend toward natural looking breast enhancement

Fashion trends change, and so do accepted ideals for body appearance. The influences of Latin culture on American norms have triggered an explosion in the demand for buttock enhancement with fat grafting, which was first popularized in Brazil. Another trend patients are requesting is a more conservative and natural looking breast enhancement. A recent survey in California found that women are not looking for an oversized breast enhancement and desire a more subtle appearance. This is a healthier choice for women to choose.

Due to the prevalence of evidence-based medicine and FDA demand for data on silicone gel breast implants, findings indicate that revision breast surgeries after a primary augmentation mammoplasty are as high as 25 percent. The main reason for these revisions is capsular contracture, but size change is a factor. Thanks to the work of Dr. John Tebetts, Bill Adams and Dr. Dennis Hammond, the concept of calibrating the correct implant size for a given individual based on breast tissue characteristics allows for customization and has reduced revision rates for surgeons who incorporate these findings into their practices.

The idea of putting the largest possible implant into a women’s breast is fraught with potential complications including excess stretch on the tissues leading to thinning of the breast which may result in increased prominence of rippling of the implant, as well as mal-positioning of the device either laterally or inferiorly. This causes an unsightly aged appearance of the breast. The cost of revision can be high if treatment plans include the need for added soft tissue support utilizing acellular dermal matrices or a silk textile mesh to restore soft tissue support of the implants.

Today is a very exciting time in the field of augmentation mammoplasty, because we surgeons have a wide variety of shapes and sizes and silicone gel consistencies to choose from to provide customized results for our patients.

I strive to deliver a primary augmentation of the breast with a correct implant that is sustainable by the body to provide a long-lasting aesthetic result free of revision until the integrity of the implant has failed.

I think in terms of the height and width and projection of the breast independently and choose styles and shapes to match my patient’s desired outcome. I never want people to say that all my breast augmentations look the same. Just as all faces are unique and different, so are breasts. I want to make an individual’s breast look and feel as attractive as possible with long-lasting results. Proportionate breast enhancement is key to achieving these results.

Furthermore, now fat grafting can be performed simultaneously with implant placement, allowing surgeons to correct volume and shape asymmetries, as well as fill in spaces where an implant cannot be placed, such as the cleavage region and the chest wall/implant interface.

If you’re considering an augmentation mammoplasty, take a look at a three-dimensional analysis imaging of yourself. Then discuss your tissue type and pre-existing breast tissue with your surgeon, who will devise a plan to make a customized result that will look attractive and proportional with your frame. A skilled board-certified plastic surgeon will choose an appropriate implant with or without fat grafting to highlight your own unique figure with long-lasting results.