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Breast Reshaping
Body contouring is a surgery that requires the plastic surgeon to take a holistic approach to determine what procedures will best flatter the body’s entire silhouette. This comprehensive and fully-customized plastic surgery procedure often employs several techniques, such as abdominoplasty, liposuction, breast enhancement and arm lift. The results can be breathtaking, and we have helped many patients remove unwanted weight by redefining their body contours.Body contouring surgery offers many post-bariatric patients an opportunity to regain their physical appearance and rejuvenate their bodies at the same time.
After a person undergoes weight loss surgery, the arms typically develop hanging tissue between the armpit and the elbow, and the armpits become deep, loose and hollow. The upper chest tissue becomes deflated and forms cascades of hanging soft tissue that extend from the front toward the back as loose rolls of skin. Typically, the breasts also undergo deflation, significant sagging, and loss of shape. The breasts often lose their definition and projection on the chest and become broad, stretched and deformed. Also, in many patients, the breasts demonstrate asymmetrical changes.
Each patient is different and therefore needs a different approach to breast reshaping. Almost all patients benefit from some form of breast lift (mastopexy). Breast reduction or breast augmentation procedures may also be required.
Up to now, breast augmentation was achieved through the use of breast implants. However, in recent years, we have developed a technique, known as the Spiral Flap, as a means of breast reshaping for those patients who do not want an implant. The procedure uses redundant back and side rolls, as well as abdominal tissue, to augment the deflated breasts with the patient’s own tissue. Together with a breast lift, the procedure augments, reshapes, projects and elevates the breasts on the chest while excising and tightening the surrounding redundant tissues. Many patients who do not want implants have found the spiral flap surgery extremely satisfying in their quest for fuller, rounder and more projected breasts.
When breast implants are used, a number of breast lift options are available depending on the severity of the breast laxity. For mild cases of breast sagging, it is preferable to do a short incision around the nipple-areola complex, through which an implant can be placed. For moderate laxity, a circumvertical incision is combined with the breast augmentation, and for typically severe cases, an internal breast reshaping procedure is performed, followed by external excision of the redundant breast skin. ϖ
Siamak Agha-Mohammadi, MD, PhD, specializes in post-bariatric plastic surgery and has extensive training in body contouring procedures. He has appeared as faculty at body contouring conferences.
Dennis Hurwitz, MD,FACS, is a world-renowned plastic surgeon who has been perfecting his art for over two decades. Dr. Hurwitz may be reached at 866-873-1459.
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