Frequently Asked Questions Answered By Doctor Corbin
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Breast Lift Surgery Glossary Terms
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1. What does board certified mean? It means
that the physician has completed all requirements in his specialty established
by the American Board of Medical Specialties. There are 24 individual
specialty boards established by the American Board of Medical Specialties.
The American Board of Plastic Surgery within the American Board of Medical
Specialties is the only board that certifies physicians in plastic surgery.
2. Are you board certified? Yes! A. That
means I am a graduate of an accredited medical school. B. That I have
completed a year of internship and at least 3 years in an accredited surgery
program and at least 2 to 3 more years in an accredited plastic surgery
residency program. C. That I have then passed a comprehensive written
and then oral examination.
3. Do you have hospital privileges to perform
Breast Augmentation, Breast lift, Breast reduction and Breast reconstruction
procedures? Yes! My past experiences and training in plastic surgery
has allowed me to obtain privileges in my specialty at all hospitals that
I am on staff.
4. How many breast procedures do you perform in
a year? I average approximately 400-500 breast procedures a year.
5. What implants do you use? We use Mentor
and McGhan (Inamed)
implants.
6. Do the implants have a warranty? Yes!
McGhan and Mentor, the 2 companies with FDA approved implants, do warranty
their product.
7. What are saline implants? A saline
implant is a silicone bag filled with salt water. They can be round or
anatomically shaped, smooth or textured surfaces.
8. What are silicone implants? A silicone
implant is a silicone bag filled with silicone gel. They can be round
or anatomically shaped, smooth or textured shaped.
9. What is a smooth surfaced implant? The
implant's outer surface is smooth.
10. What is a textured surfaced implant? The implant's outer surface is rough. This was developed to decrease the
incidence of capsular contracture associated with breast augmentation.
Texturing does appear to decrease the incidence of capsular contracture
when the implants are placed in front of the pectoralis major muscle.
This implant may also be used with lifts as well.
11. Will I get to choose my implant size? Yes!
We have patient's put implants in a one size fits all bra prior to surgery
so they get a very good idea of what the surgery might look like after
with various sized implants. The actual size then chosen is that which
the patient wants given that this surgeon feels it is safe for her.
12. Where will my surgery be performed? In an accredited surgery center or hospital.
13. Who will administer my anesthesia? A board certified anesthesiologist. (We only use medical Doctors for anesthesia)
14. Where will my incision be? The site
of the incision will be determined at your consultation. The surgery can
be performed through a small incision underneath the armpit (the axillary
approach), next to the nipple (the peri-areola approach), under the breast
(the inframammary approach) or next to the belly button (the TUBA or transumbilical
approach).
15. Will I have a scar? Through whichever
approach is used there will be a scar but scarring is usually minimal.
16. Will I have bruises? Bruising is usually
minimal but varies from patient to patient. Obviously we recommend that
you stop aspirin products and ibuprofens prior to surgery and also recommend
increasing Vitamin C and adding the herbs Arnica and Bromelain to your
diet.
17. When do the stitches come out? Usually
all of the stitches are buried so none need to be removed. The incisions
are covered with a steri-strip which is replaced at your first post-operative
visit 5 to 7 days post-operative. I usually remove them 5 to 7 days after
surgery.
18. Do you recommend massage techniques after
a breast augmentation? Yes! The specific techniques will be explained
at your post-operative visits. I cannot guarantee to you that these techniques
will prevent capsular contracture but they may help to prevent it.
19. When can I return to work? That is
a function of the type of work that you do and how much pain you are experiencing.
Usually patient's are able to return to work by 4 days post-operative.
Obviously I would not want them to return to work that soon in jobs that
require a lot of manual labor. This will be discussed in detail before
surgery.
20. When can I drive? When you are off
pain medication and have sufficient pain free use of your arms to drive
a car. That is usually within 4 to 5 days after breast surgery though
everyone's experience is different.
21. When can I exercise? I generally tell
patient's to let discretion be their guide. If it hurts, don't do it.
You can start with lower body at about 2 weeks post- operative and progress
to upper body at about 3 weeks to a month post-operative.
22. Can I breast feed with implants? Augmentation
mammoplasty should not affect your ability to breast feed but there are
no guarantees that you would be able to breast feed even without surgery.
23. Will I lose sensation after surgery? Though it is certainly possible to lose sensation following augmentation
mammoplasty, this is an unusual complication of the procedure. Most sensory
changes that do occur with the surgery (and that can include increased
sensation) usually revert to normal with time.
24. Are there any products that help to reduce
scarring? There are but they rarely need to be used as the amount
of scarring following an augmentation mammoplasty is minimal. I have found
that by just leaving the steri-strip in place for a prolonged period of
time makes the scars almost invisible.
25. Before and after surgery, can I take aspirin
for a headache? It is not recommended to take aspirin products
at all prior to surgery and immediately afterward. One can take tylenol,
however.
26. What can I do to help my breast implants
settle into place? Don't wear push up bras and in some instances
it is recommended to wear an ace wrap or bra pulled up above the breasts
at night to push downward on the implants. The breast exercises also help.
For most patients no underwire bras are recommended immediately following
surgery.
27. When will I be able to wear an underwire
bra? I don't like underwire bras but they can be worn once the
implants have dropped into position. I feel before that they may inhibit
the implants from dropping.
28. Will a breast augmentation lift my nipples? No! The implants do not lift anything. They do make the breasts appear
fuller and in so doing may make it look as if the nipples have been lifted
but an augmentation is just that and a breast lift or mastopexy is the
operation that truly raises the nipples.
29. If one of my breasts is lower then the other
will this change with a breast augmentation? No! The implants will
make your natural shape larger. They do not lift the breasts. Putting
in two different sized implants will help a size difference but does not
lift the breasts. The operation to lift the breasts is a Mastopexy or
Breast lift.
30. What happens if I develop capsular contracture? There are several different approaches that can be used to correct capsular
contracture. What approach would be best in any individual patient would
depend on the type of augmentation mammoplasty initially performed and
the type of implant used. The important thing to realize is that this
condition does not occur commonly and there are options should it occur.
31. What are some of the common side effects
after breast surgery? Immediately following surgery there is pain
and a variable amount of swelling. The implants may initially be high
and need time to drop. After that there are usually no problems unless
you develop a longer term complication such as rippling or capsular contracture.
Most patients following this operation are extremely happy with the results
of their surgery. Of course there are horror stories but, these are rare.
That is why this operation is so popular and patients are so happy with
it.
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