By: Robert Cohen, MD

If you’ve looked at the Web sites for some of the top silicone-gel breast implant manufacturers lately, you might have noticed some implant “starter kits” for sale that include implant sizers, sample implants that give potential patients a better idea of how the implants look and feel.

On one level, these sample kits can be helpful – most breast augmentation patients from Phoenix worry over whether their implants will look or feel “fake,” but when they can actually touch and see the implants, they often feel much more reassured that these implants really look and feel very much like breast tissue.

At the same time, though, I don’t like the idea of patients coming to their breast implant sizing options without the guidance of a plastic surgeon. My main concern is that a sizer tried on by a patient in her bra does not look the same once it is placed in the breast pocket under the chest muscle. I feel that patients can fixate on a specific size without knowing what that size will actually look like once it is implanted.

At my office, rather than having a patient settle on a specific shape or volume she wants before surgery, I’ll spend a lot of time talking with her in detail to understand what her aesthetic goals are for surgery. I will also have her look through my many pre- and post-operative photos to find what proportion she finds most pleasing, and evaluate her overall figure to determine whether combined procedures like liposuction or Scottsdale tummy tuck can influence implant choice.

I always tell patients not to worry too much about the implant numbers or bra letters- just show me a picture of what you like and I will use the best shape and size implant to achieve your goals. I use sterile sizers during every breast augmentation to see exactly what different implant shapes and sizes look like in each individual before I open the permanent implants. I believe this allows me to achieve the most beautiful and tailored result for all of my patients.

Bottom line: Resources like these implant kits can help you familiarize yourself with your choices better, but be aware of their limitations and keep an open mind. The quality of your “whole” result is much more important than getting “stuck” on one feature of your implants.

By: Robert Cohen, MD

If you have breasts that appear very narrow, long, and droopy, you are probably wondering about your options to correct this problem through breast enhancement plastic surgery in Phoenix. Fortunately, this problem has a specific cause and with the right surgery and the right surgeon the results can be very good. Here are answers to some of the most important questions that should help you as you find out more about your options:

1. Do I have tuberous breast deformity?

Drooping breasts are a common problem, and it can be easy to mistake normal sagginess for tuberous breasts if you don’t know the signs. A tuberous breast develops when the lower breast tissues remain tight during breast development, forcing the growing breast to protrude through the areola. As a result, the areola looks oversized, the breasts appear to be spaced widely, and there can be a droopy appearance to the breasts.

Some women have more severe tuberous breast deformity, while for others this problem is minor; in either case, the signs are similar:

• A high breast “base” and breast crease; this can be so severe that even for women with moderately sized breasts, the nipple area may be far below the breast crease
• A narrow, tubular breast mound

For more severe tubular breast deformity, additional problems may also appear:

• Enlarged, downward-pointing areolas (and sometimes enlarged nipples) where the breast tissues have pressed against the thin areola skin
• Asymmetry in volume or shape of the breasts

2. Is a breast lift the right solution?

The “typical” answer to the problem of drooping breasts is a breast lift, but for tuberous breasts this procedure is a little more tricky, and in some cases actually isn’t the best approach. Here’s why:

A breast lift usually works by removing extra tissue from the surface of the lower breast, but for women with tuberous breasts, the problem isn’t an excess of tissue at the base of the breast – it’s too little tissue. For your Phoenix area plastic surgeon, the challenge with these types of procedures is to add or subtract tissue from the breast mound, but at the same time adjust those tissues at the base of the breast to allow for a wider, rounder breast shape.

A breast augmentation in Phoenix or breast reduction with lift may be more appropriate than a breast lift alone, but regardless of the procedure choice, a “standard” approach just won’t do.

By: Robert Cohen, MD

No woman wants obvious breast augmentation scars, but when patients come to me asking “which incision type hides scars the best,” the answer is not as obvious as you would think. Technically, the axillary (armpit) incision would seem to do the best job of avoiding scarring on the breast, but if a patient has trouble with scarring, this incision can be noticed in a sleeveless dress or a bikini when her arms are raised.

Most of my breast augmentation patients from the Phoenix area choose an incision along the lower edge of the areola (the darker skin that surrounds the nipple). Because this skin is thinner, and because there is a natural color junction of the breast and areola, scars following surgery quickly become inconspicuous in most patients. Please look through many breast augmentation photos from patients at my practice to get a better idea of what typical scars look like. These scars are frequently hard to notice, and fade more and more as time passes.

Breast Augmentation Scarring: Key Facts

• The typical “timeline” for breast augmentation scarring varies depending on the patient, but you should see swelling go down within 10 days of your procedure, with noticeable improvements in the appearance of your incisions in a few weeks to a few months. It may take scars a year or more to fully flatten and fade, so be patient.
• If scarring is a particular concern, some incision techniques are better than others. Periareolar incisions, for example, combine minimal scarring with much more direct access to the breast pocket compared to axillary (armpit) or TUBA (bellybutton) methods, which helps ensure the best possible result.
• Compared to other cosmetic procedures that require more extensive incisions such as Scottsdale tummy tuck or body lift procedures, scarring following breast augmentation surgery generally is not a major concern. But you should still choose a surgeon who is focused on minimizing incisions to create a beautiful result.