Breast Augmentation

Many women choose to have their breasts enlarged in order to satisfy their own desire for a fuller bust line. At Palmetto Plastic Surgery in North Charleston, South Carolina, we offer breast enlargement services that can help. Breast enlargement, or augmentation is a surgical procedure to enhance the size and shape of a woman's breast to complement one’s natural body proportions. Women can choose between saline or silicone gel filled implants.



The decision to have a breast enlargement should be a personal one. It can be used to balance a difference in breast size, improve body contour and proportions, regain firmness and fullness after having children or simply feel more confident about one’s appearance. Your body type, chest size and density of breast tissue will determine the implant size and shape.

Reconstruction of a breast that has been removed due to cancer or other disease is one of the most rewarding surgical procedures available today. New medical techniques and devices have made it possible to create a breast that can come close in form and appearance to matching a natural breast. Breast reconstruction may be performed immediately following breast removal (mastectomy) or a patient may postpone reconstruction to have a period of emotional readjustment. Ideally, a breast surgeon and a plastic surgeon can work together to develop a strategy that would be the best option for each individual patient. It is important to begin thinking about reconstruction as soon as the patient is diagnosed with cancer. In many cases, a reconstructed breast has a superior aesthetic appearance to some recently developed breast-conserving therapies.

In breast reconstruction, a surgeon forms a breast mound by using an implant or tissues from the belly, back, or buttocks. Implants are silicone sacs filled with salt water or silicone gel. The type of reconstruction you get depends on your body type, age, and cancer treatment.

Post-mastectomy reconstruction can improve your appearance and renew your self-confidence, and in most cases, health insurance policies will cover the cost of reconstruction. Some great additional information can be found here, http://ww5.komen.org/BreastCancer/BreastReconstruction.html

Breast reduction represents one of the clearest examples of the interface between reconstructive and aesthetic plastic surgery. In time, overlarge sagging breasts can interfere with normal functioning and physical activity. They often cause back pain, problems with posture, deformities of the back and shoulders, skin rashes and breast pain. Bra straps may leave indentations in the shoulders. Psychological and lifestyle issues often present themselves as well. Women with very large breasts have trouble finding proper clothing and are unable to participate in activities others take for granted. That is why breast reduction surgery is normally classified as a reconstructive procedure and may be covered by insurance.



The procedure removes fat, glandular tissue, and skin from the breasts, making them smaller, lighter and firmer. It can also reduce the size of the areola, the darker skin surrounding the nipple. The goal is to give the woman smaller, better shaped breasts in proportion with of the rest of her body. The scars resulting from breast reduction go around the nipple, extend vertically down the breast, and horizontally along the crease underneath the breast. For the most part the horizontal scar is hidden. Scars usually fade quite well over time and most breast reduction patients are very pleased with the final outcome. Liposuction may also be used in conjunction with breast reduction surgery to achieve refinement in breast shape or to remove excess fat from the armpit area.

Over the years, factors such as pregnancy, nursing and the force of gravity take their toll on a woman's breasts. As the skin loses its elasticity, the breasts often lose their shape and firmness and begin to sag. A breast lift, or mastopexy, is a surgical procedure to raise and reshape sagging breasts. In many cases performing a breast augmentation using implants will provide a sufficient amount of uplift, avoiding extra scars from the mastopexy procedure. If your breasts are small or have lost volume, for example after pregnancy, breast implants inserted in conjunction with mastopexy can increase both their firmness and their size.



A breast lift will reshape sagging breasts to a more naturally rounded shape and repositions the breast and nipple to a more youthful height and projection.