[Information about Breast augmentation surgery Korea]

Is it good or bad to use drains after a breast augmentation surgery? Is it necessary?

These questions are asked often because the patients get different answer from all the hospitals that they visit.
 



Some doctors say that using drains are necessary
Some doctors do not require it. So the patients are very curious about this.

I do not have an absolute answer, but I usually recommend that the patient does not need one.
I will share the reason for this on today’s post.

 
Why do the doctors have different opinions?

Breast augmentation is one of the most popular beauty surgeries around the world today.

Therefore, there are various types of techniques, and implants. Also, there are different views about the breast surgeries as well.

This is why the doctors have different opinions. There are a numerous number of doctors and all these doctors have different thoughts and approaches.

But one thing for sure is that the implants and the techniques have developed much continuously. So there is a major trend through this development.


Breast surgery used to be a day long, scary surgery on the whole body, but this is changing into a day time surgery, i.e. you can recover in 24 hours.
 


Surgical drain is a drainage tube. Substances in the body need to be quickly removed from the body.

Drains are a linkage from the body to the outer environment therefore there is a high change that the pocket or the implant gets infected. This infection leads to inflammation and capsular contracture.

I believe that it is best to close the pocket of the implant as soon as possible.

Now, we do not use the drains for 90% of the patients.
If there is a patient who needs a drain, I think that it should be removed as quickly as possible.

Instead of thinking about whether using the drains are good or not, the important things is that the doctor needs to do the surgery good enough so that drains are not necessary.



Thank you for reading today’s post.
Have a great day.

How large does the breasts become after the breast augmentation?

Q. I will be using cohesive gel 275cc (or 300cc) and my breasts are currently AA cup. How will the size change?

Let’s look at how we measure the cup size before we answer the question above. When the difference between the upper breasts circumference and the lower breasts circumference is about 12.5cm, we call this B cup. The cup size increases for every 2.5cm.



Although the top bust is big, visibly big, but if the under bust is small, your cup size can be A or AA.

If your top bust is not so big, but the under bust is very small, then your cup size could be G or F.

So the answer for the question above is:

Breast cannot be measures by the cup size that determines the size of your underwear, and you shouldn’t measure in such a way either. Also one cannot estimate how much the upper bust gets bigger with the implant.



Implant size and volume; Volume differs from one person to another although they use the same sized implants, therefore one should rely on the experience and the judgement of the surgeon (Cohesive gel 250cc, 275cc, 300cc implants)

1)    When the implant is put it, it get pushed down by the skin, muscle, fat, etc therefore the original shape of the implant is not maintained. So if you measure the upper bust size, it will not be aligning with the size of the implant.

2)    Our body has liquidity and flexibility, therefore if a substance gets inside the body, the substance will press down on our tissue. The bigger the implant is, more it will press down on the skin, therefore, it is difficult to estimate the breast size. The degree of pressing down differs from one person to another.

3)    I tried to make an formula that will measure the size differences before and after the surgery by looking at the chest as a oval. One needs to calculate the indefinite integral to get the circumference of the oval but this is complicating so I came up with a simpler version as below.




L is the circumference of the oval. A is the major axis and B is the length of the short axis.
You can see the change in the breast size before and after the surgery by looking at the image below.




The problem here is that one cannot estimate the ‘b’ unit. One cannot know what level of the implant would come across the line that passes through the two nipples and also one cannot know how much the implant would press on the tissue. So we cannot apply this equation before the surgery.

4)    There are many errors and variables as above, so we cannot know how much cc of implant would lead to a particular cup size (how much the circumference of the breast increases).

5)    However, many people ask this question. So I would like to use “volume” to share how large the breasts become.
If you use the implant, the cup size increases, but the volume does not only depend on the height, but it also considers the width. This means that the volume may not increase as much as the cup size.
Also, the purpose of the breast augmentation is not to increase the cup size, but it is to have more volume.

I tell my patients how much volume increase there is after the breast augmentation and this comes from my experience.

Your clothes have sizes such as 44 / 55 / 66. 44 is extra small, 55 is small, and 66 is medium size. The implants can be measured by volume is such a way.



This model wears 55 size. One can say that that she is using a medium sized implant.


Small size (~235cc) ;

Polytech TMS 220cc, Natrelle Midrange 222cc, and Mentor Moderate plus 225cc are in this group. The width of the implant is about 9~11cm. We recommend this when the diameter of the breast is 10.5cm.

Although you use a small sized implant, a person with A cup can become a C cup. The high profile implant is 235cc and the height is about 4.4cm, but the volume does not increase as much.

Small size implant leads to ‘appropriate big size’.

Medium size (240~265cc) ;

Polytech TMS 255cc, Natrelle Midrange 253cc, Mentor Moderate plus 250cc are in this group. The width is about 10.5~12.3cm. These implants can be used if the diameter of the breast is about 11cm.
Medium size implant leads to ‘relatively large’ size.

High Medium size (270~285cc) ;

Polytech TMS 285cc, Natrelle Midrange 272cc, and Mentor 275cc are in this group. The width of the implant is about 10.8~12.5cm. These implants can be used when the diameter is about 11.5cm. High medium leads to ‘large breast’.

How large the original breasts are, how tight the tissue is, and how high the implant are the determinants on whether your breasts become B cup or C cup.

Large size (290~315cc) ;

Polytech TMS 315, Natrelle Midrange 290, and Mentor moderate plus 300 are in this group. The width is about 11~13cm. The diameter of the original breast needs to be about 12cm. Also, the original breast tissue should not be too tight but loose so that the implant can be put in easily, shoulders need to be broad, and the chest size needs to be big for the person to use the large sized implants.

Large sized implants lead to ‘very large breasts’ with any cup size of B / C / D.

But fi you have small original breasts, and if your tissue is tight then your breasts may not be larger than B cup. This does not mean that you have a small volume. This just refers to how the cup size is measured.

Extra-large (320cc or more) ;

In US, it is common to use 400cc or larger implants. Patients with big sized body and sagging breasts use such implants.

It may seem like one should not use large sized implants for sagging breasts but since there is no volume on the breasts, the implants would put much volume.
So one needs to choose long diameter implant in such case.

The cup size is not important in breast augmentation. Cup size does not have any meaning. The cup measurement has limitation on how much the volume can be. One needs to know how the volume would be changed but the cup size is very subjective. Saying you are short or tall is subjective and this applies to breast size as well.

No matter how large the implants are, one may not feel that the breasts are large enough. A person who is 166cm tall and 48kg might feel that she is fat and go on a diet. It just feels that one cannot objectively judge her own body.

 
Today we looked at how large breasts become with the implants.

Thank you for reading.

Using artificial skin(alloderm) for breast re-surgery [KIES-U Korea]

We have been using the artificial skin in breast revision surgery since the early 2000’s. It was first used for the breast cancer patients but then the usage has expanded into the beauty area and is now applied on the breast surgeries.



The artificial skin is made by pig skin but has been biochemically alternated to fit into a human’s body, therefore, it is different from Alloderm that uses the skin from a corpse.
Alloderm is a brand name and the product from the brand is called Strattice.
Today, we will look into how the artificial skin is used for the breast revision surgery.





There are many causes that lead to breast revision surgery, one of which is the capsular contracture.
Also there are other causes such as the position of the implant, implant defect, leakage, hematoma / seroma.

The artificial skin(alloderm) is used when a patient’s skin becomes really thin so that the artificial skin is necessary to cover the implant.

This usage is rather an additional measure for the breast surgeries.

The position of the implant, such as going too much to the inside, lower bottom, or coming out, can be a problem, but this is caused because the pocket is too large compared to the size of the implant. So the artificial skin(alloderm) is used as a barrier for the implant to be fixed at the most appropriate position.




Capsular contracture is the main cause of breast revision surgery. Usually, we will cut off the epithelium or remove it and also change the plane of the implant, i.e. depth, during the revision surgery. Alloderm used in this case means that the implant would be covered by the product.

The artificial skin(alloderm) minimizes the possibility of the capsular contracture, and acts as a barrier between the implant and the patient’s immune system. Also, through this, the epithelium becomes really thin.

As for the reconstructive surgery, the incidence rate of the capsular contracture is decreased from 10~16% to 5% when using the artificial skin.

The sagging of the breasts is caused because the skin becomes really thin after the breast augmentation. The skin becomes thin quickly if the implant is too heavy or as the patient gets older. Normally, one would consider breast lifting is such cases but we could use the artificial skin(alloderm) so that it supports the implant therefore avoiding the sagging breast.



Rippling and wrinkling: This is normally found with patients who are thin. We use the artificial skin(alloderm) by covering the implant from the top on the part where there is refilling or wrinkling.

Many patients apply the methods mentioned above for the revision surgeries. Statistically, we have seen great improvements with the capsular contracture, and some with the sagging breasts and the wrong positioning of the implants.

However, we see many recurrences of refilling or wrinkling even after the artificial skin so we do not have much statistically significant data for such cases.




Today, we looked at how artificial skin is used on the breast re-surgeries. In summary, we can say that the artificial skin is used only when it is necessary for re-surgeries or re-constructive surgeries. Also there is a high cost for it.

Thank you for reading. Have a great day.

Bleeding after breast augmentation surgery [KIES-U Korea]

We do not call bleeding and pain as side effects. We need to know the cause of these problems.
All surgeries have bleeding. A good surgery requires how effectively you stop or minimize the bleeding. So the important thing is that the surgery be done without bleeding.

Breast augmentation Korea KIES-U Dr. Lee

What happens when there is much bleeding?

If there is much bleeding or if the bleeding is not stopped during the breast augmentation surgery, the blood builds around the implant.

The blood from the blood vessel becomes solid, i.e. hematoma.

The body can take it naturally if there isn’t much amount of hematoma, however the body cannot take in large amount of it so there will be some hematoma left. The large sized hematoma can force the implant to move into one direction causing an awkward shape and can be a cause of infection or inflammation. It also leads to pain as there is much pressure from the hematoma build-up.

If the hematoma is build up near the dissected part, then it can penetrate through the skin, finally leading to opening of the wound and worsening of the scar.

KIES-U Korea Breast augementation

What do you do when there is much bleeding?

We can diagnose if there is a problem with bleeding from 0 ~ 2 weeks of the surgery. Abnormal swelling or pain, change in skin tone, infection or inflammation can be examined. If there is not much bleeding or if the side effect is not severe, we can put pressure on it and stop the bleeding. However, if we find that there is much bleeding then we need to remove the hematoma.

If the surgery was done on the areola or on the bottom line, we use the same spot to check on the bleeding, use galvanocautery, and quickly remove the hematoma.

But if the surgery was done through armpit or the belly button, we cannot use the same spot. We would have dissect the bottom line and remove the hematoma.

Breast augmentation Korea KIES-U

If we dissected armpit in the original surgery and there is much bleeding, we can open up the armpit again, clean, and use the endoscope to stop the bleeding. If we are lucky, the surgery would be a success, if not, then we need to pull out the blood for a week and pressurize the part.

In such case, although we have saved the implant, the patient feels much pain and loses sense for a long period. Also there is a high possibility of capsular contracture.

How to avoid bleeding?

In the first two weeks of the breast surgery, one must be very aware of one particular problem, bleeding.

In order to avoid such happening;
The dissecting area should not big. The space must be appropriate for the implant size. (Minimizing dissection technique)
The implant, itself, should not be too big. (Large implant requires large pocket that leads to more damaging of skin and blood vessels)
You need to get the job done by an experienced and careful surgeon.

Bleeding in revision surgery

If the revision is necessary due to the capsular contracture, we need to remove the formed epithelium completely causing much bleeding. So we do not completely remove the epithelium but leave some that would help the new implant fit into the pocket. Removing the epithelium completely can be an another cause of the capsular contracture and also we need to change the method in order to minimize the bleeding as well.

Breast augmentation Korea KIES-U

One must be very careful about the bleeding in the breast surgery Bleeding can lead to other problems such as capsular contracture, infection, implant collapse, scar, opening of the wound, etc. The bleeding during the revision must be controlled properly as well. The result of the uncontrolled re-surgery would be obvious.

This is all for today. Thank you.

Selecting the Implant Height in Breast augmentation with anatomical Prosthesis

[KIES-U Korea]

Here in Korea, we have a short history of using tear-drop implant breast augmentation, therefore we limited know-how in various types of surgeries. In oppose to this, tear-drop implants have been used in Europe and North America for almost 20 years. Therefore, these countries have built-up knowledge and data that are important for the surgeons.
Today, we will look at a publishing by Jose Martin del Yerro, M.D from Spain and also criticize on it.




The satisfaction of breast augmentation is highly correlated with the beauty of the breasts after the surgery. This is because when you wear clothes, the upper breast can be seen easily and also the one can see the shape of the cleavage.
So this important upper breast is composed through the height of the implant, however, there isn’t much mentioning about it. The doctors do not consider this much and so does the patients.

Dr. Yerro published a paper that states that the height of the implant should be selected according to the body type.

Kretschmer and Sheldon were few of the people who divided the ‘body type’ into three. In easy terms, the types would be ‘thin’, ‘normal’, and ‘obese’.
Dr. Yerro stated that the pocket of the implant of a thin person is shaped oval vertically, round for normal person and a horizontal oval shape for those who are obese.



And through many analysis, he found that the ‘normal’ type is the majority, and the other two types of ‘thin’/’obese’ are rare. This is why there is much usage of round type implants rather than the oval shaped ones.

Dr. Yerro published his paper based on the analysis of 5123 patients that he has worked with for 13 years, starting from 1998.
This means that the thoracic perimeter has been divided by the distance between the center of the collarbone and areola to determine the height of the implant.




The result of the data can be seen in the image above. The ones with the ‘normal’ body shape were the most and the average length of the thoracic perimeter was found to be 80cm, with the average of the collarbone-areola distance being 20cm. Also, the round shaped implants were used the most.

I think that Dr. Yerro’s findings are very important in how we select the height of the implant. There aren’t many surgeons in Korea who are much experienced with using the tear-drop type implants. These surgeons only focus on the fact that they are using this type of implants and do not consider important 3 dimensional variables including the height.

 Dr. Yerro’s findings are not directly related to how we do things here in Korea, so some findings feel unrealistic. The biggest difference is that the Europeans and Koreans have different body types. My personal statistics show that the patients who want breast surgeries have average of 17.7cm in distance between the collarbone-areola, so this is much different from what Dr. Yerro has announced.

Also the thoracic perimeter is not as large as the average of 80cm. Most of these patients have very thin thorax as well. Many people with large thorax and those who are obese do not need breast surgeries.

One needs to know that most of the Korean women have short thoracic perimeter and narrow breast diameter. So, when we consider Dr. Yerro’s data, most of the patients that we have are composed of those who have ‘thin’ or ‘normal’ body type.

This means that most Korean patients need to use the vertical oval shaped implants





I will write another post to explain about how to select the appropriate height of the implant according to the various different types of the implant at a later date.
However, much of Dr. Yerro’s findings are those that have been neglected in our country, and I, personally, was glad to see such findings.
This is all for today.

Thank you.