My Trips to the Hospital

If you've considered breast implants in the past, but decided against them because of your fear of a difficult recovery or the risk of infection and surgical complications, then it may be time for you to reconsider. Plastic surgeons are always working on ways to make their procedures safer, more comfortable, and more convenient for patients, and now there are a few new breast implant techniques out there that meet those needs. One of them may be right for you.

Botox Breast Implants

Most breast implants require cutting into the patient's pectoral muscles to insert the implant. This can lead to a rough recovery, due to muscle spasms as the muscles heal. Traditionally, doctors treat this by giving the patient muscle relaxing drugs that affect the whole body, but some doctors have begun to use a more targeted approach – Botox injections.

You probably know Botox as the injections that can smooth out crow's feet and wrinkles on your face. Just as these injections affect only a small area of the face, they can be used to temporarily paralyze only the healing pectoral muscles. This means less pain for patients and fewer side effects from muscle-relaxing drugs. The Botox also has the added benefit of relaxing the muscles so that the implants settle into place sooner, helping them appear more natural.

Pastry Bag Implant Placement

Traditionally, surgeons use their hands to push the implant into the incision they make in the patient's chest. This means that the implant comes in contact with the patient's skin and the surgeon's hands. It also requires a lot of force – imagine trying to shove a filled water balloon through a button hole, and you'll get the picture.

A new technique for placing implants has the potential to significantly decrease the risk of infection, as well as lowering the risk for implant rupture and decreasing scaring. This technique involves using a funnel shaped like a pastry bag to insert the implant into the incision. It allows the surgeon to avoid touching the implant or allowing it to come in contact with the patient's skin, which lowers the risk of infection. It also uses less force than manually pushing the implant in, which means the implant is less likely to be weakened by the insertion process and therefore less likely to rupture. It also allows for surgeons to use a smaller incision, which means less scarring for the patient.

Breast implants are becoming safer and easier to recover from all the time. If you're just now considering implants for the first time, or if you considered them before but decided not to go through with it, now may be the right time for you to enhance your figure with a breast augmentation. Talk to a surgeon in your area about the best breast implant techniques for you.