October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. According to breastcancer.org, about 12 percent of women will develop invasive breast cancer in the course of their lives. For men, it’s estimated that over 2,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2019. While those numbers may seem scary, it’s also important to note that cases of breast cancer have decreased since 2000 because of early detection and advanced knowledge of treatments. Should you receive a breast cancer diagnosis, there are many breast surgery options available to you. Below, we’ll touch on the types of breast surgery we perform at Cincinnati Plastic Surgery.
Breast Augmentation
A breast augmentation is one of the most common plastic surgery procedures. Simply put, breast augmentation is the enlargement of the breasts. In theory, there’s no limit as to what size you could go to. However, know that if you go too big, it can negatively affect you during post-op.
We’ve heard plenty of misconceptions about breast augmentation in the past and break down some of them on our website. If you’re considering breast augmentation and have any worries of a potential breast cancer diagnosis, know that we require a mammogram (the common screener for breast cancer) before any breast procedure. You also should know it has been shown that people with breast augmentation have lower risks of breast cancer.
Breast Lift
A breast lift is exactly what it sounds like: lifting of the breasts to counteract sagging. Breast lifts are also known as mastopexy. These procedures are done to give your breasts a more youthful appearance. Also, mastopexies can be performed with a breast augmentation or on their own.
Breast Revision
A breast revision will correct anything that went wrong from a previous breast surgery. These aren’t common, as breast surgery is normally highly successful. However, there are always rare cases where a patient isn’t satisfied or complications happen. Should you feel unsatisfied or a complication does happen, know you have options available for correction. We’ll touch on some of the reasons for a revision here, but a full list is available on our website.
An infection of the implants is always possible. Generally, a patient can take antibiotics as long as the infection is minor. Should the infection become more severe, the implants will need removed during treatment. After the removal, you’ll need to wait six months before another surgery will be performed.
Hardening of the breasts is also a possibility. Currently, it’s unknown how many times this happens. Some studies say hardening happens in one percent of cases, while other studies have the number at five percent. While those are low numbers, you don’t want to be the person it happens to, and we understand that. It’s also unknown what causes the hardening. To treat this, we surgically remove the scar tissue surrounding the implant while also moving the implant to a better spot on the chest.
Finding out you have breast cancer can be scary. Know that you have plenty of breast surgery options to choose from. Pricing estimates are available on our website. We also offer financing options for all surgeries. Contact us to schedule a consultation today.
