No woman has perfectly even, symmetrical breasts.
For some women, however, extreme variations in the size, proportion or shape of one breast compared to the other becomes a source of insecurity, discomfort and inconvenience. Women such as these can correction of asymmetry with an individualized approach to breast augmentation surgery. The results are gorgeous, and tend to produce a dramatic self-confidence boost.
If you're a women living in or near Indianapolis, Indiana who struggles with breast that look significantly different from one another, please contact Renaissance Plastic Surgery today to schedule a consultation with our Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Joseph Fata. You can reach our Indianapolis plastic surgery practice online or by calling317-575-9152.
Having asymmetric breasts may be a relatively simple or quite complex problem involving much more than breast size. If you have asymmetric breasts, you need a skilled, experienced, Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon such as Dr. Fata with an understanding of the complexities of asymmetric breasts to provide a satisfactory outcome.
Natural Breast Asymmetry
The most common cause of breast asymmetry is a significant difference in the volume of one breast as compared to the other. There may also be subtle differences in shape and nipple position. But correcting the volume difference is typically adequate to create an aesthetically pleasing result. According to one medical writer, the majority of women naturally have a larger left breast. Regardless of which breast is larger, this volume difference can be as much as 20 percent.
Women who are nursing or those who have nursed in the past are even more likely to notice differences in the appearance between their two breasts.
A Board-Certified Indiana Plastic Surgeon like Dr. Fata can devise a unique treatment plan that takes into account each woman's distinct health and wellness issues as well her aesthetic goals. To correct natural breast asymmetry, Dr. Fata may suggest a breast lift or breast augmentation surgery. Either silicone breast implants or saline breast implants can be used in this procedure.
Uneven, Sagging Breasts
Every woman will experience a change in the skin and muscle elasticity of their breasts over time. These changes may be even more pronounced depending on each woman's lifestyle. Contrary to popular wisdom, breast sagging tends to have less to do with the after-effects of nursing as with the body's natural aging process. Women whose weight tends to fluctuate often are also likely to experience more a pronounced drop in the look of their breasts.
Smoking and particular exercise habits also are leading contributors to sagging breasts.
Menopause and menstrual cycle changes also may contribute to changes in the shape and size of a woman's breasts. The same is true for women who are undergoing some type of hormone therapy.
As any difference in the size between breasts increases, it follows that the larger breast may have significantly more droop than the smaller breast.
There also are health related reasons that a woman's breasts may exhibit a noticeably difference profile from one to the next. Let's take a closer look at two medical conditions that commonly cause this type of aesthetic issue.
Poland's Syndrome
Poland's syndrome represents a very advanced form of breast asymmetry. In Poland's syndrome, one breast has not developed at all. The nipple is very small and the chest wall muscle under the breast is absent. Correction of this type of breast asymmetry involves breast reconstruction on the absent breast.
Dr. Fata uses a two-stage process involving a latissimus dorsi muscle flap for reconstruction of Poland's syndrome. The first stage involves taking muscle from your back and an expander, which resembles an unfilled saline implant, is placed under the muscle. This expander is gradually filled with saline to stretch the skin and muscle until the reconstructed and natural breast match. Then a silicone breast implant is inserted at the second stage.
If your breast implant has ruptured and/or deflated, it is important to seek replacement as quickly as possible. Whether you had your original breast augmentation surgery at Renaissance Plastic Surgery in Indianapolis or elsewhere, we can replace your ruptured implants in a timely fashion so you will spend the shortest amount of time with a hard-to conceal breast asymmetry. Unless your implants are still under warranty, we generally recommend that you replace both implants even if only one is ruptured.
Tuberous Breasts
Another variant of asymmetric breasts occurs when one of the breasts has a tubular breast deformity. In a tubular, or tuberous breast, the base of the breast is very narrow, causing the breast shape to be like a cylinder or a tube. The nipple (areolar) skin is often enlarged and may be associated with herniation, or bulging, of the breast tissue under the nipple.
Treatment of tuberous breasts requires expansion of the breast base and placement of a large enough breast implant to improve breast asymmetry. Any nipple enlargement and breast herniation are corrected as well, which may be done at the same time or at a second stage, depending on the situation.
Breast surgery procedures for tuberous breasts are also performed at Dr. Fata’s Carmel, Indiana surgery center near his Indianapolis office.
Breast Implant Failure
Breast implant manufacturers provide good warranty terms and if your implant was under warranty, most of the costs of replacement surgery may be covered by the manufacturer. When it comes to breast implant removal or replacement, we honor warranties by both approved U.S. manufacturers so you can get your replacement surgery at a reasonable cost.
When a saline breast implant ruptures, the breast begins to deflate relatively quickly as the body naturally absorbs the saline solution that is leaking out. Most women want to correct the highly visible effects of saline breast implant rupture as quickly as possible. Because saline implants may be more susceptible to rupture than silicone implants, many women elect to replace their saline implants with silicone implants following a rupture.
If a silicone breast implant has a small leak, you may not notice if it does not look or feel any different. Even if you have a qualified plastic surgeon or other doctor check the implant, he or she may not notice the difference. This is known as a silent rupture or silent leak. The FDA recommends regular MRIs to look for silent leaks, but this recommendation is controversial because there is a small risk of a false positive, in which an MRI scan shows a leak but the implant is removed and is completely normal. It is unknown whether leaking silicone can cause any harm, but it is still recommended that you replace ruptured silicone breast implants.
Indianapolis board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Joseph Fata performs breast surgery to correct all forms of asymmetric breasts, including tuberous breasts or tubular breasts, on his patients in Indianapolis and Carmel, Indiana. Correction of asymmetric breasts begins with the understanding that no woman has two identical breasts. Therefore, some degree of breast asymmetry is normal.
Breast Cancer Recovery
Roughly 1 in 8 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point during their lives. In 2016 alone, more than 300,000 women in the U.S. are expected to hear this tough diagnosis, according to breast cancer advocates. Breast cancer treatment is distinct for each patient but one thing that may be universally true is that woman who come out on the other side of this battle definitely experience anomalies in the look of their nipples or their breasts as a whole.
Changes in a woman's breasts are often a first sign that she may be harboring cancerous cells. Some of the typical early warning signs for breast cancer include:
- Lumps within the breast tissue or beneath the arms
- A thickening of the breast tissue
- A noticeable change in size of one or both breasts
- A noticeable chance in size or shape of one or both nipples
- Nipple discharge
- Red, itchy, dimpled, scaling or puckered breast skin
Dr. Fata has the experience and perspective to propose the best plastic surgery treatment option for breast cancer survivors.
Schedule Your Breast Surgery Consultation Today
To learn more about correcting breast asymmetry and the best treatment option for you, please contact Renaissance Plastic Surgery today to schedule a consultation with our Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon. You can reach our Indianapolis plastic surgery practice online or by calling317-575-9152.
