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Posts from the ‘Breast’ Category

How you prepare for Breast Augmentation

By Mayo Clinic Staff
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Initially, you’ll consult with a plastic surgeon about your preferences for size, feel and overall appearance of your breasts. The surgeon will describe specific types of implants — smooth or textured, round or shaped like a teardrop, saline or silicone — as well as options for surgical techniques.
 
Review any documentation carefully, and keep copies of all pertinent information for your records.
 
Before you decide to go ahead with surgery, consider some important factors about breast augmentation:
 
Breast implants won’t prevent your breasts from sagging. To correct sagging breasts, you might need a breast lift in addition to breast augmentation.
Breast implants aren’t guaranteed to last a lifetime. Implant rupture is a possibility. Also, your breasts will continue to age after augmentation — and factors such as weight gain or weight loss might further change the way your breasts look. Any of these issues might lead to additional surgery.
Mammograms might be more complicated. If you have breast implants, in addition to routine mammograms, you’ll require additional, specialized views.
You might need routine MRI scans. The Food and Drug Administration recommends monitoring silicone breast implants with routine MRI scans every two years, starting three years after the initial implant surgery.
Breast implants might hamper breast-feeding. Some women are able to successfully breast-feed after breast augmentation. For others, however, breast-feeding is a challenge.
Insurance might not cover breast implants. Unless it’s medically necessary — such as the need for implant reconstruction after a mastectomy — breast augmentation isn’t covered by insurance. Be prepared to handle any expenses that accompany breast augmentation, including related surgeries or future imaging tests.
You might need additional surgery after breast implant removal. If you decide to have your implants removed, you might need a breast lift or other corrective surgery to help your breasts maintain an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
If you decide to have the surgery, you may need a baseline mammogram ahead of time. Your doctor might adjust certain medications before the surgery as well. For example, it’s important to avoid aspirin or other medications that can increase bleeding.
 
If you smoke, your surgeon will ask you to stop smoking for a certain period of time before the surgery.
 
Arrange for someone to drive you home after the surgery and to stay with you for at least the first night.

Stage 2 Male Compression Shirt

SC-175 CDI Stage 2 Male Compression Shirt

Ideal for use during the extended recovery period following gynocomastia and liposuction of the upper body. Made from our exclusive SuperSilky fabric, the CDI SC-175 offers maximum compression to the chest, upper back and flanks and upper and lower abdomen. A tapered design provides a contoured fit and allows this shirt to be worn under every day clothing, ultimately contributing to increased patient compliance and a comfortable recovery.

 

Breast Reduction Scar Treatment

There’s more than one type of incision (and more than one type of scar)

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“Breast reduction, which is done to reduce the size of a woman’s breasts, usually includes removing skin and/or the breast tissue beneath it,” Gordon Lee, M.D., a plastic and breast reconstructive surgeon at Stanford Health Care, tells SELF. There are three incision types to do just that. Which one your surgeon chooses largely depends on how much excess skin and breast tissue needs to be removed. If you only need a small amount taken out, there’s the circumareolar incision—also known as a doughnut incision—which involves cutting around the areola and removing some of the surrounding excess skin. If you need to remove more loose skin and tissue than that, the next level up is the lollipop incision, which leaves a scar around areola and a second scar that goes straight down from the base of the areola. “When you sew it together, the final shape is like a lollipop,” says Lee. For more extensive reductions, there’s the Wise pattern, which has the same two incisions as the lollipop and an additional scar that runs along the underside, or crease, of the breast, creating a scar that resembles an anchor. In some cases, surgeons also tack on liposuction to help reduce breast tissue.*

During the formation of scars, the epidermal layers of the skin will produce high levels of moisture in an attempt to hydrate the scar site. However, most of this moisture evaporates once it reaches the stratum corneum, or upper layer of the skin. This moisture loss triggers keratinocytes in the skin to produce collagen. Left unchecked, excessive collagen production can lead to abnormal scarring.

Silicone Gel Sheeting in procedure specific configurations fully encapsulates the scar site, meaning that it completely covers the treatment site for even distribution of necessary moisture (hydration), and maximum exposure to oxygen. Although the entire site is covered, silicone is semipermeable, allowing oxygen to enter while maintaining necessary moisture. This is called “homeostasis,” otherwise known as an ideal healing environment.

Epi-Derm Silicone Gel Sheeting, provided by Contemporary Design Inc. is an ideal healing environment at the stratum corneum signals keratinocytes to scale back the production of collagen, thereby preventing abnormal scarring.

*http://www.self.com/wellness/2016/03/8-things-women-should-know-about-breast-reduction-surgery-but-dont/

Learn more about Lymphedema

Spreading awareness of this disease’s symptoms and treatments is key to its control.  Contemporary Design, Inc. is committed to sharing the pertinent information you “need to know.”

External resources

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
P.O. Box 30105
Bethesda, MD 20824-0105
Phone: 301-592-8573
TTY: 240-629-3255
Fax: 301-592-8563
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/

National Cancer Institute (NCI)
U.S. National Institutes of Health
Public Inquiries Office
Building 31, Room 10A03
31 Center Drive, MSC 8322
Bethesda, MD 20892-2580
Phone: 301-435-3848
Toll-Free: 1-800-422-6237
TTY: 1-800-332-8615
http://www.nci.nih.gov/

National Lymphedema Network
Latham Square, 1611 Telegraph Ave.
Suite 1111
Oakland, CA 94612-2138
Toll-Free: 1-800-541-3259
Phone: 510-208-3200
Fax: 510-208-3110
http://www.lymphnet.org/

Office of Rare Diseases
National Institutes of Health
6100 Executive Blvd.
Room 3B01, MSC 7518
Bethesda, MD 20892-7518
Phone: 301-402-4336
Fax: 301-480-9655
http://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/

bioCorneum®+ 1st and only quick drying silicone gel scar treatment with SPF30 cleared by the FDA.

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bioCorneum®+ is now available and value priced at Contemporary Design, Inc.  The invisible protective barrier is breathable, flexible, waterproof, and the only silicone scar gel that provides protection from the sun.

bioCorneum®+ binds with the stratum corneum (the outer layer of skin cells) to protect the underlying tissue against chemical, microbial and physical invasion of the scar.

bioCorneum®+ hydrates the scarred area and creates an environment which allows the scar to mature through normal collagen synthesis cycles and improves the physiological and cosmetic appearance of the scar.

Sun may hamper proper healing of scars and the SPF 30 UV protection ingredients in bioCorneum®+ may protect the maturing scar from the darkening effects of sun exposure, a feature unique to bioCorneum®+ as it is the only patented silicone scar treatment of this kind.

 

Is Bigger Better?

You know you’ve thought about it.  When  it comes to breasts…Is Bigger Better?

THE 24-HOUR BOOB JOB

If you could try out life with bigger breasts for a day, would you do it? Liz Krieger checks out the controversial new lunchtime lift.

By Liz Krieger

THE 24-HOUR BOOB JOB

Cinderella’s fairy godmother turned a tattered dress and a pumpkin into a shimmering gown and a lavish ride. Remember, though, there was one catch: The makeover lasted only until midnight. With his InstaBreast technique, Norman Rowe, a New York plastic surgeon, is playing fairy godmother to women temporarily seeking larger, fuller breasts, but his handiwork also lasts for only one night. In about 20 minutes, you can go from flat-chested to cleavage-proud.

Rowe’s method is remarkably simple: He designates a site at the edge of each nipple, and after the area is anesthetized, he injects about a half-liter of sterile saline solution—essentially salt water—into the patient’s breast tissue. He maneuvers the needle at various angles to different areas, expanding each breast until it reaches the desired fullness. The saline is gradually absorbed into the bloodstream, with the full effect lasting about 24 hours. (Rowe says that saline is considered perfectly safe; it’s the same stuff you would get in an IV if you were dehydrated.)

While some doctors suggest that instant breast augmentation is just a fad, it’s hard to ignore its potential (consider the hundreds of thousands of women who don’t hesitate to have volumizers injected their face). And the desire for bigger breasts is as popular as ever: According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 313,327 breast augmentations and 137,233 breast lifts were performed in the U.S. in 2013. “Women want cleavage,” Rowe says matter-of-factly. “And this is fast.”

Fast results were just what Shavon Jovi, 28, a model and aspiring actress, was hoping for when she underwent the procedure with Rowe several months ago. After a few pricks of an anesthetic into the skin surrounding the nipples, Rowe injected anesthetic-laced saline solution into her 32A breasts, one syringe at a time. The effect was an instant fullness that brought her chest to a C cup. “For the longest time I’ve wanted to get a breast augmentation,” says Jovi. “I was sort of shocked when I saw them, but I loved it immediately.” Within two days she was back to her natural size (how long it takes depends on how your body metabolizes the fluid). So why have the now-you-see-’em, now-you-don’t procedure? Like many of Rowe’s patients, Jovi wanted to “try on” implants in a way that computer imaging just can’t mimic, says Rowe, adding that some of his patients go for the temporary inflation for special occasions, such as a wedding, a big birthday, or a beach vacation.

Nicole, a 30-year-old mother of two, spent a day walking around with saline-inflated breasts, and a few months later went under the knife for implants. “It was amazing to see what my breasts would be like,” she recalls. As for how it felt? “I’ve had Botox and fillers, and it’s similar.” About 75 percent of Rowe’s patients who opt for the $2,500 procedure go on to get implants. However, it isn’t a helpful test-drive for every woman. “If you need bother a lift and an augmentation, the saline won’t give you a realistic approximation,” explains Rowe.

Not everyone is singing the praises of the short-lived boob job, and there are limitations and risks to it. Since the skin of both breasts is pierced by the needle, bruising can occur. And like any procedure that penetrates the skin, infection is possible. Some doctors see other downsides as well, cautioning that undergoing the procedure repeatedly could cause the skin to stretch—”like a Slinky that you stretch out past the point of no return,” says Adam Kolker, a plastic surgeon in New York. Rowe counters that this is highly unlikely. “The skin has to be stretched for a much longer and continuous time period for it to display permanent stretching,” he says. Heidi Waldorf, a New York dermatologist, agrees, noting that having the procedure once is “probably okay. As long as it’s short-lived, the area should return to its normal contour,” says Waldorf, but she has concerns about stretching for those who return for more.

For her part, Jovi wanted to capture the results before they faded away. “I definitely posted a few #InstaBoob selfies that day,” she says. In the spirit of the procedure, though, perhaps she should have used Snapchat.

http://www.harpersbazaar.com/beauty/health/a4380/24-hour-boob-job-1215/

Pills or tablets can’t make your breasts grow, although eating fish has been known to increase the hormones which may encourage your breasts to grow.

What you wear and how you wear it does make a difference.  Shapewear that improves posture and slightly re-positions your curves is a viable answer that has reliable results.

Contemporary Design Inc. Breast Enhancing Shapewear

Contemporary Design Inc.’s Breast Enhancing Everyday Shapewear

Kathy Bates Opens Up About Her Battle With Lymphedema

Contemporary Design Inc.  Compression Garments exert 18-21 mmHg of pressure on the limb. The amount of pressure is measured in terms of “mmHg,” or millimeters of mercury, based on the amount of pressure exerted by one millimeter of liquid mercury.  (You’re probably familiar with this from your blood pressure readings, which are also expressed in terms of “mmHg.”)

Compression garments are worn by those with lymphedema on the affected limb following complete decongestive therapy.   The garment’s compression helps maintain edema reduction and compresses the arm or leg and encourage the flow of lymph fluid out of the affected limb.

Consult your healthcare provider.

Autologous Breast Augmentation vs Prosthetic

SC-25BLA_closeupFor women seeking breast reconstruction or augmentation two methods have become a standard. One involves the use of implants. The other imports tissue from the patient’s abdomen, buttocks or thigh region to form breasts with autologous tissue flaps.

With Autologous Breast Augmentation aesthetic result is a more natural feel and shape to the breast. The flap is soft to the touch, not a foreign material. The body is less likely to reject the trans-fat tissue than a prosthetic and this procedure does not require annual follow ups to monitor the implant.

Not a quick procedure, Requiring a skilled surgeon and a longer recovery period Autologous Breast Augmentation seems to produce a happier more satisfied patient.
Patients are so pleased with the result, a trend to remove prosthetic implants and replace with autologous tissue has ensued. According to a study presented at Plastic Surgery The Meeting 2014 hosted by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Patients Report Satisfaction and greater “Health Related-Quality of Life” when Converting from Prosthetic to Autologous Breast Reconstruction.

7 Celebrities Who Have Openly Owned Up to Plastic Surgery

Marie Claire spills the beans…Hollywood hotties who’ve had some help…. 7 Celebrities Who Have Openly Owned Up to Plastic Surgeryhttp://a.msn.com/05/en-us/AAa60VGyhttp://a.msn.com/05/en-us/AAa60VG

Marie Claire

How can patients accelerate healing and obtain better results following breast surgery?

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Surgical Bra: A surgical bra designed for your specific cosmetic procedure is an essential part of ensuring the results you and your Doctor planned.  Each bra provides proper support to the surgical areas for enhanced comfort while it helps the skin conform to your new contours. Further, a surgical bra can help prevent the ‘throbbing” sensation, experienced by some after surgery. The garment may also help reduce tension at incision site, preventing stretching and exaggerated scaring.

T_440COLORSCold & Hot Breast Compress:  Use Reusable CDI hot/cold 6” round gel packs as a pair, for both cold and hot therapy to help in reducing post-operative swelling and bruising. Applying cold therapy immediately following surgical procedures soothes as it numbs the nerves, reducing pain sensation. Cold therapy is found to reduce swelling by constricting the capillary vessels hence slowing blood flow.  Cold helps slow fluid buildup at the incision site, minimizing the risk of hematoma formation.

Later, heat therapy is beneficial in managing post-op bruising by – stimulating tissue and blood flow, breaking down bruising discoloration. Heat therapy comforts recovering skin and muscle tissues, reducing aches and pains. This reusable Cold/Hot Breast Compress provides hours of relief.

arnica montana 12xArnica Montana: Made from herbs grown in the Swiss Alps, Homeopathic Arnica Montana, has been used by doctors for hundreds of years. Using Arnica Montana before and after a surgery, many site reduced patient post-operative bruising and swelling, as well as relief from pain and discomfort.  FDA regulated, this homeopathic medicine is safe and requires no prescription.

circleslBreast Surgery Scar Reduction Silicone Sheets: Shaped for your procedure, made of a soft, breathable, non-invasive, permeable, semi-occlusive Silicone Sheets provide direct beneficial pressure to the scar. These self-adhesive silicone sheets help reduce the scar size, thickness, height, and color of all types of scars.

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