How Do Breasts Change During and After Lactation?

Breasts often lose their youthful volume and placement after breastfeeding. Lactation forms denser breast tissue, and when a woman stops nursing, her natural breast tissue may look and feel differently than before children. The milk flow may cause the skin tissue to stretch, creating an elongated or pendulous appearance. These changes also affect the nipples, altering their shape. 

It’s normal for women to miss their perky, voluptuous breasts when they stop nursing. While healthy lifestyle choices can help women slim down to their former size, diet and exercise have no effect on drooping or deflated breasts. Breast augmentation and breast lift are popular plastic surgeries for women after breastfeeding. 

When to Have Breast Surgery After Breastfeeding

Women interested in breast lift, breast implants, or another breast procedure must be finished breastfeeding. You should wait up to six months after lactation stops to give the breasts time to adjust and settle into their final shape. It’s best to wait until you’ve finished growing your family because future pregnancies may impact your results. 

If you’re considering breast rejuvenation, schedule a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon, such as Dr. Greenwald, to discuss the timeline and determine the right breast surgery for your unique needs. 

Types of Breast Surgery After Breastfeeding

Breast lift and breast enhancement are the most common procedures for women who are no longer pregnant or nursing. Both breast surgeries can dramatically improve the appearance of postpartum breasts, which may appear saggy, flat, or empty. 

Breast Lift

Breast lift elevates the tissues to a higher position on the chest wall, removes loose skin, and reshapes natural breast tissue for a firmer, more youthful contour. Severe breast sagging may require repositioning the nipples and areolas. Breast lift is often combined with breast augmentation.  

Breast Augmentation

Breast augmentation enhances your bust and restores lost volume in the upper pole of the breasts. The procedure uses saline or silicone breast implants, though fat grafting may provide modest enhancement. 

Breast Reduction

Some women may find that their breasts have grown significantly through the childbearing process and breastfeeding journey. Breast reduction can remove excess breast tissue and elevate the breasts for women who struggle with painful symptoms associated with macromastia (overly large breasts) that overpower their frame. 

August is National Breastfeeding Month. Schedule your consultation to discuss breast surgery after nursing with Dr. Greenwald. Contact Greenwald Plastic Surgery in Harrison, Carmel, and Manhattan, New York, at (914) 421-0113. 

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First Up: Silicone Implants

Although there are earlier examples of doctors augmenting breasts with tissue and fat, the very first breast implant was made with silicone in the early 1960s. Silicone is a plastic (more specifically a polymer comprised of siloxane) that is used in most breast implants (and other assorted types of cosmetic implants) today.

Silicone breast implants were banned by the FDA (aside from use in breast reconstruction procedures) from 1992 to 2006. The reason for the ban was concern over the unexplored health consequences that silicone implants may pose. Eventually, numerous studies concluded that silicone implants were in fact safe for patients with no correlation to breast cancer or birth defects. Accordingly, the FDA reversed its decision. 

Saline Implants Follow Shortly Thereafter

Saline implants, which are filled with sterilized salt water, were first manufactured a few years after the introduction of silicone implants. During the 1990s and early 2000s when silicone implants were banned, saline implants were the go-to implant type for women seeking breast augmentation. Saline implants are still revered for their safety because in the unlikely chance that an implant leaks, the body easily expels the salt water.

Next, Implants Develop Texture

In the 1970s, breast implant manufacturers introduced textured implants, which have a rougher outer shell. While textured implants did not offer cosmetic benefits, they were considered advantageous because they more easily attached to the surrounding tissue and were less likely to slip out of place. They also reduced rates of capsular contracture, which is when scar tissue hardens around the implant and squeezes the implant to the point of causing discomfort.

More recently, however, many plastic surgeons and patients are choosing to forego textured implants because of a slightly elevated correlation with breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL). The FDA has not found enough evidence to ban textured implants, but the topic is still being studied to see if action should be taken.

Introducing Form-Stable Implants

In 2012 and 2013, the FDA began approving form-stable implants, which are composed of silicone and hold a teardrop shape that better matches the natural sloping contour of youthful breasts. Although “gummy bear” implants were new to the United States, they had been available in Europe for the previous two decades since Europe had not banned silicone implants.

Schedule a Consultation

Dr. Greenwald is considered one of the top breast augmentation surgeons in New York City. To learn more about the different types of implants, and which are the best for achieving your desired look, please call (914) 421-0113 today.

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Factors to Consider

Your body frame is one of the most important considerations. If you are like most of Dr. Greenwald’s patients, you would prefer that your breasts look natural. Having breasts that are in proportion to your body frame is one of the best ways to do that. Shorter women with narrower bodies are normally better off with smaller-sized implants, while women with broader frames can generally use larger sizes to get a similar effect.

Another key factor is your level of physical activity. If you like to jog or play certain sports, it can be more challenging to thrive at these activities with oversized breasts. For that reason, athletic women often choose smaller implants for comfort and ease. 

Your clothing taste is also relevant. If you would like to wear outfits that show off a lot of cleavage, then larger implants may be the way to go. On the other hand, if you like the freedom of not wearing a bra, smaller implants can be preferable. 

How Dr. Greenwald Can Help

Rarely does a woman arrive at Dr. Greenwald’s office knowing the exact implant size she wants. Implants range from 125cc to 1200cc and do not translate directly to a bra cup size, so it can be hard for a woman to gauge without seeing them up close. An average-sized woman typically ends up choosing somewhere between 275cc and 355cc, but tastes differ.

Dr. Greenwald has the Mentor® Volume Sizing System, which you won’t find at many plastic surgeons’ offices. Using this device, his patients can try on sizes over their natural breasts to see how their breasts will look beneath clothing. Being able to experiment and see what each size looks like is a great way to confirm that you have found the size that feels right and fulfills your aesthetic goals.

Meet with a Master Breast Surgeon

Ultimately, patient satisfaction is the chief concern for Dr. Greenwald. He is proud to use his elite surgical skills to help women achieve their dream breasts. While the size of the implants is one important component of great results, Dr. Greenwald’s ability to achieve appealing, natural contours with minimal scarring is what makes him one of the most trusted surgeons in Harrison, Carmel and Manhattan, New York. Please call (914) 421-0113 for a consultation.

The post Choosing a Breast Size That Feels Right for You appeared first on Greenwald Plastic Surgery.

Read on as Dr. Joshua Greenwald shares tips to help you mentally prepare for breast augmentation.

Anticipate Taking Some Time To Adjust

Setting the right expectations for surgery is necessary, and appropriate expectations around recovery are particularly crucial. Anticipate that your body will need time to heal and adjust after your operation. Don’t expect to wake up the day after surgery feeling your best. In fact, it can take up to a few weeks to feel like yourself again after breast augmentation. When you set those mental expectations appropriately, you are less likely to be surprised or disappointed during your journey.

Focus on Your Goals

Breast augmentation can bring up a mix of emotions. In the days leading up to your surgery, you may find yourself feeling nervous or anxious about the surgery and recovery. Try to remember why you decided to undergo breast augmentation and focus on what you hope to achieve from surgery. Think about how beautiful you will look with bigger, shapelier breasts and how your confidence will skyrocket.

Build a Support System

You don’t have to go through this alone! Consider opening up to close loved ones about your surgical plans and seeking their support. It can be enormously helpful knowing you have a support system comprised of people who have your back during your experience. Online patient communities through websites like RealSelf.com are also a useful way to find support.

Stay Positive

It’s hard to accept, but other people will have a lot of opinions about your new look after surgery. Not all of those opinions will necessarily be positive. Some people can’t help but be critical.

Remember that you are not getting breast implants to satisfy anyone else — you are making a personal choice to improve your appearance and self-confidence. Get into a positive mindset and focus on the good, so you are mentally ready for other people’s comments.

If you have trouble staying positive, try techniques like guided meditations for gratitude, yoga practices or visualization exercises.

Get the Information and Resources You Need

Finally, lean on Dr. Greenwald’s expertise as you prepare for breast augmentation. He wants to be a resource for you when you have questions and concerns. He can provide the factual information you need to feel prepared and empowered about your surgery.

To get in touch with Dr. Greenwald, please call or email us today.

The post Mentally Preparing Yourself for Breast Augmentation appeared first on Greenwald Plastic Surgery.

Causes of Uneven Breast Development

Uneven breast development is common among women during their teenage years. In some cases, the breast development will become more even over time. Other women find that their breasts continue to be uneven into adulthood, with minor asymmetries between the breasts being quite common.

Breast size and shape may fluctuate throughout the month. The breasts may feel fuller during ovulation and then less full afterward. Uneven breast development may also be caused by the following conditions:

• Tubular breast development in one breast
• Congenital or developmental conditions
• Degenerative breast asymmetry
• Drastic weight loss or gain
• Asymmetrical breast development during pregnancy or while breastfeeding

If you feel that your breast asymmetry is hurting your self-esteem, you may want to talk to a cosmetic surgeon about your treatment options.

Breast Augmentation to Correct Asymmetry

Your breast augmentation options will depend on your cosmetic desires. Do you want to make both breasts larger, or just the smaller breast? You may also consider reducing the size of the larger breast.

Any of the following breast augmentation options may be used to correct breast asymmetry:

• Use of two breast implants of different sizes to eliminate asymmetry in size while adding volume.
• The use of a single breast implant in the smaller breast.
• A breast reduction performed on the larger breast.
• A breast lift performed on one breast.
• Placing an implant in one breast and performing a breast reduction and/or a breast lift on the other breast.

Your ideal procedure will be designed based on your particular situation and goals. The plastic surgeon should always aim to achieve symmetry between the breasts while giving the patient the size and shape they desire.

If you need a combination of procedures, they can sometimes be performed in a single surgery, reducing your overall recovery time. Your plastic surgeon can tell you more about what to expect from surgery during an in-person consultation.

Dr. Greenwald can discuss your options for reducing breast asymmetry during your consultation. Schedule your appointment by contacting one of our New York plastic surgery offices today.

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It could be that they no longer like the look of large breasts, or that their lifestyle has changed after having kids or going through menopause. A small number of women experience complications like an implant rupture or leak, and elect to have the implants removed without replacing them.

In those types of scenarios, most women are curious whether a breast lift is needed after implant removal. Board-certified plastic surgeon Joshua Greenwald addresses the answer here.

There Is No Easy Answer

It can be difficult to predict how a woman’s breasts and nipples will look after removing the implants and whether breast lift is necessary. For some women, removing the implants leaves the breasts looking flat, saggy and shapeless. For other women, removing the implants leaves the breasts noticeably smaller, but not necessarily saggier.

Breast lift is generally recommended to those women whose breasts sit low on the chest or whose nipples point downward after implant removal. Breast lift restores the breasts to a more youthful position on the chest and the nipples to a higher position on the breasts.

In your case, whether you need a breast lift depends on whether your breast tissue and skin have stretched out or sagged. If it has been a long time since your breast augmentation, or if you have very large implants, it is likely you will have some breast sag after removing the implants. On the other hand, if your skin has good elasticity, you have modest-sized implants and it has not been a long time since your breast augmentation, you may not need a lift after your implants are removed.

Scheduling an in-person examination with Dr. Greenwald and discussing your goals is the best way to get answers about how to proceed. Together, you and Dr. Greenwald can decide how to approach your surgery. You can plan for a lift at the time of implant removal or you can remove your implants, let your breasts settle and your body heal, and then assess how to proceed, based on how your breasts look and your desired cosmetic result.

Schedule a Consultation with Dr. Greenwald

To learn more about breast implant removal and breast lift, please schedule a consultation with Dr. Greenwald by contacting one of our New York offices today!

The post If I Remove My Breast Implants, Will I Need a Breast Lift? appeared first on Greenwald Plastic Surgery.

Breast animation deformity occurs most often in athletic women with very low body fat. Implants that shift during muscle activation will return to their original location once the muscles relax.

Dr. Joshua Greenwald, MD, is one of New York’s leading plastic surgeons. With decades of experience in breast augmentation and breast augmentation revision surgeries, Dr. Greenwald looks forward to helping you achieve the breast profile you desire. Read on to learn more about how breast implants may shift during muscle activation.

Submuscular Implants

Breast implants that are placed beneath the chest muscles are called submuscular implants. The surgeon may advise this placement method for a variety of reasons. First, submuscular implants leave the original breast tissue entirely intact. That allows the implant to enhance the appearance of the chest in a more inconspicuous manner. Submuscular implants allow for clearer mammograms and have a lower risk of capsular contracture, or the formation of scar tissue around the implant.

The downside to submuscular implants is that movement of the pectoral muscles can shift them. This effect is usually unnoticeable unless the woman has very low body fat (bodybuilders, competitive athletes, and so on). In those instances, breast animation deformity may be the result — in other words, the implant may visibly shift, “deform” and change shape as the chest muscles activate.

Subglandular Implants

Correcting breast animation deformity requires a surgical solution. The surgeon removes the original breast implant and repairs the underlying muscle tissue. Once the muscle is reattached, the surgeon creates a “pocket” for the breast implant that sits above the muscle. The implant is then placed in the pocket and is supported by surgical mesh.

As the tissue heals, the surgical mesh dissolves and forms a layer of protective tissue. The end result is a stable, healthy breast implant that does not shift when you flex your chest.

Breast Animation Deformity Surgery in NYC

It’s important to choose a highly qualified surgeon. Surgical breast revisions are far more complicated than the original procedure. The surgeon must work carefully with tissues that have already undergone significant trauma. Dr. Joshua Greenwald looks forward to offering you a second chance at finally achieving the natural breast augmentation results you desire. Please contact one of our New York offices for more information.

The post Will Breast Implants Shift If You Flex Your Chest? appeared first on Greenwald Plastic Surgery.

In these types of cases, breast revision surgery is an option. Breast revision is performed to help patients achieve the results they originally desired, to correct a complication or to improve the appearance of the breasts so they align with the patient’s current goals.

In Dr. Joshua Greenwald’s experience, women tend to seek breast revision for the following reasons:

A Change in Lifestyle or Personal Preference

It is rare to end up with the incorrect implant size after surgery, but some women have a change of heart. Either they wish they had “gone bigger” the first time around and want to swap out their implants for a larger pair, or their lifestyle or personal preferences change and they wish for smaller and more natural-looking implants.

Capsular Contracture

Capsular contracture is a rare complication that can occur after breast augmentation. The body can create a “capsule” of hard scar tissue around the implant that squeezes the implant. This can cause the breasts to feel hard and painful. With capsular contracture, the implants and scar tissue must be removed, and the implants can be replaced if the patient desires.

Implant Rippling or Wrinkling

Another rare complication that can occur after breast augmentation — especially in patients who are very thin, have little natural breast tissue or have very large implants — is visible rippling or wrinkling on the breasts. In cases of breast implant rippling, the implants should be repositioned or replaced with a pair of implants that are less likely to cause rippling.

Implant Malposition or Migration

Another common reason why women seek breast revision is that the implants migrate from their proper position. For example, they can shift down into the breast crease where the breast meets the torso, or they can migrate sideways into the armpit area. To correct breast implant malposition, the implant pocket and position may need to be reconfigured and the implants may need to be replaced with a new pair.

Revising the Results of Breast Augmentation

There isn’t a universal “best” or “right” way to perform breast revision. Dr. Greenwald tailors every procedure to the unique needs and goals of the patient. Depending on the objective of surgery, his goal is either to correct an implant complication and restore a normal breast appearance or to help the patient find implants that better suit her taste and lifestyle.

If you are dissatisfied with your breast implants, either because you have developed a complication or had a change of heart, Dr. Greenwald invites you to schedule an informational breast revision consultation. Contact us today to book your visit.

The post Top Reasons for Breast Revision Surgery appeared first on Greenwald Plastic Surgery.

Depending on your age and your personal and family medical history, you may or may not be asked to get a mammogram before breast surgery. Although every plastic surgeon has his or her own opinion, many agree that mammograms should only be ordered in specific circumstances.

Read on as Dr. Joshua Greenwald of New York shares what the American Society of Plastic Surgeons recommends about mammograms before breast surgery.

When to Order Mammograms

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ position is to test only when necessary. In a special report published in 2014, they stated that unless there was a specific concern or risk factor, women undergoing elective breast surgery should not have additional screening beyond existing guidelines.

Average Risk

According to the American Cancer Society, women at an average risk of breast cancer should follow these guidelines:

• Ages 40 to 44: optional mammograms annually
• Ages 45 to 54: mammograms annually
• Ages 55 and older: mammograms every other year or optional yearly mammograms

“Average risk” is defined as not having a personal history of breast cancer, strong family history of breast cancer or genetic mutation known to increase the risk of breast cancer (e.g., BRCA gene), and not having had chest radiation therapy before the age of 30.

High Risk

The ACS recommends women at a high risk of breast cancer have annual mammograms and MRIs. “High risk” is defined as having:

• A strong family history of breast cancer
• A genetic mutation like BRCA1 or BRCA2
• A first-degree relative with a genetic mutation
• Exposure to radiation in the chest, neck or armpit area earlier in life
• Li-Fraumeni syndrome, Cowden syndrome, or Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba syndrome, or have first-degree relatives with one of these syndromes

The Bottom Line

Unless you are over the age of 40 or are at a high risk of breast cancer, you probably do not need to get a mammogram prior to breast surgery. However, you should discuss mammography screening with your plastic surgeon during consultation to determine whether it is right for you.

To schedule a consultation with Dr. Greenwald to discuss breast augmentation, breast reduction or breast lift, please contact our practice today.

The post Do You Need a Mammogram before Breast Surgery? appeared first on Greenwald Plastic Surgery.

Fortunately, your plastic surgeon is a great resource for help with these decisions. In this post, plastic surgery specialist Dr. Joshua Greenwald gives some advice on an important decision for your breast augmentation procedure: how to pick the best breast implant size for your figure.

Visualize Your Ideal Breast Size

There are a number of methods for visualizing how your breasts will look with various sizes of implants. Some common methods are:

• Reviewing before-and-after pictures of women who have undergone breast augmentation surgery. Look for women with body types that are similar to yours and who have achieved the results you want.
• Computer simulations that show how you will look with various sizes and shapes of implants.
• Actually “trying on” a variety of implant sizes in your cosmetic surgeon’s office, using a method such as the Mentor® Volume Sizing System.

Each method of visualization has its own benefits. For example, actually trying the implants on will allow you to appreciate the weight of the implant. Take your time and use several different methods to help you reach your decision.

Get Some Firsthand Advice

Talking to women who have had breast implant surgery can lead to some important insights. You may get feedback that you hadn’t thought about previously, such as how their breast implants impacted shopping for clothes or exercising.

Your plastic surgeon can also relate stories to you about how women felt about their implant size choice after surgery. After spending many years performing breast augmentation procedures, your plastic surgeon has seen how many patients adapt to their new breasts, whether they opted for a larger or smaller implant size.

Remember: It’s Your Body

Your body size and shape will impact your implant choice in several ways. If you have a smaller figure, you may not want to carry the weight of a larger implant size. A smaller implant may also match your body’s proportions better, while larger women may find a bigger implant size to be more suitable for their figures.

Ultimately, you will have to make the final decision when choosing a breast implant size and shape. Both your personal preferences and your unique figure will play a role in selecting the perfect size breast implants and deciding how you want your new body to look.

Need Personal Advice about Your Breast Implant Size?

The best way to get customized advice about choosing your breast implant size is by having an in-person consultation with a plastic surgeon. Dr. Joshua Greenwald can listen to your goals at his New York City plastic surgery office and help you make the right choice. Please call or email our office to schedule your consultation.

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