BREAST AUGMENTATION
AS GOOD AS NATURAL TECHNIQUE
Breast augmentation is the most commonly performed cosmetic surgery procedure in the United States. Breast augmentation can increase the size of your natural breast or replace volume that has been lost with age, weight loss, pregnancy or breastfeeding.
There is a lot of options when it comes to breast augmentation methods, but the vast majority is performed with silicon breast implants. Silicon breast implants come with a wide range of diameters, volumes and projections and also different textures. There are quite a few breast implants brands in the European market. Dr Pagkalos uses exclusively Mentor® implants, since they are FDA (Food and Drug Administration – USA) approved and have the highest standards of design, testing and safety.
The modern era of breast augmentation
Up until recently, breast augmentation was synonymous to adding volume to the breast. Nowadays, it is all about shape. Our main goal is to give nice shaped breasts, proportional to patient’s anatomy and in full harmony with her body and physique. Furthermore, the global shift towards less invasive surgery has led to new breast augmentation techniques that respect breast’s anatomy and require precise surgical planning and advanced surgical skills.
Minimal invasive surgery not only has dramatically improved breast augmentation results, but has also significantly reduced complications and recovery time.
As Good As Natural™ Technique
The As Good As Natural™ Technique is one of the latest, minimal invasive breast augmentation techniques. Based on Per Hedén’s algorithms for breast augmentation, Dr Pagkalos uses the As Good As Natural™ Technique to precisely position breast implants in order for them to harmonically intergrade with patient’s anatomy. The enlarged breasts are in perfect balance with the body and although bigger, the overall appearance is so natural that no one could tell that the patient had plastic surgery.
Being a minimal invasive procedure, the As Good As Natural™ Technique respects breast tissue, preserves natural breast anatomy and causes as less tissue trauma as possible. Hence, the recovery is easier, breast and nipple sensation remains intact and the ability for future breast feeding fully preserved.
Choosing the right size
Choosing the right size is one of the main aspects of the consultation process. Being a symbol of femininity and fertility, breast is considered the main feature of female anatomy. Thus, individual patient’s preferences when it comes to breast size should be highly respected.
Following multiple measurements of the breast and torso, Dr Pagkalos uses Mentor Bodylogic® sizing system to help patients choose the right size for them. Mentor Bodylogic® perfectly integrates with As Good As Natural™ surgical planning to assure that the chosen size perfectly matches each patient’s body.
Dr Pagkalos encourages his patients to take time and try multiple breast implant sizes in order to be confident with their final decision.
Ultimately, choosing the appropriate implants will not only give patients the best and safest result, but also increase the longevity of those results.
Cup size and breast volume
Choosing breast size can be tricky since patients use cup sizes to compare breasts. However, bra cup sizes are not standard; a C size in one brand maybe entirely different than a C size in another brand. Furthermore, same cup sizes can fit differently in different patients. Therefore, breast implants are measured in cubic centimeters (cc) in order to have an accurate measuring standard, giving both the plastic surgeon and the patient the knowledge needed for a more precise assessment.
Dr Pagkalos encourages his patients to ignore cup sizes and focus on how their body looks when trying different breast implants sizes during the consultation process.
Recovery
Being a minimally invasive procedure, As Good As Natural™ recovery period is shorter and easier than traditional breast augmentation. Recovery, however, after breast augmentation typically involves several days of downtime and strict precautions.
Since even the slightest pain leads to muscle contraction and muscle contraction subsequently leads to more pain, painkillers are mandatory in order to break the vicious cycle.
During recovery period patients are advised to profoundly limit physical activity, including restrictions to drive, taking care for children and visiting the gym. After 2 weeks, patients can gradually resume all activities with full upper body workouts to restart at least 1 month post OP. Sports that involve bouncing, such as trampoline, motor cross and bungee jumping should however be avoided for another 3 months post OP.
Duration of the results
Implants aren’t lifetime devices. The longer a patient has them, the more likely it is that they need to be replaced. Although implant technology is constantly improving, implants are advised to be replaced in approximately 20 years. Furthermore, pregnancy, menopause and weight loss or gain after surgery can significantly affect breast augmentation results, often requiring additional surgery to regain the beautifully shaped breasts.
Choosing a surgeon
Not all plastic surgeons have the same expertise, especially when it comes to breast augmentation. Dr Pagkalos was engaged in breast augmentation from his early stages of plastic surgery training in Soroka University Medical Center and Akademikliniken. Since then, Dr Pagkalos has published studies in plastic surgery medical journals and has been invited speaker to international plastic surgery meetings, deeply exploring the knowledge on breast augmentation minimal invasive techniques and implant technology.