Breast Lift with Augmentation

Surgery is performed while you are sleeping under general anesthesia. This means that you will wake up with no memory of the procedure. After your surgery, Dr. Bitar will ensure you are comfortable and relaxed with prescription oral painkillers.

Dr. Bitar is very meticulous about scheduling follow-up appointments after surgery, as they allow him to check on your incisions, address any postoperative questions you may have, and ensure that no complications have arisen. He will inform you of the schedule for your visits as part of your comprehensive treatment plan.

Initially, swelling and bruising may obscure the appearance of your newly sculpted chest. Within 6-8 weeks, however, most symptoms will have dissipated, and you will be able to enjoy a more shapely, feminine physique.

Yes! Dr. Bitar is known for performing the full gamut of transformative cosmetic procedures and can pair your breast surgery with other aesthetic options of your choice. Commonly, he performs breast surgery in tandem with a mommy makeover, or full-body rejuvenation procedure for moms. During your private consultation, the doctor can discuss your goals with you in more depth.

At the Bitar Cosmetic Surgery Institute, we take pride in ensuring that we provide the best possible surgical experience. This process includes pre-operative preparation, the actual surgery, and post-operative care.

• General Complications
  General complications can occur with any surgery. Cosmetic surgery is typically a safe procedure performed on healthy patients and, like all surgeries, comes with a low risk. To further lower the risk of complications, we operate at a first-class surgery center with board-certified anesthesiologists and nurses. To avoid postoperative complications, we advocate for early mobilization – patients seen in our office one or two days after surgery – and active participation in their own postoperative care. When we create a partnership, the results invariably improve.

• Bleeding
  Bleeding after a breast lift with augmentation can be traumatic to a patient. It typically occurs in the hours following the procedure, usually on one side. Sometimes, a small amount of bleeding can be observed, but if the bleeding becomes significant, then the patient needs to have the blood removed in the operating room in a straightforward procedure.Before surgery, our patients are tested to make sure they don’t have any common bleeding disorders by their own physicians and by lab tests. We use a tumescent solution, similar to that used in liposuction, before starting a breast augmentation procedure to decrease the amount of bleeding. That technique, combined with minimal dissection, careful handling of the muscle during the procedure, and creating the appropriate pocket size for the implant, all decrease the chances of post-operative bleeding. In our practice, the rate of hematomas following breast augmentation or lift is less than 1%.

• Infection/Wounds
  The most important step in avoiding infections is to undergo surgery at a first-rate surgical facility with board-certified anesthesiologists and nurses.Patients are given the appropriate intravenous antibiotic coverage throughout the actual surgery. During the surgery, the patient’s skin surface is cleaned thoroughly. Next, the doctor changes gloves multiple times during the operation, and he is the only one who handles the implant in the operating room to ensure total sterility and avoidance of infection.

  After the procedure, our patients are prescribed antibiotics to minimize infection. As a result of these extra precautions, our implant infection rate is significantly lower than the national average at less than 1%.

  Wound healing problems can occur at the superficial incision level, where tension is highest, and a small open wound may form, which typically heals nicely with dressing changes and antibiotic ointment. The scar usually heals very well. Very rarely, we may perform a scar revision to improve the appearance of a scar.

• Capsular Contracture
  Capsular contracture is the hardening of the scar tissue around the implant and occurs in 10%-15% of women with breast implants. It can also be a factor of the time elapsed since the implant placement.Every implant will have scar tissue around it; that is a totally natural occurrence. What is undesirable is for the scar tissue to harden and cause the patient pain or unnaturally-looking breasts. The theories behind the cause of capsular contractures vary.

  A subclinical infection may cause capsular contractures, significant bleeding during the operation, or simply by the passage of time. In the previous section, we discussed how to minimize the risk of infection and bleeding. As a result, our rate of capsular contracture has been less than 1%.

• Rippling
  Rippling is the formation of small waves or folds of the breast surface due to a breast implant. Sometimes, rippling is visible; other times, it is palpable, or both. In the case of breast augmentations, especially with saline implants, this potential result can lead to patient dissatisfaction in up to 10% of breast augmentation patients.To avoid rippling, it is essential to understand its causes. The pectoralis major, also known as the chest muscle, does not cover the entire chest; the lateral edge of the breast is not covered by this muscle, which is often used as coverage for breast implants.

  Rippling can be avoided or minimized by providing the breast implant with maximum coverage from breast tissue and muscle. For this specific reason, rippling is minimized by placing an implant under the pectoralis major muscle and by selecting an implant size that is covered almost completely by the muscle.

  As a result, the implant cannot be felt from the lateral edge of the breast. Due to these two guidelines, the rate of ripple effect among our patients is less than 2%.

• Deflation or Rupture
  Breast implants are devices. Their lifespan of “looking good” varies between different types, the patient’s conditions, and the technique used, but that lifetime is not indefinite. The younger the age of a woman seeking breast implants, the higher the probability that they may have to be adjusted or replaced at some point in the future.The good news is that newer breast implants are made of better material than the old ones and have a longer lifespan with fewer complications. It is difficult to quote rates of breast implant rupture or deflation because it is a function of time.

  The best way to minimize this risk is by paying attention to each step in the pre-operative evaluation of a patient, the actual surgical procedure, and the follow-up care. If an implant ruptures or deflates, it must be replaced. Saline implant ruptures are easier to diagnose, but silicone implant ruptures may require MRI imaging to confirm the diagnosis.

• Ability to Breastfeed
  Women are sometimes concerned that if they get a breast lift with augmentation, they will not be able to breastfeed afterward. The likelihood of losing the ability to breastfeed is very small. With breast lift with augmentation, the inability to breastfeed has not occurred with any of our patients to our knowledge.

• Loss of Nipple Sensation or Nipple/Areolar Skin
  Loss of nipple sensation is a potential complication from breast lift with augmentation. It is rare, with an occurrence rate of less than 1%. Temporary loss of sensation from a “stunned” nerve or a bruised nerve may occur in the time period after surgery, but sensation in the vast majority of cases returns within a few weeks.There is theoretically a higher chance of losing the nipple in a breast lift with augmentation procedure than in either a lift or an augmentation alone, due to changes in blood supply to the nipple. A conservative skin removal is performed to minimize the risk of injuring the blood supply and prevent undue tension, which can lead to complications in wound healing.

• Smoking
  Smoking is an absolute contraindication in breast lift with augmentation. The carbon monoxide and nicotine in cigarette smoke cause a severe reduction in blood supply to the skin and breast tissue during healing. This results in delayed wound healing, wound separation, death of the skin, loss of nipple tissue, and a higher risk of infection. Cotinine testing is performed in patients with a smoking history to ensure that they are safe when having this procedure.