Breast Augmentation: The Different Incision Types

The most commonly discussed choice affiliated with breast augmentation is which type of filler, saline or silicone, to use in the implants themselves, but incision location is also a pertinent aspect of the procedure. There are four main locations through which an implant can be placed, and your particular incision sight will depend upon your doctor’s recommendations and on the details of your surgery.

Commonly called the nipple incision, the peri-areolar incision is a very common site for insertion. The cut is made, as the name indicates, around the perimeter of the areola. A benefit of this choice is that the impending scar will be camouflaged naturally by the change in skin color apparent between the skin of the breast and the darker skin of the areola. This will almost always be the suggestion made by the surgeon if you are also undergoing a simultaneous mastoplexy, or lift.

While the aforementioned is substantially common, the crease, or inframammary fold incision is likely the most common incision site when undergoing a breast augmentation. The site is located in the fold of the under breast as it meets the chest similar to the proximity of the underwire on a brassier, and the structure of the breast itself will cover the scar from the procedure. If you are having a lift, however, as previously mentioned, the mastoplexy may expose the scar. This is why the previously discussed site of insertion is often used for someone who is having the two conjunctive procedures.

The transauxillary option is not often used as a first choice by surgeons. The location, which is virtually the arm pit, makes it difficult for a surgeon to be within close proximity of the actual surgery site, and that makes precision an issues. Most often, this option is used for those patients who are worried about scarring. Nonetheless, the armpit incision is a feasible option for the surgery patients.

The last of the options is called the transumbillical breast augmentation, or the acronym TUBA for short. This is not a common procedure at all, and it can be difficult to find a surgeon who is skilled in this technique. The option exists for those who may be undergoing multiple enhancements at one time, such as a tummy tuck or liposuction coupled with implants. This procedure cannot be used for those who have chose silicone as the filler. Benefits include that the skin of the abdomen has more elasticity making highly visible scarring less likely. A patient’s comfort level port-operation is also reported to be more at ease if the TUBA has been used.