Breast Augmentation with Tissue Expander

Breast augmentation is a basically easy procedure in which the woman, or in some cases, the man, undergoes in order to enhance the appearance of the chest. In almost all cases, implants are used for the enhancement. The procedure comes in several techniques and the differences are usually in the incisions that are made. There are a number of factors that can dictate the kind of technique that will be used by the surgeon. One of these factors includes how much skin is available for the operation. It is a known fact that people’s skin differ. It is not just on tone and color but also in elasticity and suppleness. Not all women have enough skin to accommodate the changes that breast augmentation will bring. The procedure entails enough skin to accommodate the addition of the implant.

Tissue expansion is a lengthy process that basically encourages the body to grow more skin in the area affected by the primary operation using the implants. The doctor initially inserts a balloon type instrument into the woman’s chest region, preferably close to the breasts. This instrument is then gradually filled with a salt water solution. The process of filling the balloon-like tool may take several weeks because there are limits to which the skin can take. The sessions of filling up the sac may take several weeks after which the breast augmentation procedure will them commence. When the doctor is satisfied with the amount of excess skin grown, the surgery for the implanting will be scheduled. The amount of skin to be grown will be dependent on the size of the implant that the patient wants to be used on her. There are a number of benefits that come with the use of the tissue expansion process; these are the fact that the skin will be of the same texture, tone and quality as the patient’s. Compared to skin grafting, having the expansion done in the vicinity of the upcoming breast augmentation procedure is more convenient. The disadvantage of this is the inconvenience of having several sessions of injecting salt water in the sac to facilitate the expansion. This means that the patient will have to go to the surgeon several times in several weeks. There is also so some discomfort in the time right after the injection of the salt water. This will go away after a few days.

The operation will start with the incision for the insertion of the implants. When this has been satisfactorily done by the surgeon, the skin to be used for the expansion will be moved to accommodate the placement of the implants. The use of expansion is preferred by many surgeons because the skin used will not be prone to being rejected by the body since it will be basically connected to the body. There is also less risk of scarring since there is little movement of the skin. The breast augmentation procedure is more likely to be a success if the tissue expansion is adequate.