What is Breast Surgery?
Breast surgery that involves reduction procedures is meant for men and women who have problems with big breasts or pendulous breasts.
- Breast augmentation or enhancement surgeries are often considered cosmetic or aesthetic procedures but can sometimes be used as part of breast reconstructive procedures for women who had to have mastectomy to remove the cancerous breast from their bodies.
- Breast lifts are often done for people who have problems with drooping or sagging breasts. One of the types of breast lifts that are becoming popular these days is the scarless breast lift, which uses implants to restore the youthful lift of the breast. This is called scarless due to the incisions being found only under the armpits.
- Breast reconstruction is a procedure that helps to return the symmetry of a woman’s breasts after she has had mastectomy to help remove cancerous cells that are found in her breasts.
How Do I Prepare for a Breast Surgery?
Before you are scheduled for any type of breast surgery, a consultation with your doctor is important. You will need to ask your doctor about the possible side effects, complications and risks involved with the particular breast surgery you are about to have. You will also need to ask your doctor about the other alternatives of breast surgery.
- You will need to also prepare your postoperative recovery needs if you are planning on going home to recover as opposed to staying in a hospital that is affiliated with your doctor’s clinic. Some of the things you will need include ice packs, thermometer, clean gauze bandages, anti-itch ointments, easy-to-prepare meals, and laxatives.
- You will also need to assign a person to take you to the clinic on the day of the operation and to pick you up afterwards. Since you will be under general anesthesia for most of these procedures, it would not be wise for you to drive yourself to and from the clinic since you will be groggy afterwards. You will also be having some difficulty moving, which is why you will need to have someone take you home.
What Are the Advantages of Breast Surgery?
There are a lot of advantages to the many different breast surgery procedures that can be had. One of the advantages that these procedures share is the increase in a person’s self-confidence and the boosting of his or her self-esteem.
- Another possible advantage that you can get is the increase of the choices you have in your clothing. Since these procedures are there to make a person look good and to give them the kind of figure that they want, choosing clothing is no longer a problem since these will be enhanced by the new figure a person has.
- Breast surgery also helps correct certain painful problems that women may have, like back pain and neck pain that comes with big breasts. The pain is reduced or completely goes away once the weight of the woman’s big breasts is diminished.
What Are the Side Effects of Breast Surgery?
There are a number of common side effects that all these procedures have. Some of the minor side effects that are seen when a person has breast surgery include swelling, itching of the incisions, and bruising. These often fade after a few days and itching can be remedied with the use of anti-itch cream that your doctor approves for your use.
- Another common side effect for all breast surgeries is pain. Pain from the operation usually starts when the anesthetic that was used during the operation starts to wear off. The pain may vary from a throbbing pain that gets worse when the person coughs or sneezes to a stinging pain that feels like sunburn. Some even say that the pain they feel after the surgery can be easily likened to what you might feel after you overwork your chest in the gym.
- More serious side effects and complications like excessive bleeding, hematoma, lack of nipple sensation, or even heightened breast sensation can also be experienced by those who undergo surgery.
What Do I Need to Do after Breast Surgery?
If you are planning on having one of the many breast surgery procedures mentioned above, you will need to follow certain after-surgery guidelines that your doctor will give you. Included in the list of guidelines you will receive are those that include what you can do and what you cannot do while recuperating.
- An example of what you cannot and must not do after your surgery is to engage in strenuous activities. You are also advised against carrying anything that is heavy or returning to work for at least a week.
- You may want to stay in a recuperative facility that the clinic has if you find that you want to be very careful about your recovery. It is advisable to be watched over by your doctor and his staff for the first few days of your recovery period, especially if the breast surgery you just had is prone to a lot of possible complications or side effects.
How Much Does Breast Surgery Cost and What Are the Alternatives?
The cost of breast surgery procedures also varies according to the amount of work that is being done on the breasts. These procedures however run into the thousands, with breast reconstruction surgery probably being the most expensive of the list.
- You can ask your insurance company if they cover any of these procedures. Most of the time, insurance companies only cover breast surgery procedures that are being done for health purposes, like breast reduction due to back pain and discomfort or breast reconstruction operations after a mastectomy.
- The average cost of breast surgeries is somewhere around $2,000 to $10,000. The price is also dependent on the other expenses that are added to the procedure like the cost of implants, cost of anesthetics, and other medications needed for the operation.