The Types of Breast Surgery and What You Should Consider

Breasts are a beautiful part of a woman’s body. Some women want bigger breasts and some want them smaller.

Some need reconstructive surgery to even them out, and some need surgery to remove cancer.

There are so many types of breast surgeries to understand. We wanted to give our readers a comprehensive and easy guide to inform you of the options available for any scenario you may find yourself in.

Some breast surgeries are elective and some are necessary. One thing that you need to practice once you hit your 30s, yes 30s, is to self-examine your breasts for lumps. Talk to your physician about the right time to get a mammogram. Make sure you’re proactive in catching any potentially alarming lumps and addressing them before they become a bigger problem later on in life.

Non-Elective Surgery

If you find yourself in the scenario above, you have a few options. A lumpectomy or partial mastectomy is the removal of a portion of breast tissue plus the malignant tumor. This option is better for your mental and emotional health because there’s less physical disfigurement to your breast. The healthy breast tissue is then examined to detect if there are any cancer cells. If the results are negative, you’re in the clear. If they’re positive, a re-excision lumpectomy is performed.

If you need more invasive surgery, you’re looking at getting a mastectomy, which is the removal of one or both breasts when you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer or if you’re at high-risk for breast cancer as a preventative measure. This type of surgery can be hard on your self-esteem, but with the right support system, you can overcome body issues that might arise. The important thing to focus on when you’re presented with this situation is eradicating cancer from your body. After that, there’s time for physical and emotional healing.

Elective Surgery

Sometimes you’ll get to choose what type of surgery you want for whatever makes you happy. Maybe you feel like your breasts are not the right size for your body. You might feel like they’re too big or too small. Luckily, you have options for both.

If your breasts are too big, you’re going to look for a Reduction Mammoplasty and possibly a mastopexy or breast lift. The decision to undergo a breast reduction might be due to shoulder, neck, and back pain, sagging breasts, or not having the capability of participating in physical activities. You may combine a breast reduction and breast implants to make sure that the outcome of your surgery is more than acceptable. The plastic surgeon you choose should go over the recommended options to allow you to make the best decision for your body.

You might have the opposite problem and want to get a breast augmentation because you’d like to be shapelier up top. There are several ways to go about getting an augmentation. The surgeon can go through the nipple, the belly button, or the armpit. It all depends on where you want the scar to be. There are two options for breast implants, saline and silicone, and they both have pro’s and con’s to consider.

The surgeon should go over the best option for you, from size of the implant to the type of implant and where the incision will be.

Whatever procedure regardless if it’s elective or non-elective; make sure you catch any abnormal lumps in your breast for early detection of cancer. For more information on breast cancer please visit National Breast Cancer Foundation, and The American Cancer Society. There’s nothing more beautiful than healthy breasts.