New methods for breast augmentation means that doctors can reshape the breast using the body’s own natural tissue.
Health on Female First
While traditional breast augmentation procedures have been about putting foreign material into the body, that’s all changing thanks to Professor Laurence Kirwan, a British consultant – who has a practice in New York and another in London.
Kirwan has revolutionized the way breast augmentation is done, eschewing the traditional silicone method and opting for reshaping the breast to give it a fuller look.
To reshape the breast, Kirwan takes tissue from underneath it and places that tissue above the nipple, giving it the desired fuller look.
“What I do is to move around some of their assets to produce the best effect, Kirwan says. “What we are doing is moving breast tissue from the lower part of the breast to where it is needed at the top and then tightening skin below, pushing the breast up and filling it out at the same time.” I call it the breast auto-augmentation or the “internal push-up bra procedure”
Aside from the benefit of not introducing any foreign matter into the body, the surgery Kirwan does lasts much longer than using silicone.
“For a lot of women this will be the ultimate breast enlargement operation that will be almost permanent compared to the use of implants which may need replacing after around 10 years,” he explains.
Breast reshaping is just one recent technique gaining ground among plastic surgeons. Other techniques involve moving fat from another part of the body into the breast and scientists are even developing ways to use stem cells to grow new breast tissue.
Kirwan has performed over 200 of the operations so far and says the results have been excellent.
“Women are quite wary about putting an artificial substance into their bodies so if they are unhappy with the appearance of their breasts and don’t want to use silicone or just don’t want any increase in size, this is the perfect choice for them,” he says. “They are not getting anything put into their bodies that wasn’t there already. That is peace of mind for a lot of women.”
Breast augmentation, especially when it involves silicone, has gotten a bad rap in the media and is often associated with mere vanity. This more natural approach to breast surgery certainly appeals to women who have been inundated with negative connotations about silicone and breast augmentation surgery in general.
Kirwan’s surgeries last approximately three to three-and-a-half hours and cost between £8,000- £12,000, depending on the length of the operation and the hospital used.
For women who are unhappy with the appearance of their breasts, the money is well spent, though, Kirwan says. Changing their appearance and making them more attractive to themselves creates a big change in people, he explains, and the boost in self-esteem these women receive from the breast augmentation surgery is the best part of the job.
“When people feel good about themselves, it affects how they interact with the people around them. I know that these women -- especially knowing that their breast augmentations didn’t involve any silicone -- really feel like new people and that gives me a great feeling.”
The benefits of ‘cosmetic surgery’ are well documented in the scientific literature and not just the personal or anecdotal opinions of Prof. Kirwan. For the background, please refer to his Blog or website.
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