Understanding Your Breasts: Making an Informed Decision About
Breast Implants
by
Larry
Denton
zone3
A woman's breast is a gland that produces milk in late pregnancy and
after childbirth. Each breast is made of lobes which are groups of milk
glands called lobules. Lobules are arranged around thin tubes called ducts
which carry the milk to the nipple. These lobules and ducts make up what
is referred to as the glandular tissue.
As with any gland or organ within the human body, some imperfections
are likely to occur. Perhaps you feel that your breasts are too small,
poorly shaped, or maybe you have lost a breast to a disease like cancer.
Despite a decade of controversy over their safety, breast implants are
more popular than ever among women who want to build upon what nature gave
them or who want to restore what disease has taken away. Whatever the
reason, opting for breast implants is a personal decision that should be
made only after a woman fully understands and accepts the potential risks
of the devices and the importance of follow-up evaluations with her
physician.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), there
were nearly 255,000 breast enhancement implant procedures performed in
2003, nearly twice the number done in 1998. An additional 68,000 women
received breast implants for reconstructive purposes following mastectomy
due to cancer or other disease.
Breast implants are designed for augmentation, a cosmetic procedure;
reconstruction; and replacement of existing implants, called revision.
There are two primary types of implants: saline-filled and silicone
gel-filled. Depending on the type of implant, the shell is either
pre-filled with a fixed volume of solution or filled through a valve
during the surgery to the desired size. Breast implants vary in shape,
size and shell texture.
Some medical care providers say that using breast implants to rebuild
the breast (reconstruction), or change its size and shape (augmentation),
significantly improves the quality of life for many women. Advocates of
breast implants also say that a woman's consent to the surgery should be
considered valid as long as she carefully weighs the risks and benefits of
the procedure.
While every surgical procedure has potential risks, such as infection,
bleeding, and scarring, there a some risks that are specific to breast
implants--leakage from the implant, actual rupture of the implant, and
nerve damage which causes some women a loss of sensation in their nipples
and breast tissue. Learning about these specific risks is key to truly
understanding the procedure.
If you need additional information about any issue concerning your
breasts--whether it be a breast-feeding question or concerns about breast
cancer-- search the Internet to find hundreds of websites dealing with all
issues pertaining to the human breast.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Larry Denton is a retired teacher living in Hobson, Montana. He is
currently V.P. of Elfin Enterprises, Inc., a business providing
information on a variety of timely topics. For a doctor's office full of
advice, resources and suggestions about breasts, visit http://www.breastaide.com/or http://www.breastbase.com/
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