subject: Breast Augmentation – Which Incision is Best for You? [print this page] There are 4 breast augmentation incisions which are the breast fold or Inframammary fold, areolar incision, underarm or axillary incision, and belly button or umbilicus. All four of them have advantages and disadvantages, so you should always talk to your plastic surgeon for which option is best for you.
The breast fold incision has now become my preferred incision. This incision has a slightly lower infection rate than the areolar incision, because the surgeon is not making an incision through the areola. It is a versatile incision that allows the Plastic Surgeon to make a pocket for the breast implant immediately where the breast tissue is. After breast augmentation, it is hard to see, because it is hidden under your breast implant.
The areolar incision is the same length as the breast fold incision, but the incision is curved, along the circular edge of the areola. Theoretically, it has a slightly higher risk of infection, because the milk ducts and skin area of the areola have a higher bacteria count than the breast fold. However, for certain breast conditions, such as tuberous breast deformity, it is actually the preferred incision. It also allows the surgeon to make a pocket directly where the breast implant should be.
The underarm incision is an incision in one of the axilla folds of the armpit. The Plastic Surgeon creates a tunnel under the pectoralis muscle and then shapes a breast implant pocket for the implant. The problem with the underarm incision is that there is much more swelling than the breast fold or areolar incisions. This is because of the tunnel created with the surgery. This swelling goes down, but it takes several months, as well as consistent implant and muscle massage, to reduce the swelling.
The belly button incision uses special equipment to make a tunnel from the belly button to the breast area. Only saline breast implants can be used for this procedure, not silicone. Also, it is much harder to control the pocket creation compared to the other 3 incisions. It is becoming less popular, since silicone implants are making a big comeback.
There are many more subtleties involved, but in the end, these are the major choices you have in breast augmentation incisions.
Breast Augmentation Which Incision is Best for You?
