So, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, you’ll understand that Breast Nipple Correction Surgery is not about achieving absolute symmetry – it’s about achieving an appearance that is more attractive and pleasing to the individual.

The surgery is designed to mainly correct the shape and size of the nipple and surrounding area. It can also correct inverted nipples (a problem that can be embarrassing to the women who have it).

Correcting size and/or shape involves making two circular incisions around the areola, with a little space between them. This allows the surgeon to remove unwanted tissue and stitch the skin together, thereby creating a smaller areola and/or better shape.

Correcting inverted nipples involves fat transfer, or making an incision in the bottom portion of the nipple to access the tissue that is keeping it from protruding.

Some women find that following breast augmentation, the appearance of their nipples and/or areolae are negatively affected. Breast Nipple Correction Surgery can address this problem, and may even be performed simultaneously with breast implant surgery.

For this reason, it is important that you ask your surgeon the right questions. Here are some questions you should ask:

• what experience the surgeon has
• the location of the surgery
• if the surgical facility is up-to-date and is sufficiently equipped for invasive surgery
• the type of anesthesia administered
• the length of the actual surgery
• a brief outline of the recovery
• what the risks and negative side effects are, including bruising, swelling, and pain
• the schedule for post-operative consultations
• will your surgeon be around for whatever your total recovery period is, so that you can contact him/her later?

These are a few of the questions you should ask, but we’re sure you have many more that can be included.

Feel free to bring this list of questions with you to the consultation. It’s also a good idea to jot down their answers. It’ll help you remember what you’ve discussed (as all the information can be overwhelming sometimes), and perhaps even compare notes if you’re consulting with more than one surgeon.

The Canadian Women’s Attitudes toward Breast Implant Surgery, conducted for breast implant manufacturer Allergan, explores the perceptions of breast implants in 1000 women across the country. Participants are a sample of the general public and include women who are hoping to undergo breast augmentation.

The most important thing that the study found was that size doesn’t matter. What matters most is how the breast implants improve the body contour, achieving the most natural looking results. That’s right – Pamela Anderson, Heidi Montag, Tori Spelling and Maxi Mounds have it all wrong. Their breasts are too big and/or the outline of the implants are clearly visible.

Close to 73% of the surveyed women considering undergoing breast augmentation are doing so to make their body contour look more “normal”. Now, we know that the term “normal” varies greatly depending on the person. However, it’s probably safe to say that the women do not want to have excessively large breasts after surgery. Rather, they’d probably want something that compliments their natural body shape and type.

And that’s what breast augmentation is generally designed to achieve: the most natural looking results possible.

Price: it’s most likely one of your biggest concerns.

Just search various cosmetic surgery clinics online and you’ll see that in Toronto, the cost of breast augmentation really varies. You’ll find places advertising their prices online that charge as low as $6500, and other places that charge as high as $10,000 or more. So where do they come up with this figure?

Doctors and clinics determine the cost of surgery by considering many factors. Usually, price includes the initial consultation fee, the surgeon’s fee, anesthetist’s fee, the cost of the implant (silicone is generally more expensive than saline), post operative support garments and all post operative consultations to monitor recovery. These are the basics and may or may not include all, or any other fees as determined by the individual clinic/doctor. For example, there may not be a fee for the initial consultation.

If you’ve received a quote for your breast augmentation, you’ll most likely have received a breakdown of charges. If not, ask for one. Sometimes, the charges listed may be flexible and open to adjustment. You may, for example, want to purchase your own post operative support garments elsewhere – in which case you may be able to reduce the quote and save some money.

The study tracked 24,558 women with breast implants over a period of 15 years. All of the women, from Quebec and Ontario, received breast implants between 1974 and 1989. The presence of implants had no bearing on the survival rates of women who were diagnosed with breast cancer.

However, the study found that the presence of implants did make examinations that detect breast cancer more difficult, perhaps due to the materials that are used to construct implants and how they interfere with positioning during testing. 13.2% of the tumours in the women with breast cancer were found at an advanced stage, while the rate was only 5.5% in women without implants. (So it’s always good practice to let your technician or doctor know that you have them before they begin the exam. That way, they can make necessary adjustments to methods.)

More research has been deemed necessary by the scientists who conducted the study.

Fellow American Maxi Mounds holds the record for largest breasts from breast augmentation, thanks to polypropylene string implants. This type of implant, designed by Dr. Gerald W. Johnson, features components that absorb fluid, allowing it to expand after implantation. Expansion and the body’s reaction to the implant results in an increase in breast size, almost continuously. Polypropylene string implants have been linked to several health problems, and are no longer available. The FDA banned them a few years ago.

Maxi Mounds’ breasts, back in 2005, weighed a massive 40 pounds. How much do you think Hershey’s breasts weigh?

With that kind of dramatic increase in size, most women would experience adverse side effects to their health, we’re sure. We wonder if Hershey and Mounds have had to deal with stretchmarks, shoulder and back pain, sleeping problems and difficulty performing daily tasks?

I had breast augmentation over a year ago. My breasts look nice, but they feel quite hard. They weren’t so hard a couple of months ago. Is this normal?

It’s not just appearance that is important. Today’s breast implants are designed to mimic as closely as possible the natural feel of real breast tissue as much as possible. For this reason, your breasts shouldn’t be so hard that they feel unnatural. They also shouldn’t be becoming harder as time progresses. We recommend you see your doctor to make sure that the hardening of your breasts is not serious, since it may be related to capsular contracture.

Capsular contracture is one of the most common negative side effects of breast augmentation. It is normal for the body to surround the breast implant with tissue (known as a “capsule”). However, when this lining abnormally tightens, it can squeeze the implant and thus make it firmer. This is capsular contracture and can vary in severity, as outlined by a scale known as the Baker Grade. The milder case, Baker Grade I, involves just a hardening of the implant, while the worst case, Baker Grade IV, is often accompanied with pain, discomfort and a distortion in appearance.

Carranza was working at a dental office last year when a man came into the office and shot her and her co-worker with a semiautomatic assault rifle. Her co-worker, the wife of the gunman, was killed. Carranza was shot in the chest at point blank range and survived. (Although her D-cup size implant didn’t. It deflated.) Her cosmetic surgeon believes that if the implant had not been there, she may not have survived the bullet, fragments of which were very near her heart and vital organs. This theory is supported by an LAPD firearms instructor.

But don’t go out and get breast implants just because of this incident. Carranza may have just been lucky, since a hospital spokesperson said that the physician who treated her, “was not aware of the breast implant having any impact or whether or not it saved her life.”

This story sounds like another one four years ago about a woman whose breast implants saved her from a Hezbollah rocket attack attack in Israel. Shrapnel pierced her chest and her implants stopped it from affecting her vital organs.

Could this be a bonus for breast implants? No! Remember: breast implants aren’t life saving devices!

In the history of breast implants, designers have always attempted to mimic the qualities of natural breast tissue, particularly regarding the feeling of it. Spongey materials, such as polyether foam, were used. Although they provided that natural pliability associated with breast tissue, they proved unsuccessful when capsular contraction followed by deflation occurred far too frequently within a year of surgery. Then silicone breast implants came along.

The first silicone breast implant was designed by two American plastic surgeons, Dr. Cronin and Dr. Gerow, and the Dow Corning Corporation in 1961. The inspiration? A plastic blood transfusion bag that Dr. Cronin examined on a trip to a blood bank. The bag’s flexibility and pliability, when full of blood, was similar to a natural breast.

With this realization, the two doctors redesigned the bag from silicone, creating what would become the implant shell. To fill it, they designed a substance of varying consistencies (also silicone). Unfortunately, despite testing, their new first generation breast implant design still resulted in capsular contraction.

An improvement to the design was made about a decade later. The shell was coated with polyurethane. The cases of capsular contraction developing following surgery became almost nonexistent as a result.

Eat your way to a bigger bust…kind of.

The only way to dramatically increase the size of your breasts is by breast augmentation. That’s it. There are no miracle creams, lotions or pills that you can take to help your bustline (or at least not approved by the FDA or Health Canada). However, folk remedies and alternative medicine have pinpointed some foods that can help. If you want to go the nonsurgical route, try some of these foods (then let us know if they actually worked!) And even if they don’t work, you’ll still experience benefits since they’re all part of a healthy diet.

Soybeans

Soybeans are rich in isoflavones (genistein, daidzein, and glycitein), a substance that can act in the same way as estrogen – the hormone that plays a large role in breast development. The food has also been found to lower the risk of  breast cancer.

Papaya

The juicy exotic papaya is believed to be one of the top breast enhancing foods. The fruit is rich in phytoestrogens (much like soybeans).

As a matter of fact, a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables is recommended not just for your breasts – it’s essential for your overall health. Research has shown that combined with regular exercise, it can help reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Nuts –  Especially Walnuts and Pine Nuts

Nuts are rich in vitamins and minerals, as well as essential proteins that help maintain healthy skin and blood. Eat nuts to help keep the breasts “perky”.