| Dr. Richard Bosshardt is a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Here the doctor has answered some common questions that Bizymoms visitors have about Breast Augmentation.
Q. Can a woman breast-feed after breast augmentation?
A. Breast feeding should not be affected by breast augmentation surgery and there are no safety issues concerns in doing this. The real issue is what breast feeding will do to breasts after breast augmentation. Every pregnancy can have a very different effect on the breasts. One of those is called postpartum involution, which is a loss of fullness due to contraction of the breast tissue. The bottom line is that there is no way to predict what this will be. I tell all patients of child bearing age that, while I do not think it is necessary, or necessarily desirable, to postpone surgery until after all family planning is complete, pregnancies can have an effect on the results of breast augmentation.
Q. Is it true that there is usually no loss of sense of touch of the nipples after breast augmentation?
A. 90% of women do not lose any sensation in their breasts after breast augmentation surgery, particularly in the area of the nipples. In those that do lose some feeling, it is usually minimal but in some it can be profound. Of interest, even in those women who lose some sensation, when asked, they never express regret over having the surgery. It is important to understand that this is a possibility, if only a small one.
Q. Can implants lift sagging breasts?
A. Breast implants are not used for the purpose of lifting breasts. They do one thing only, add fullness. That they do very well. In some patients that are on the verge of needing a lift, putting in implants may allow them to get by for a while without the additional surgery or scars of a lift. If a lift and volume are both desired, it is best to do these operations about 3 months or more apart. The reason is that lifts and implants do exactly the opposite thing to breasts. Lifts make breasts more compact because skin is removed to make the breasts more "perky". Implants fill out the breasts from inside. Doing this at the same time as a lift can put excessive stress on the incisions of the lift and may even compromise circulation to the skin and/or the nipples, which could lead to skin breakdown. It is usually best to stage these. Sometimes the lift alone will satisfy patients and they will not go on to the implant surgery.
Q. Do any insurance companies pay for breast augmentation?
A. Insurance companies do not cover cosmetic breast augmentation.
Q. How can we contact Dr. Bosshardt if we have further questions?
A. I can be contacted through my personal email address, rtbosshardt@aol.com. Telephone contact numbers are: Office- 353-742-0079, Fax- 352-742-0059."Snail mail" address is 1879 Nightingale Lane, Suite A-2, Tavares, FL 32778.Our website is www.bosshardtandmarzek.com |
