Breasts Defined

There’s no doubt that the most feminine of a woman’s attributes are her breasts. Yet many of us find ourselves unsatisfied with the hand that nature dealt us. While some women choose not to define themselves by their breasts, countless others are unhappy with their breast size, position or shape. Fortunately, it’s not necessary to concede defeat and settle for the status quo.

Breast surgery is as diverse in procedures and outcomes as women are in appearance: from reducing large breasts and enhancing small breasts to lifting sagging breasts and restoring a breast disfigured by or lose to disease. “Aesthetics in breast surgery are extremely subjective,” says Miami Beach plastic surgeon Lance Raiffe, MD, “If I ask ten different women what they want their breasts to look like, I get ten different answers.” But breast surgery involves much more than a physical change that alters a woman’s figure. Breast surgery is highly emotional and highly fulfilling—just ask one of the nearly 375,000 women who underwent some form of plastic surgery to improve their breast appearance in 2003, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS).

Breast surgery is your choice and your decision. Of course those who love and support you may have something to say about it, too, but remember, you’re the only one who has to undergo the procedure and live with the outcome.

Plastic surgery of the breast

Plastic surgery of the breast may include aesthetic procedures to enhance breast appearance and reconstructive procedures to restore a normal appearance. Aesthetic breast procedures include:

Breast augmentation: Enhances the size and shape of breasts through the placement of breast implants.

Breast lift: Reshapes sagging breasts to a more naturally rounded shape and repositions the breast and nipple/areola to a more youthful position and projection.

Breast Reduction: Reduces breast size to the proportion of a women’s body for improved appearance and quality of life.

These breast procedures should only be performed by a surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. No other medical specialty includes formal training and testing to maintain credentials in all breast procedures.