Breast Augmentation for Body Builders

It is not uncommon for female body builders to have breast augmentation surgery to further enhance their figure.  However, certain factors must be considered to achieve the best result and prevent or at least reduce the risk of complications.

One important thing to consider is that body builders in general have a very low percentage of body fats which predisposes them to higher risk of implant visibility and palpable rippling.  This is more of a concern if a patient’s breast has less tissue.

Because of this specific feature, plastic surgeons usually recommend the submuscular implant placement for female body builders.  With this technique, the breast implants are covered not just by the tissue and skin but also by pec muscle, reducing the risk of wrinkling and shell visibility.

However, the submuscular implant placement has its own downside.  While a body builder contracts her pectoralis muscle, chances are the breast implants will move along with it—something which is undesirable for some patients.  Also, they should bear in mind that it is difficult to predict “the degree of movement” after surgery.

By contrast, the subglandular implant placement or positioning of the device above the pec muscle does not pose the same problem.  For this reason, the technique may sound appealing to female body builders compared with the submuscular breast augmentation technique.

But as mentioned earlier, body builders are prone to implant rippling and wrinkling since they often have a low percentage of fats.  For this reason, they also have to consider what they are getting into if they would choose the subglandular implant placement over the submuscular.

Fortunately, a board certified plastic surgeon with extensive experience in breast augmentation can guide his patient to make the right decision.

To put it succinctly, patients should choose which of those problems they definitely want to avoid, and think about the ramifications that will be acceptable for them.

The next issue to consider is whether to use saline or silicone breast implants.  Patients should bear in mind that the right implant type is determined by the amount of tissue and fat, the bust size they want to achieve, and the ramifications they are willing to accept.

In general, female body builders will benefit more with silicone breast implants because these are filled with a cohesive gel that mimics the way natural tissue feels.  By contrast, saline implants—due to their watery consistency—should be avoided particularly if the patients have low body fats because they usually lead to unnatural result. 

Woman Fakes Breast Cancer to Raise Money for Plastic Surgery

In an effort to raise funds for her breast augmentation surgery, a 27-year-old Arizona woman lied to her family, friends, and co-workers saying she had breast cancer and needed double mastectomy and breast reconstruction.

Jami Lynn Toler, who worked at a local hospice, has been charged with fraud and theft, police authorities said.

Toler’s former co-workers said she solicited money by making up stories and even crying in front of her boss to persuade them to give her “funds” for her cancer treatments and reconstructive breast surgery. 

According to police reports, Toler’s boss helped her raised funds amounting to more than $8,000 since September.  Meanwhile, one co-worker said “people were scammed simply because of their good intentions and sincerity to help the suspect.”

Aside from Toler’s friends and co-workers, she also deceived her mother and grandmother who also gave a portion of their savings to help the suspect.  

Meanwhile, Toler’s co-workers and friends became suspicious when one doctor offered to treat her cancer for free but she declined.  She also paid a cosmetic plastic surgery in cash, according to police reports.

When investigators checked Toler’s medical records, they found that she was not suffering from breast cancer.

This is not the first time a woman faked breast cancer to raise funds for her breast augmentation surgery.  A few years ago, Trista Joy Lathern from Texas lied about having the disease and raised about $10,000.

To make her story believable, the suspect has even shaved her head to look like she was receiving chemotherapy.

Fat Grafting and Breast Augmentation

This year, it has been estimated that nearly half a million American women will undergo breastaugmentation either to improve their appearance or reconstruct their breasts following cancer surgery or mastectomy.

Breast augmentation is traditionally conducted by placing saline or silicone breast implants inside the “pocket.”  Meanwhile, these devices have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration due to their “reasonable safety,” although patients should bear in mind that there is always a risk of rejection and other complications.

Fortunately, there is an alternative to breast implants.  Called fat grafting, the technique involves collecting fats from one donor site (e.g., abdomen and thighs) and then introducing them to another area of the body; and because no synthetic implant is used, patients should no longer be concerned with rejection and allergic reaction.

However, patients should always remember that fat grafting has its own limits.  For instance, the method is not applicable to those with limited amount of body fats; and it can only increase the breast one cup larger from its original size.

Another consideration to make is the result is somewhat unpredictable given the fact that some of the transferred fats will be reabsorbed by the body; and anything that remains a year after the procedure would likely be permanent.

One way to increase the survival rate of the fats is to purify them; this means the blood, connective tissue, and other impurities are removed.  With this method, about 60 to 80 percent of the transferred fats can survive in their new location.

But to further increase the survival rate of the fats, some doctors recommend using bra-like suction cones for three weeks prior to the procedure.  With this technique, they believe that the tension will create enough room for the grafted fats to flourish, although no extensive study can back up this claim.

After purifying the fats, they are carefully injected to the breasts; this process may take more than once to promote high survival rate of the fatty tissues.

Fat grafting that is used as a replacement for breast augmentation is like hitting two birds with one stone.  Not only the patients enjoy bigger and fuller bust, also the areas which have been liposuctioned such as abdomen and thighs will appear slimmer, resulting to a curvier body.

For three weeks, patients are usually required to wear a compression garment around the liposuctioned area; in this way, the skin will heal faster and closer to the body, thereby preventing sagging and improving the body’s contour.