CLINICS IN PLASTIC SURGERY www.plasticsurgery.theclinics.com January 2021 • Volume 29 Number 1

Aesthetic surgery is an essential component of plastic surgery and has become increasingly popular in American society. In 2002, 1.8 million surgical cosmetic procedures were performed in the United States, representing a 294 percent increase from 1992. The 1992 U.S. Food and Drug Administration moratorium on silicone breast implants arose in response to numerous reports of connective tissue di...

Literature indicates an increased risk of suicide among women who have had cosmetic breast implants. An explanatory model for this association has not been established. Some studies conclude that women with cosmetic breast implants demonstrate some characteristics that are associated with increased suicide risk while others support that the breast augmentation protects from suicide. A systemati...

Polyacrylamide hydrogel (PAAG) has been used for several years as an injectable implant for augmentation mammoplasty in China. Although patients who received PAAG injections experienced a number of complications, breast cancer following PAAG injection has been reported only in two cases. In this report, we present a case of breast cancer following PAAG injection for breast augmentation. Our stu...

BACKGROUND Recent studies have suggested that suicide rates in breast augmentation patients are higher than those in the general population of women. OBJECTIVE The author sought to establish the expected rate of suicide in breast augmentation patients and to compare the expected and actual rates. METHODS The literature was reviewed to characterize the demographic, behavioral, and other qual...

BACKGROUND The effect of surgery on the level of the inframammary crease, a long-standing landmark in cosmetic breast surgery, has not been previously investigated. There has been speculation that breast augmentation may lower this level and that vertical mastopexy may raise it, but no confirmation of these opinions has been published. OBJECTIVES The author measured the preoperative and posto...

Learning Objectives: After studying this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Be familiar with the history of the controversy regarding breast cancer and breast augmentation. 2. Describe the characteristics of breast augmentation that affect detection of breast cancer. 3. Describe the modifications to standard mammography necessary to visualize the maximal amount of breast tissue in t...

Breast augmentation is one of the most common plastic surgery procedures performed in the United States today. Evaluation of postoperative results lacks true objective measurements. The following study reports the application of 3-dimensional (3D) photography to document changes that occur in breast morphology after breast augmentation. Patients undergoing augmentation mammaplasty with a periar...

BACKGROUND There is a paucity of data regarding outcomes for patients undergoing breast augmentation with implants after breast conservation surgery (BCS) and radiotherapy. This retrospective study examined outcomes for patients with breast implant-only augmentation after BCS and radiotherapy. METHODS Between June 1998 and December 2010, 671 women underwent prosthetic breast reconstruction. N...