La increase mammoplasty it is an intervention that, as the name suggests, is done to increase the volume of undeveloped breasts or that have atrophied after maternity. This technique can also be performed to correct at the same time breast asymmetries and corrections in the treatment of mastectomized patients.

Prior to the intervention, we calculated volumes, projection and shape of the breasts in order to indicate the breast implant most suitable for each patient, according to tastes and defect to be corrected. We will use a computer program to choose the right prosthesis (more than 240 sizes and different shapes are available) and external molds that we will put on the patient to reach an agreement with the desired size.

There are different ways of approaching this operation, the most indicated being a small incision in the submammary fold, because in this way the mammary gland is not altered or cut, which favors the posterior mammographic controls.

This surgery is performed in the operating room under general or local anesthesia (epidural) with sedation (which consists in relaxing the patient for the duration of the procedure, remaining in a deep and very light sleep, without pain). The prostheses used, composed of a silicone gel of high cohesiveness (which means that although the prosthesis is broken the content will not leave because it is very dense and compact) can be round or anatomical with a teardrop shape (which are the ones we use more frequently) and we place them regularly under the pectoral muscle, which results in a totally natural result.

Apart from the possible complications (very rare) there is one on which we must emphasize, it is the capsular contracture (encapsulation), which consists of an isolation reaction that produces all foreign body introduced into the body, creating a fibrous capsule around the prosthesis, which naturally has to be very thin, but sometimes and generally due to the lack of recommended rest, it becomes thick compressing the prosthesis a few months after the operation. This capsule is sometimes so hard and firm that it alters the external appearance of the breast, producing a sensation of stiffness that will require an intervention to break this internal scar (capsulotomy).

The encapsulation is clearly related to subclinical breast infections, which are increased in cases of surgical approaches by the areola and placement of the prosthesis on the muscle (increasing the risk of long-term capsular contracture in an 60% -70%) and There is also a clear relationship of the appearance of encapsulation, with postsurgical bleeding, so we recommend limiting the mobilization of the arms during the first month.

El Dr. Antonio García operates at the Hospital Quirón Tenerife, where he is Head of the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery.