Breast Implants – Through a Funnel
Silicone breast implant doctors aren’t sure what causes a complication known as capsular contraction, a in which the body’s scarring mechanism reaches out and painfully surrounds one or both breast implants with scar tissue, making the breasts feel hard to the touch.
But a good guess is that the implant picks up a stray germ or three from the skin of the patient as the implant is worked through the incision and down into a previously prepared pocket, usually under the chest muscles.
Now, a plastic surgeon has come up with a way to place an implant through the skin, down and under the breast without the implant touching the patient’s skin.
It works like this: the tip of a nylon funnel is placed through the incision into the breast pocket. The surgeon puts the implant into the funnel and squeezes the implant into place.
The device (pictured) looks like a pastry bag used by bakers and chiefs.
Known as the Keller Funnel, somewhere around 400 U.S. plastic surgeons are said to be using it in breast enlargements. The funnel can be used when incisions are made in the:
- Armpit, an area known to surgeons as the axilla
- Areola, the brown area surrounding the nipple
- Inframammary fold, the area under the breast where the chest wall meets the breast
Normally, a surgeon uses his fingers to squeeze, poke and prod the implant into place. It’s harder to put a silicone implant into place because it is already filled. Saline implants, however, can be inserted empty and then filled after placement.
More women and their partners often report they prefer the soft, natural feel of silicone.
The funnel’s makers say placement is easier — and more sterile — because the nylon funnel has a slippery coating which allows the implant to slide easily along the length of the funnel.
Without the device, some plastic surgeons say their fingers have become fatigued while pushing and prodding the implants into place.
One expert even did a study and found a 95 percent reduction in force surgeons must apply to get the implant into the breast pocket!
Other benefits claimed include:
- Smaller scars
- Faster and more gentle surgery
- Quicker healing
- Easier on the patients’ breasts
According to the manufacturer, about 1000 breast enhancement procedures have a used the funnel.
admin @ July 7, 2010
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Plastic Surgery . Plastic Surgery said: RT @taricksmailimd: Breast Implants Through a Funnel to Reduce Risk of Complications & For Faster Healing Time http://shar.es/mQpEB [...]
is it safe? is it for a lifetime?