Breast Implants – via the TUBA Procedure
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The TUBA, or, transumbilical breast augmentation, procedure is favored by some because the only scar sits within a wrinkle in the patient’s belly button.
But just how does a plastic surgeon insert breast implants through a belly button?
First, the patient is placed under a general anesthesia; the whole procedure goes better if she lies still like a statue. Local anesthetics are injected into the umbilicus (the belly button) and breast.
Then, the plastic surgeon makes an inch and one-half long incision in the umbilicus and creates two tunnels just under the skin, one apiece leading to a breast. The surgeon has the choice of ending the tunnels above or below the chest muscle to make an implant pocket.
A tiny light and camera inside the tunnels then checks the pockets’ position.
After that, empty breast implants are rolled up like a cigar, inserted through the tunnels and placed in the pockets. They are then filled with saline to expand the pockets. (The expander filler tubes hang out of the belly button incision.)
After removing the expander, yet another long instrument checks the position of the pockets to make sure the new, enhanced breasts will be balanced and symmetrical.
The next-to-last step is placing the permanent breast implant through the tunnels and filling them to the size the patient wants.
Only saline breast implants are used; silicone implants are already, permanently filled and won’t fit through the tunnels.
Last item? Closing the incision and applying a dressing.
While recovering, the patient will notice some pain in her stomach near the tunnels and more discomfort if the implant has been placed below the chest muscle. However, adherents say there is less bleeding during a TUBA procedure and a quicker recovery with less risk to breast and nipple nerves.
As in all plastic surgery procedures, a practitioner who does the procedure often – once or twice weekly – is more likely to produce the best results.
Despite all that, many plastic surgeons writing in RealSelf.com don’t recommend TUBA because the procedure is difficult unless the surgeon is highly skilled and experienced.
One way to check: the surgeon should have many, many breast augmentation before and after pictures of his past TUBA patients.
admin @ July 28, 2010
