Going under the knife. Where to cut?

There are various kinds of plastic surgery that can be performed. Ranging from an abdominoplasty (“tummy tuck”) to rhinoplasty (“nose job”), but one of the most popular ones, especially among women, is breast augmentation.

Deciding on what type of breast implants to use is not the only difficult decision to make. Plastic surgery, after all, is a surgical procedure that requires making incisions on the skin. Scaring is typical after an incision is performed and it is unavoidable. Deciding where an incision will be done will determine where the scaring will be located. In a breast augmentation, the three commonly performed incisions are the infra-mammary incision, the peri-areolar incision, and the trans-axillary incision.

The inframammary incision is an incision that is done in the breast fold, which is the crease under the breast where it meets the chest. This is the most common incision in that it offers the plastic surgeon direct visual access making it easier to place the breast implants. Both silicone and saline breast implants can be inserted through this incision. If using silicone breast implants, this incision is preferred, especially if they are large sized ones.

The peri-areolar incision is done on the lower border of the nipple, where it will be hidden between the darker color of the nipple and the lighter color of the skin. Both implants can be inserted, but the size of silicone implants may be restricted depending on the border and size of the areola. This incision also gives the plastic surgeon direct visual access.

The trans-axillary incision is an incision done in the armpit. The scar can be noticeable when a woman wears sleeveless clothes. Saline breast implants are preferred over silicone breast implants when this incision is done. It is very hard to position large silicone breast implants and there is no direct visual access for the plastic surgeon. Small silicone breast implants are a better option when using this incision.

Regardless of the incision that is made, a scar will follow. It is an unavoidable end result of breast augmentation but after obtaining the desired breast size, shape, and look, the scaring will be forgotten with time as the new breasts will steal the spotlight.