We provide cosmetic surgery price ranges (estimates only) on our web site. Actual surgery prices depend on your specific anatomy, operating time involved, surgical technique used, and type of anesthesia. Dr. Potter will give you a specific, individual fee quote at your personal cosmetic consultation. Quotes are good for three months, which allows you time to think about it and plan ahead.
Is Breast Augmentation for you?
During your consultation, your goals and expectations for the surgery will be discussed. After assessing your breasts and expectations, probable outcomes for your procedure will be discussed. You may be shown several before and after treatment photographs of patients having similar breasts, and your surgeon will explain the treatment you can expect to receive. You may also try some different size implants on in a bra to give you an idea as to the look you desire. Often a mammogram (X-Ray) will be required pre-operatively.
Gallery contains uncensored images of Dr. Potter's Breast Surgery Patients.
Your Breast Augmentation Procedure
Breast augmentation is performed on an outpatient basis using a general or local anesthesia. The procedure usually takes about 2 hours. One of the more frequent techniques used requires an incision under the lower portion of the breast near the chest wall or under the lower portion of the areola (the darker area around your nipple). After the incision is made, a pocket is created under the breast tissue or beneath the chest wall muscle. The implant is securely positioned in the pocket, and small sutures are used to close the incision. When inflatable implants are used, your surgeon can adjust the amount of inflation.
There is no evidence that breast implants increase the risk of breast cancer or any other condition. Most women can also safely breast feed after augmentation surgery.
Getting used to a new figure can be a satisfying and even exciting experience as you and those around you learn to appreciate your new, more shapely figure. To avoid complications and assure your safety, it is imperative that you examine yourself regularly and visit your surgeon for check-ups on a regular basis. Those in the appropriate age groups should continue to have routine mammograms as prescribed.
Your New Figure With Breast Augmentation
Rest is recommended for the first few days following surgery. A post-surgical sports bra is usually worn for several weeks. Most discomfort associated with breast surgery can be controlled with oral medication prescribed by your surgeon. Antibiotics may also be prescribed. Most women experience mild swelling, bruising and tenderness. These symptoms should subside in a short time. Your surgeon will advise you on a proper schedule for returning to your normal activities. Most patients are back to work within the first week. Regular physical activity may be resumed in 4 – 6 weeks.
What is Recovery Like?
Who Would Choose To Have Their Breasts Lifted?
Most people think a breast lift is requested more often by older women. However, the average age of patients choosing to have the procedure is only 39. This is just slightly older than those having augmentation and reduction procedures.
Why Choose A Breast Lift?
As women age and/or have children, their breasts tend to lose fat and the breast tissue begins to thin. In most cases, when the breast tissue shrinks, the skin does not and the areola/nipple droops down below the inframammary crease. Lifting the nipple above the crease will restore a youthful look.
While it is possible to nurse after a breast lift, it is generally recommended that you wait. Should you become pregnant your breasts will swell and stretch the skin and you may lose the benefits of the procedure.
Many patients who request a breast lift also want to have the fullness back. These patients usually decide to have implants as well. In certain instances, the augmentation will aid in stretching the skin, enabling your surgeon to do a breast lift with shorter scars. Other patients may require a breast reduction as well as a breast lift to restore the look they desire.
The most common approach, the “anchor” incision, is actually three incisions. The first incision is made around the areola. The next runs from the bottom of the areola down to the breast crease and the third incision follows the horizontal breast crease. Working through these incisions, excess skin is removed from the lower portion of the breast. Areolas that have been stretched over time can be resized and the tissue is repositioned to reshape the breast. The breast tissue and nipple are lifted into the higher position, and the nipple is repositioned.
Bed rest is recommended for the first day. For the first few days following any breast surgery, you may be asked to wear surgical dressings or a special post-surgical garment. Most discomfort associated with breast surgery can be controlled with oral medication prescribed by your surgeon. Antibiotics may also be prescribed. Most women experience some degree of swelling, bruising and tenderness. These symptoms should subside in a short time. All sutures are removed within 1 – 2 weeks. Your surgeon will advise you on a proper schedule for returning to your normal activities. Most patients are back to work within the first week.
What Is Recovery Like?
Breast Lift
How Is A Breast Lift Performed?
Can A Breast Lift Be Combined With Another Procedure?
Will A Breast Lift Affect Nursing?
Which Surgery Is Best For Me?
The type and extent of your breast cancer diagnosis combined with the treatment planned will impact your surgical choices. Many doctors prefer to perform a breast conserving surgery called a lumpectomy when possible. However, in many cases, a mastectomy is the only option. Some women choose to have a mastectomy for prophylactic reasons. Others may require some adjustments to the healthy breast to maintain symmetry. For some, multiple procedures will be required. In addition, some reconstructive options offer superior results when performed at the time of the mastectomy.
Your Consultation
During your consultation with both Dr. Potter and your oncologist, you will be explained the type of breast cancer you have and they will review your treatment options with you. You may be shown before and after photographs of patients who have had a similar procedure.
Breast reconstruction usually involves multiple procedures performed over time. The first procedure is usually the most complex. Some patients may require an additional procedure to remove the tissue expander and insert the implant. Others will need an additional procedure to complete the nipple and areola reconstruction.
After Dr. Potter performs your breast reconstruction surgery, you may decide, like many patients, to have an additional procedure to change your natural breast to match the reconstructed breast.
Depending on the surgical option you choose, you may have to stay in the hospital for a few days. Immediately after surgery, you will feel tired and sore. Your new breast(s) will be swollen. Drains and stitches may be in place for about a week. Scars will fade over time. Most discomfort can be controlled with medication. You should avoid any lifting or strenuous activity as well as sexual activity for 3 – 6 weeks following your reconstructive procedure. In addition, you may be asked to wear a binder or girdle during the healing process to decrease the possibility of hernias.
The best candidates are women with very large breasts who require physical relief. Other candidates for breast reduction include those patients with one breast significantly larger than the other. Those with indentations in their shoulders from tight bra straps and those who are self-conscious or dissatisfied with their oversized breasts are also excellent candidates.
Traditional Breast Reduction Surgery is an outpatient procedure, but is sometimes performed as an inpatient procedure under general anesthesia, and takes between 2 – 4 hours. There are many variations to the procedure. The most common procedure involves an incision that circles the areola and extends downward following the curve of the crease beneath the breast. Your surgeon removes the excess glandular and fatty tissue. Then the nipple and areola are moved to their new position. The skin is then drawn together and down around the areola, providing a new shape to your breast. Unless your breasts are very large and pendulous, the nipples will likely remain attached. All incisions are closed with stitches.
Breast Liposuction is a safe alternative to traditional breast reduction surgery. It may be performed with twilight sleep anesthesia combined with local anesthesia. Since the female breast is about 50% fat, a 1 – 3 cup reduction in size can be obtained using liposuction alone. Liposuction of the breast enables the surgeon to remove fatty tissue, but not glandular tissue. With this procedure, most patients experience a quicker recovery time with minimal scarring as compared to a traditional breast reduction. Depending on your breast size, breast liposuction might be an option to consider.
Following your surgery, it is a good idea to sleep on your back to avoid undo pressure on your breasts. Sexual activity should be avoided for 1 – 2 weeks following surgery, and you should avoid strenuous activity for several weeks. It may be possible to return to work in 1 – 2 weeks. The stitches will be removed over the next few weeks. Bruising and swelling may take up to 6 weeks to disappear, and it may take up to a year or two for the scars to flatten and fade.
How is a Breast Reduction Procedure Preformed?
What does recovery look like?
The risk of developing breast cancer seems to remain unchanged following a breast reduction, as do our recommendations for cancer screenings. Self breast examination should be performed monthly. A new baseline mammogram should be performed one year after your surgery. Your doctor will make further recommendations during your consultation.
What About Getting Pregnant And Nursing After Surgery?
If you are considering having children, you should discuss this with your surgeon during your consultation. The ability to nurse after you have had the size of your breasts reduced is unpredictable. Should you decide to nurse after your surgery, you probably will experience some temporary engorgement.
In today’s competitive job market, it’s important to look your best. More and more men are electing to have cosmetic surgery, a trend that studies have shown is tied to career advancement. One study revealed that 84% of men surveyed believed that physical attractiveness was important for power and success on the job. Breast reduction surgery for men is performed by Dr. Potter to reduce their overdeveloped breasts.
Gynecomastia, a medical word from the Greek words for “woman-like breasts,” affects one out of every ten men. Enlarged breasts on young boys last only a few years and are generally resolved by age eighteen. Enlarged breasts on a man can be uncomfortable, as well as socially and psychologically devastating. Gynecomastia may be associated with obesity, hormonal metabolism imbalance, liver disease or medicinal causes. Prior to choosing a surgical solution to gynecomastia, a period of diet and exercise is recommended. Should that fail, male breast reduction is performed by our doctor for patients in our region to treat this condition.
During your consultation with Dr. Potter, your goals and expectations of the surgery will be discussed. An assessment of the nature of your breasts and the elasticity of your skin to determine the cause of your breast enlargement. It may be caused by fatty tissue and/or glandular tissue. May before and after treatment photographs of patients having similar breasts will be used to explain the treatment you can expect to receive and the surgical outcome you should anticipate.
Breast Reconstruction
How Many Procedures Will I Need?
What Is Recovery Like?
Breast Reduction
What About Mammograms After Surgery?
Gynecomastia
Male breast reduction is performed on an outpatient basis using a general anesthesia. The procedure can last from 1 – 2 hours depending on the extent of correction.
The Procedure
If your gynecomastia is primarily caused by fatty tissue, liposuction is usually the procedure of choice. Liposuction surgery is a procedure used to actually remove unwanted localized deposits of fat cells from the body. A straw-like cannula is inserted through a tiny incision placed in an inconspicuous location on the skin. Using a vacuum system attached to the cannula, excess fat cells are sucked out. The result is a re-sculpting of bulging breasts into more attractive contours.
Liposuction For Male Breast Reduction
What does recovery look like?
If your gynecomastia is the result of a glandular disorder, liposuction alone is not likely to be adequate. Traditional surgical excision may be a better option. The excision may be performed alone or in conjunction with liposuction. Typically, the incision is placed on the edge of the areola (colored area of the nipple) or in the underarm area. Your surgeon will work through these incisions to cut away the excess glandular tissue, fat, and skin from the breast. If your reduction requires the removal of significant amounts of tissue, larger incisions may be required. If your gynecomastia is extreme, and large amounts of fat and/or glandular tissue must be removed, excess skin may also have to be excised.
Traditional Surgical Excision For Male Breast Reduction
Light activity is recommended for the first day after the procedure. You will experience some pain for several days. For the first few days following your surgery, you will wear surgical dressings which will be exchanged for a special compression garment. You will experience some pain for several days. For the first few days following your surgery, you will wear surgical dressings which will be exchanged for a special compression garment. This will be worn for about two weeks. Most discomfort associated with breast surgery can be controlled with oral medication prescribed by your surgeon. Antibiotics may also be prescribed. Most men experience some degree of swelling, bruising and tenderness. These symptoms should subside in a short time. Within about 2 weeks, all sutures are removed. Your surgeon will advise you on a proper schedule for returning to your normal activities. Most patients are back to work within the first week.
Is Male Breast Reduction Surgery For You?
Breast Augmentation
Are Breast Implants Safe?
