Breast Augmentation Glossary

Why do you need a Breast Augmentation Glossary

There are many technical terms which are used when writing about breast augmentation, breast enhancement, or boob jobs. Some of these are easy to understand and others are not. So you may or not know what transaxillary or transumbilical mean. They are in fact two of the four possible incision points for your implants.

• Asymmetry
  Uneven appearance between a woman’s breasts in terms of size, shape, or breast level. Often breast augmentation is used to rid asymmetry as well as enlarging the cup size.
• Augmentation
  Includes cosmetic uses, such as to increase breast size or for ptosis (sagging or drooping of the breast) or asymmetry. Augmentation is one of three indications (clinical uses) for breast implants.
• Breast pain
  Pain in the nipple or breast area.
• Breast pocket
  A pocket surgically created to hold the implant.
• Breast tissue atrophy
  Thinning and shrinking of the skin.
• Calcification/calcium deposits
  Hard lumps under the skin around the implant. These can be mistaken for cancer during mammography, resulting in additional surgery, either to biopsy the lumps or to remove the implant.
• Capsular contracture
  Scar tissue or capsule that normally forms around the implant, which tightens or squeezes the implant.
• Chest wall deformity
  When the chest wall or underlying rib cage appears deformed following removal of the implants and breast tissue.
• Delayed wound healing
  Incision site fails to heal normally or takes longer to heal.
• Extracapsular rupture
  Rupture of silicone gel-filled breast implant in which the silicone gel is outside of the fibrous scar capsule that forms around the implant.
• Extrusion
  Skin breakdown with the implant appearing through the skin.
• Galactorrhea
  Inappropriate breast milk production that may occur after breast implant surgery. In some cases, the milk production stops by itself or after receiving medicine to stop milk production. In other cases, the implant(s) may need to be removed to treat this complication.
• Granuloma
  Non-cancerous lumps that can form when certain body cells surround foreign material, such as silicone. Like any lump, it should be evaluated to distinguish it from a lump that might be cancerous.
• Hematoma
• Collection of blood inside a body cavity. Swelling, pain, and bruising may result. If a hematoma occurs, typically it will be soon after surgery; however, it can also occur at any time after injury to the breast. While the body absorbs small hematomas, large ones may require the placement of surgical drains for proper healing.
• Iatrogenic injury/damage
  Iatrogenic literally means surgeon caused.
  Injury/damage to the tissue or implant due to surgical instruments either during the operation, during a reoperation, during implant removal, or during breast procedures while the implant is in place (e.g., cyst aspiration or hematoma drainage).
• Infection
  Can occur with any surgery when wounds are contaminated with microorganisms such as bacteria or fungi. Most infections resulting from surgery appear within a few days to weeks after the operation. However, infection is possible at any time after surgery. Infections with an implant present are harder to treat than infections in normal body tissues. If an infection does not respond to antibiotics, the implant may have to be removed. Another implant may be placed after the infection is gone.
• Inframammary
  Within the breast fold. This is one the four potential incision points of breast implants in breast augmentation surgeries.
• Inflammation/irritation
  Swelling of the breast area, usually with redness.
• Intracapsular rupture
  Rupture of silicone gel-filled breast implant in which the silicone gel remains contained within the fibrous capsule.
• Local complications
  Complications that occur in the breast or chest area.
• Malposition/displacement
  When the implant is placed incorrectly during the initial surgery or when the implant has moved/shifted from its original position. Shifting can be caused by many factors, such as gravity, trauma, poor initial placement, and capsular contracture.
• Mastectomy
  Partial or complete removal of the breast – typically for removal of cancerous tissue in breast cancer.
• Mastopexy
  Surgical procedure to raise and reshape sagging breasts. Women may also have this surgery after an implant is removed and not replaced. This procedure is commonly known as breast lift.
• Necrosis
  Formation of dead tissue around the implant. Factors associated with increased necrosis include infection, use of steroids in the surgical breast pocket, smoking, chemotherapy/radiation, and excessive heat or cold therapy.
• Nipple/breast sensation changes
  An increase or a decrease in the sensation in the nipple or breast. This change can vary in degree and may be temporary or permanent. It may affect comfort while nursing or sexual response.
• Palpability/visibility
  Palpability is when the implant can be felt through the skin. Visibility is when the implant can be seen through the skin, such as the valve on a saline-filled breast implant or the edge of an implant.
• Periareolar
  Around the nipple. Another of the incision points for breast implants.
• Ptosis
  Sagging/drooping of the breast.
• Reconstruction
  Includes non-cosmetic uses such as post-mastectomy, a severe injury to the breast, a birth defect that affects the breast, or a medical condition causing a severe breast abnormality. Reconstruction is one of three indications (clinical uses) for breast implants. While insurance plans do not typically pay for cosmetic breast augmentation, they often pay for the first reconstructive breast implant.
• Redness/bruising
  Bleeding at operative site that causes discoloration and varies in degree and length of time. This is expected following breast implant surgery or breast procedures.
• Reduction mammoplasty
  Surgical procedure to reduce breast size. Note whearse the precentage of ladies who have boob jobs are the same in the USA and France. Four out of five American ladies go for breast augmentation and increase the size of their breasts, while in France the same proportion reduce their breast size by undergoing reduction mammoplasty.
• Removal
  Removal of the implant, with or without replacement.
• Reoperation
  Any additional surgery performed to the breast or chest area.
• Revision
  This is replacement of an existing breast implant. Revision is one of three indications (clinical uses) for breast implants.
• Rupture/deflation
  Hole or tear in the shell of the implant that allows for loss of the filler material from the shell.
• Scarring
  Formation of tissue at the incision. All wounds heal by the formation of a scar. The degree of scarring varies from person to person, and skin type is an important factor for the development of scars. If the scarring becomes irregular and raised, it is called hypertrophic scarring. This may leave a visible, permanent scar. The keloid, a severe type of hypertrophic scar, generally does not fade or flatten with time.
• Seroma
  Collection of the watery portion of the blood around the implant or around the incision. Swelling, pain, and bruising may result. While the body absorbs small seromas, large ones will require the placement of surgical drains for proper healing. A small scar can result from surgical draining.
• Silent rupture
  Rupture of a silicone gel-filled breast implant that happens without a visible change or feel by the woman and is not evident by a physical examination by the doctor.
• Silicone
  Silicone is a man-made material that can be found in several forms such as oil, gel, or rubber (elastomer). The exact make-up of silicone will be different depending on its use.
• Subglandular
  When the implant is placed under and within the breast glands but on top of the chest muscles.
• Submuscular
  When the implant is placed underneath the chest muscles. Subglandular and submuscular are the two places the implant may be placed.
• Toxic Shock Syndrome
  Rare, but life-threatening bacterial infection that may occur after surgery. Symptoms include sudden fever, vomiting, diarrhea, fainting, dizziness, and sunburn-like rash. A doctor should be seen immediately for diagnosis and treatment if toxic shock syndrome is suspected.
• Transaxillary
  Under the arm. One of the four incision points used in breast augmentation surgery.
• Transumbilical
  Under the belly button. This is the most hidden type incision point. It can only be used with saline implants which are placed in position using endoscopy (tiny fiber optic based video cameras) to guide the plastic surgeon to the placement point (subglandular or submuscular) and then the implants are filled. This procedure is called TUBA (transumbilical breast augmentation).
• Unsatisfactory style/size
  Patient or doctor is not satisfied with the overall look based on the style or size of implant used.
• Wrinkling/rippling
  Wrinkling of the implant that can be felt or seen through the skin. Typically saline implants have more wrinkling than silicone implants.

So there you have it. Lots of technical and a few not so technical terms in this breast augmentation glossary. I’ll be adding more entries later on.

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