Most plastic surgeons will tell you that breast augmentation requires incisions in the breasts that will likely leave scarring, but Dr. Richard Zienowicz, a board certified plastic surgeon and associate professor of plastic surgery at Brown University, suggests an alternative method. The method is an innovative technique that takes its cue from post-pregnancy tummy tucks and has surprisingly been around for 20 years!
By: Richard Zienowicz, MD
and Chris Knisley
ThePlasticSurgeryChannel.com
How Can I Get Implants Without Scars on my Breasts?
Breast Augmentation is not something that has to leave you scarred. Dr. Zienowiecz utilizes the TABA procedure, or Trans Abdominal Breast Augmentation, to perform a tummy tuck while placing breast implants through the abdomen. Since the abdomen is already open for the abdominoplasty, Dr. Zienowicz is able to insert the implants up through the abdomen, a technique that doesn’t require exterior incisions on the breasts, which means no scars! In this way, Zienowicz performs two procedures and only has one scar to tell the tale, a scar that is hidden beneath the bikini line.
After a woman has had a number of pregnancies, the abdomen gets stretched, the skin loosens, and there may be deflation of the breasts. More times than not, the reasons a woman may desire implants are directly related to the reasons why she may also want an abdominoplasty. “Multiple pregnancies can take a serious toll on a woman’s breasts and abdomen,” says Zienowicz. “If there is a way to correct both issues and leave only one scar, that’s the best option. I utilize TABA for this purpose, and am incredibly pleased with the results.”
Avoiding Scars AND Breast Augmentation Complications
“Instead of an incision on the breast that can make a noticeable scar, the implants are placed in through an abdominal incision, and it’s actually the most kind way to put an implant in,” says Zienowicz. “In addition to avoiding a scar, we are able to significantly reduce the risk of capsular contracture.” Capsular contracture is an immune response to foreign objects within the body and a majority of surgeons agree it’s the most dreaded potential side effect of implants.
By utilizing the TABA technique, Zienowicz avoids capsular contracture in 99% of his patients, compared to the 75-95% range experienced with traditional methods. He expects the successes of Trans Abdominal Breast Augmentation to catch on very quickly, as the obvious benefits of safety and aesthetic are recognized by plastic surgeons all over the world.
“Again, you have no breast scar and the abdomen is totally rejuvenated, so it’s a win-win,” says Zienowicz. “You finish and you look in the mirror and say, ‘I got my body back.’”