Mammary augmentation--surgical techniques, evaluation of results, and complications

Mammary augmentation is the procedure of choice in all forms of breast underdevelopment, atrophy or absence due to disease (subcutaneous or radical mastectomy), or trauma (burns of the thoracic region). Old reconstructive methods employing autogenous tissues have no substitute in special cases, but they are used less and less in favor of the new alloplastic materials (silicones) introduced as implants under the mammary gland. These implants have been shown to be permanently accepted by body tissues, the aesthetic results are good, and the operation is easier, faster, and less dangerous. Complications, however, do exist and the most frequent is the constriction of the fibrous envelope surrounding the implant. The etiology of this complication is still unknown. The patient should be advised of such a possibility. Circular incision of the fibrous envelope seems to be the best treatment for this complication. Silicone implants do not modify the physiology of the mammary gland and there is no reason to believe they have any influence on the incidence of breast cancer.