www.womanthismonth.com 31 September 2012 | Safe Practice AMERICAN MISSION HOSPITAL Every woman dreams of improving her body but dreads the thought of going under the knife. One of the Kingdom’s leading plastic surgeons explains why breast implants are safe. The Silicone breast implants have been used to give shape and enhance the size of female breasts for years, having first appeared in the market in 1962. Under general anaesthesia, the short operation takes about one and a half hours. A silicone implant is inserted behind the breast tissue and on the chest wall through a small incision. “A lot of women worry about scarring; in fact, there is only a small fine scar which remains hidden in the skin folds under the breasts,” says Dr Gautham Basu, a plastic surgeon at American Mission Hospital. Another concern for many patients is that the surgery risks breast cancer; in a large-scale study conducted by the National Cancer Institute no association was found between breast implants and such an illness. Typically, implants are soft silicone sacs, inflated with either saline solution or a synthetic silicone gel. The silicone gel implants are preferred by both patients as well as surgeons, as they have a more pleasing look and feel than the salinefilled option. Implants are also used for medical purposes, such as reconstruction of the breast after mastectomy operations for cancer. “Depending on the type of cancer, breasts can either be reconstructed simultaneously during the mastectomy or later after a period of time when the patient receives chemotherapy or radiotherapy,” explains Dr Basu. Call 17 248-110 or 17 248-121. Dr Gautham Basu
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