Uplift Operations

Operations to enlarge or uplift the female breast are a relatively small part of the growing practice of plastic surgeons. But whether a woman's motive is mere vanity or the need to restore the appearance after injury or surgery, there is an increasing variety of materials for building up the bosom. Doctors have tried everything from paraffin and glass balls to synthetic sponges and the patient's own body fat. But in New Orleans last week, specialists at an American College of Surgeons meeting were enthusiastic about a new plastic.

Atlanta's Dr. John R. Lewis Jr. reported good results and a minimum of side effects with a combination kit introduced last year by Dr. Thomas D. Cronin of Houston. It consists of a Silastic (silicone plastic) bag filled with Silastic gel and attached to a backing of Dacron mesh. The viscous gel has more nearly the consistency of natural breast tissue than previous synthetics.

The surgeon, said Dr. Lewis, must create a pocket between the breast and the muscle of the chest wall to which it is normally attached. The uplift device is inserted in the pocket, with its Dacron backing placed against the muscle. Thus the tissues of the breast itself do not come into contact with any mesh or sponge material into which they could grow--only with the impermeable surface of the Silastic bag. A further advantage is that the soft tissue of the natural breast is outward; it feels normal to the patient and facilitates a doctor's examination for cysts or tumors.

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