For many women, beautiful, shapely breasts are foundational to their femininity and overall happiness. When the breasts are disproportionate or asymmetrical, the self-consciousness can invade the social, professional, and personal aspects of a woman’s life.
Dr. David Mashhadian created Rodeo Surgical Art because enhancing the human body through cosmetic medicine is an art form in itself. With his creative approach to breast enhancement, Dr. Mashhadian has cultivated a reputation as one of Beverly Hills’s premier breast experts with unmatched, naturally beautiful results.
Breast augmentation involves many choices, each of which has an impact on the outcome. The type, contents, shape, size, and position of the implant matter, as do the techniques Dr. Mashhadian uses during the procedure. There are reasons patients rave about their experience with Dr. Mashhadian: the results he creates with his expertise and aesthetic eye are true art.
Types of Implants for Breast Augmentation
The type of implant you choose will have the most impact on how your breast augmentation will look. All implants consist of a silicone shell encasing the contents of the implant itself. Those contents change the feel of the breasts and their final result.
Saline Implants
Saline implants are approved by the FDA for women 18 and older, and their defining feature is Dr. Mashhadian’s meticulous control over their volume. The silicone shell is placed into the breast pocket empty, giving Dr. Mashhadian precise volume control as saline solution is introduced. Saline implants are ideal for a firmer breast structure. They’re incredibly safe as well, particularly in the case of a rupture, where the body harmlessly absorbs the fluid.
Silicone Implants
Medical-grade silicone gel implants feel more natural to the touch and move like the surrounding tissues. These implants are FDA-approved for women 21 and over, and significant advances in the gel’s cohesiveness make them a safe choice even if they rupture, which is a small risk. Silicone implants come in round and teardrop shapes for different breast projections from the chest wall, which is called the profile. They’re a versatile option where patients can choose to be as natural or dramatic as they wish.
Gummy Bear Implants
These implants are the latest breakthrough in gel technology to form a natural-feeling breast. Gummy bear implants, approved for women 22 and older, improve safety with a more cohesive gel, which helps implants maintain their shape in the breast pocket and reduces rippling, folding, rupture, and leakage risks. The remarkable gel properties shape your breast rather than being shaped by the pocket in which they rest. This implant maintains its shape for an attractive breast in any position.
IDEAL Breast Implants
Until IDEAL Implants, patients had to choose between the safety of saline implants and the appealing look and feel of silicone implants. IDEAL implants use a series of silicone shells that surrounds two inner saline chambers. These implants have the natural feel and movement of silicone implants, but in the event of a rupture, they would only leak harmless saline.
Implant Shapes
Patients interested in breasts with a more dramatic breast profile often choose round implants as they increase the volume at the breast pole, or upper curve. Women interested in plumpness in the lower breast that tapers toward the pole will find teardrop implants more fulfilling. The silicone shell’s surface may also be smooth or textured to achieve the patient’s desired breast firmness.
Breast Implant Placement
The next choice that affects the final result is where your implant is placed. There are two options—subglandular and submuscular.
Subglandular Breast Implant Placement
Subglandular placement is behind your existing breast tissue but in front of the pectoralis muscle. Ideal for women with more soft tissue coverage, this placement helps disguise the implant’s edges, particularly important with saline implants. They have a higher incidence of rippling that can be seen and felt unless enough tissue covers the diameter of the implant.
Submuscular Breast Implant Placement
Dr. Mashhadian recommends placement beneath the pectoralis muscle for women with smaller cup sizes who need more complete tissue coverage of the implant. It has less to do with the volume you’re adding than it does with the diameter of the implant. This technique can distort the appearance of the pectoralis muscle and is less appealing for patients who strength train or weight lift.
Procedure Techniques for Breast Augmentation
The techniques Dr. Mashhadian has developed have distinguished his breast enhancement results above standard practices. His proprietary Recovery EXL™ program combines surgical techniques for minimal tissue trauma with medications that ease patient recovery. Some patients don’t even require narcotic pain management, which is often a big worry given the risk of dependence. Without pain medication, side effects such as drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness during recovery are far less likely. It’s a much more comfortable overall recovery experience.
Part of this process is placing the implants through the Keller funnel. This sterile technique allows for much smaller incisions, results in less tissue trauma, and reduces the need for Dr. Mashhadian to touch the implant at all. As a result, there’s less risk of infection, and the scars from the procedure are more subtle.
Dr. Mashhadian also infuses the surgical field with tumescent fluid, an anesthetic with epinephrine, to shrink the blood vessels for minimal bleeding. It has the added benefit of breaking up fat cells. With the numbing effect on the tissues, patients awaken from the procedure with far less discomfort than before.
Incision Placement
Where Dr. Mashhadian makes the incisions can also impact the overall outcome of your breast augmentation. He typically uses 4 types of incisions.
- The periareolar incision is camouflaged by the edges of the areola surrounding the nipple. Through this semi-circular incision on the bottom curve of the areola, Dr. Mashhadian inserts the tip of the Keller funnel and squeezes the implant gently into place.
- The inframammary incision is disguised beneath the swell of the breast in the crease along the underside. It’s only as long as the Keller funnel requires.
- The transaxillary incision is placed in the armpit for minimum visibility while still providing Dr. Mashhadian the access he needs to the breast pocket.
- The transumbilical (TUBA) incision is a remarkable technique that leaves no visible scarring. The incision is made inside the belly button, and a tunnel is created through the abdominal wall to the breast pocket where the implant is placed. This method does exclude the gummy bear implant from the options available to patients.
In some cases, women may have breast augmentation during a tummy tuck or a mommy makeover with a trans-abdominoplasty incision to minimize scarring around the breasts.
Other Breast Enhancement Options
Breast Lift
In some cases, a breast lift may be appropriate to lift and shape the existing breast tissue without adding any volume. Dr. Mashhadian uses the Regnault Breast Ptosis, Breast Relaxation, or Sagging Grading Scale during his evaluation of your breasts during your consultation to determine if a breast lift is more suited to your specific situation. Ptosis describes breast droop and nipple direction and placement.
During a breast lift, Dr. Mashhadian will remove excess skin, remodel the breast tissue into a more pert position and, if necessary, reposition the nipple to a higher, more forward position for a more natural appearance.
Breast Reduction
For some of Dr. Mashhadian’s patients, removing excess glandular tissue and fat to reduce the breasts is the best correction choice. During this process, Dr. Mashhadian reshapes the breast tissue that’s not being removed, fixes any symmetrical issues, and reproportions the overall breast to achieve a more desirable breast-to-hip ratio. Excess skin is also removed, and the nipples and areolas may need to be resized and repositioned to a more attractive location.
Dr. Mashhadian has also mastered a scarless breast reduction technique, an alternative to the traditional method. Patients with less breast relaxation who wish to reduce their breast size by a limited degree are ideal candidates for this procedure, which uses liposuction techniques combined with VASER treatment to prepare the tissues being removed for gentler extraction. The maximum incision size is 2mm-4mm, similar to a standard liposuction technique.
Breast Lift With Augmentation
For those who want breast augmentation but have loose or excess skin, a breast lift with augmentation may provide the best results. Dr. Mashhadian will assess the patient’s breasts and their desired results. A good candidate for a breast lift with augmentation has sagging or loose skin and also wants more breast volume.
A breast lift with augmentation can provide breasts with enhanced shape and fullness. Dr. Mashhadian will remove excess skin and lift the breasts and nipples into a perkier, more youthful position. He will also insert an implant to add volume and fullness. This surgery corrects two common breast issues in one procedure so patients see the results they want.
What Results Can I Expect After Breast Augmentation?
Dr. Mashhadian’s superior techniques, years of dedicated training and experience, and overall eye for detail elevate his breast enhancement procedures to the level of fine art. His patients routinely achieve their ideal breast shape, size, and position for a greater level of self-confidence and appreciation of their overall appearance. In Beverly Hills, an area known for talented physicians, Dr. Mashhadian stands out for his world-class results and compassionate standard of patient care.
