Now that I've managed some downtime after a brutal day, I can try to follow-up here.
1) The doctor in the first link I posted is in Indiana, USA. But I don't think he is a "large and somewhat fake" Dr. I didn't check MDF's list of Dr.'s, but I don't remember him being on there.
I was going to say words to this effect. Yes he's in the USA/Indiana, I wasn't aware whether he was friendly towards larger implants, and conversely I'm not aware of any surgeons on my site who do this.
* MasterDragonfly makes note of yet another thing to mention when he finally makes that call to Suzanne
2)BINGO! ...Yes, this is the mesh for hernias. I believe the Dr. in Indiana is using the hernia mesh off-label and probably custom fitting it.
I think the Breform is taking the same material, and shaping it into a cone or cup at the factory.
I got to wondering this morning about things like:
- the surgeon would likely need to customize the Breform cone to allow for larger areolae
- from what I could gather from the first Breform link, the surgical procedure sounds like a lollipop or anchor lift; only, to get the cone to cover the entire breast mound, all of the skin covering it would need to be freed up, not just flaps covering the lower aspect
- whether the mesh cone could be felt post-op (after sufficient healing time, of course); I don't think the article mentions it
- the Breform is likely available in limited shapes/sizes; something in Pink Lisa's size (or final goal size) might be unlikely; additionally, even if they had something for Pink Lisa today, what happens when she wants to go up in size? Presumably this would mean removing the existing Breform mesh (to avoid the "Snoopy boob" effect), which might prove to be somewhat time consuming, when you consider that the surrounding tissue will, er, mesh with the mesh over time.
Btw, I'm not exactly sure about the usage of 'off-label' here. There's a first time for everything, but from the description, it sounds like he's just using the hernia mesh for a different issue which could, according to him (or one of the references I've read on it) be described as a hernia. Now Dr Johnson using that material for his "silly string" implants would be a better usage of the term 'off-label'.
Another way of looking at it: Overfilling an 800cc saline implant to 1200cc or beyond might be a similar example of off-label use.
Bottom line: Surgeons have a palette of tools available, and will use what they deem most appropriate to achieve the desired goal. In most cases, they're traveling a well-known path. Not many surgeons would be willing to try something new when someone's life is on the line. Unless doing nothing or taking the path well traveled translates to a risk which can be mitigated. It's easy to imagine that life-or-death risks aren't typical considerations during cosmetic surgery.
3) I remember seeing posts somewhere by a woman who has the mesh for a redo with larger implants (600's, I think). I think she was very satisfied.
The mesh, not the Breform, correct?
4) Perhaps I have opened a can of worms, sorry : When searching for a product site that lists the mesh as used for surgery in the US, I can't find it. But I do get a bunch of hits re: lawsuits and recalls of one brand of hernia mesh....I think this was an isolated incident, in the past.
A quick Google search reveals:
http://www.surgicalmesh.com/http://www.herniasolutions.com/http://hernia.tripod.com/meshsyst.htmlI recall reading that Dr Johnson liked the PPP string used for hernia repair because it had been widely used for something like 40 years before he decided to use it in a novel way.
5)Yes, I think the whole idea is to reduce the number of revisions for "bottoming-out" of the implant, and other issues. I guess the problem is that it is still a new (experimental?) technique. I can see in a few years it becoming more widely accepted. Maybe I was premature in mentioning it now, sorry. I was just thinking it would help you keep your girls up; in hindsight, I can see how surgeons might be hesitant to use it on a woman who already has significant breast tissue.
Somewhere there was a product page that explained this all better, but I can't find it, sorry.
I agree. I think this is a great idea, especially within the context of larger breast implants. Although I'm not sure I would call it 'experimental' any more than I would call Dr Grant Stevens' "laser bra" technique experimental. (Which btw might be something else to consider, assuming you can find a "larger implant friendly" surgeon who will do the technique.) "Not in widespread use" might be more accurate.
Appendix a) I normally take everything MDF says as better advice than most Dr.'s , but I have had a couple of conversations with women who have had implants slip out from under the muscle when they were partials.
Absolutely, when in doubt, consult with a surgeon. Better still, consult with 3 different ones.
As with any surgical technique (especially in cosmetic surgery) you will invariably find someone who was dissatisfied with the result, where some specific aspect of the surgery didn't work out as expected, etc.
Fwiw, Dr Shoaib is a huge advocate of the dual-plane technique. And from casual observation, most surgeons seem to be leaning that way (at least towards unders). The classic exception would be when the woman wants the "obviously fake" look.
Btw, one of the analogies I came up with this morning regarding the use of Breform when larger breast implants are a consideration, would be like being a mass producer of motorcycle gas tanks and showing up at Orange County Chopper expecting to make a sale.
Going with larger implants is on some level like getting a custom bike done; the principles of construction/modification are there regardless of who is getting what, but the details around who gets what, especially when the 'what' isn't terribly common, is what sets some surgeons apart.