The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic | Lu Jean Feng, M.D. - Breast Implant Removal Aesthetics - Full Webinar @TheLuJeanFengClinic | Uploaded June 2016 | Updated October 2024, 1 hour ago.
Breast Implants: Are They Worth The Risk? III - Full Webinar
Featuring Lu-Jean Feng, M.D. and Linda L. Haas
Transcript:
Linda L. Haas
Good afternoon. Welcome to our webinar today, titled Breast Implants: Are They Worth The Risk? Hi! I’m Linda Haas, CEO of The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. I’m here today with Dr. Lu-Jean Feng, world renown microvascular plastic and reconstructive surgeon, to explore this topic one more time. This is a very controversial subject but today we’ll take a look at the aesthetics behind the removal of breast implants and ensuring that the breasts look satisfactory. With that, I’ll introduce you to Dr. Lu-Jean Feng.
Lu-Jean Feng, M.D.
Good afternoon! Good afternoon. So good to be here. I can’t wait to hear all of your questions and to give all the information that I know on the subject.
Linda L. Haas
Dr. Feng, we will start with our first question which is “Aesthetically, what is your biggest challenge with making the breasts look good after explantation?”
Lu-Jean Feng, M.D.
That’s a very good question. The biggest challenge is how to overcome all the potential damage and deformity created by the implantation. Of course, the bigger challenge is when the implant has been in for quite some time. The shorter the implant has been in, the easier it is to correct it.
Linda L. Haas
Dr. Feng, another question: “What causes denting after explantation surgery?”
Lu-Jean Feng, M.D.
Denting is from lack of tissue, so you can dent because the muscle is thinner, you could dent because there’s an area where the tissue is thinner. So those are the reasons for permanent dents. I can say this: ever since I started repairing the muscle, the muscle thinness does disappear more quickly- or the dent on the chest wall does disappear more quickly.
Linda L. Haas
Ok. Another question came in: “If my implants are under the muscle, does that mean that the muscle has been cut? If so, is that a problem?”
Lu-Jean Feng, M.D.
When your implants are under the muscle you have to cut the muscle to get the implants in. When the muscle cut is very short, and less muscle is disturbed, there is less disturbance of function and less thinning of the muscle. If the muscle cut is much bigger, meaning that you are trying to fit a fairly large implant into a smaller person they have to cut the muscle in order to make it look right. So frequently I have seen muscle cut much higher and so when you take out the implants of a breast who’s muscle has been cut there is greater deformity and unless you repair the muscle the deformity will persist. - Meaning that you’re going to see the ribs, and the breast bone and the ribs-more in the central area when you lay down, you’ll see that skeletonization. You’ll see an emptiness as you lose the natural cleavage area. So, the volume in the breasts is not just the breast volume, its also muscle volume. So, when you replace the muscle volume the breasts look better, even though you have a smaller breast. That’s part of the reconstruction of the explanted breasts- a very important part of the reconstruction. - All it is, all it is... can we return the anatomy to the previous breast tissue.
Linda L. Haas
Very good, thank you. [inaudible] Can the chest wall be indented by the implants?
Lu-Jean Feng, M.D.
That’s right. Well, let’s back up a little bit and say, well how does the- why is the muscle thinner? Well, first of all, when you cut the muscle, part of the lower part of the muscle doesn't work. Ok, when the muscle doesn’t work, because it’s been cut, its going to get thinner through no usage. Just like if I cut your biceps tendon, do you think you could lift any objects? Could you do a biceps curl? Of course not, you’re going to feel weaker, and when you feel weaker, and you stop using it the muscle will get thinner. That’s one reason. Second reason: the implant also stretches out the muscle fibers when the implants are placed under the muscle. When you stretch out the muscle fibers its not going to perform in the same way because your resting tension length is changed. I know that from my days as a microvascular surgeon and we do muscle transplantation that the resting muscle length is going to determine how well the muscle performs. So, in other words, if you put an implant underneath the biceps muscle its going to make that biceps muscle weaker and as it gets weaker its going to thin out because the muscle needs constant usage to maintain its bulk. Does that make sense to you?
Breast Implants: Are They Worth The Risk? III - Full Webinar
Featuring Lu-Jean Feng, M.D. and Linda L. Haas
Transcript:
Linda L. Haas
Good afternoon. Welcome to our webinar today, titled Breast Implants: Are They Worth The Risk? Hi! I’m Linda Haas, CEO of The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. I’m here today with Dr. Lu-Jean Feng, world renown microvascular plastic and reconstructive surgeon, to explore this topic one more time. This is a very controversial subject but today we’ll take a look at the aesthetics behind the removal of breast implants and ensuring that the breasts look satisfactory. With that, I’ll introduce you to Dr. Lu-Jean Feng.
Lu-Jean Feng, M.D.
Good afternoon! Good afternoon. So good to be here. I can’t wait to hear all of your questions and to give all the information that I know on the subject.
Linda L. Haas
Dr. Feng, we will start with our first question which is “Aesthetically, what is your biggest challenge with making the breasts look good after explantation?”
Lu-Jean Feng, M.D.
That’s a very good question. The biggest challenge is how to overcome all the potential damage and deformity created by the implantation. Of course, the bigger challenge is when the implant has been in for quite some time. The shorter the implant has been in, the easier it is to correct it.
Linda L. Haas
Dr. Feng, another question: “What causes denting after explantation surgery?”
Lu-Jean Feng, M.D.
Denting is from lack of tissue, so you can dent because the muscle is thinner, you could dent because there’s an area where the tissue is thinner. So those are the reasons for permanent dents. I can say this: ever since I started repairing the muscle, the muscle thinness does disappear more quickly- or the dent on the chest wall does disappear more quickly.
Linda L. Haas
Ok. Another question came in: “If my implants are under the muscle, does that mean that the muscle has been cut? If so, is that a problem?”
Lu-Jean Feng, M.D.
When your implants are under the muscle you have to cut the muscle to get the implants in. When the muscle cut is very short, and less muscle is disturbed, there is less disturbance of function and less thinning of the muscle. If the muscle cut is much bigger, meaning that you are trying to fit a fairly large implant into a smaller person they have to cut the muscle in order to make it look right. So frequently I have seen muscle cut much higher and so when you take out the implants of a breast who’s muscle has been cut there is greater deformity and unless you repair the muscle the deformity will persist. - Meaning that you’re going to see the ribs, and the breast bone and the ribs-more in the central area when you lay down, you’ll see that skeletonization. You’ll see an emptiness as you lose the natural cleavage area. So, the volume in the breasts is not just the breast volume, its also muscle volume. So, when you replace the muscle volume the breasts look better, even though you have a smaller breast. That’s part of the reconstruction of the explanted breasts- a very important part of the reconstruction. - All it is, all it is... can we return the anatomy to the previous breast tissue.
Linda L. Haas
Very good, thank you. [inaudible] Can the chest wall be indented by the implants?
Lu-Jean Feng, M.D.
That’s right. Well, let’s back up a little bit and say, well how does the- why is the muscle thinner? Well, first of all, when you cut the muscle, part of the lower part of the muscle doesn't work. Ok, when the muscle doesn’t work, because it’s been cut, its going to get thinner through no usage. Just like if I cut your biceps tendon, do you think you could lift any objects? Could you do a biceps curl? Of course not, you’re going to feel weaker, and when you feel weaker, and you stop using it the muscle will get thinner. That’s one reason. Second reason: the implant also stretches out the muscle fibers when the implants are placed under the muscle. When you stretch out the muscle fibers its not going to perform in the same way because your resting tension length is changed. I know that from my days as a microvascular surgeon and we do muscle transplantation that the resting muscle length is going to determine how well the muscle performs. So, in other words, if you put an implant underneath the biceps muscle its going to make that biceps muscle weaker and as it gets weaker its going to thin out because the muscle needs constant usage to maintain its bulk. Does that make sense to you?
