Aesthetic and reconstructive breast surgery: breast augmentation and breast reconstruction in Paris

A woman may find that her breasts have atrophied too much, either originally or over time. Dr. Santini offers two main methods: breast implant surgery and breast lipostructure.
The injection of hyaluronic acid into the breasts is prohibited in France, so as not to interfere with breast screening by mammography.

Breast augmentation with breast implants

Breast implants are common medical devices used in cosmetic surgery to reconstruct breast shape or increase breast volume. Dr Christelle Santini will meet with you beforehand to define your needs and carry out a 3D simulation based on the size, shape, texture and positioning of the implants chosen.
Surgery involves making an incision at the desired location, to insert the breast prostheses under the skin, under the muscle or in a combination of both.

The latest-generation breast implants are extremely safe, and technical advances have made it possible to work perfectly on their appearance, for tailor-made breast surgery.

Breast augmentation with breast prostheses is performed in the operating room, under general anesthesia and with an average overnight hospital stay.

This cosmetic surgery lasts about 1.5 hours.

Breast augmentation by breast lipofilling

Lipofilling is a technique for increasing breast size without the need for breast implants. This method involves removing fat cells from a part of the body where they are in excess, and reinjecting them into the breasts to enhance their shape. Unlike breast implants, breast lipostructure does not significantly increase breast volume. On the other hand, it is a less invasive technique, which allows us to act on a different volume of the silhouette through liposuction. It is recommended in cases of moderate hypotrophy or asymmetry between the 2 breasts, with natural results that can be repeated if necessary.

Breast augmentation by lipofilling is performed in the operating room, under general anesthesia, and requires a hospital stay of around 24 hours. The operation lasts an average of 2 hours, including the liposuction phase.

Breast lift or mastopexy breast ptosis cure aims to straighten sagging breasts. Over time, and for a variety of reasons such as pregnancy, weight loss or hormonal disturbance, breast volumes tend to change and the skin to sag.

A breast lift restores the shape of the breasts by removing excess skin, condensing the mammary gland and bringing the areola and nipple back into a physiological position, restoring the figure's femininity and tone.
Breast ptosis surgery can be combined with breast implants or breast lipofilling to further harmonize the figure. In some cases, breast reduction mammoplasty may also be performed.
This surgical procedure is performed in the operating room, under general anaesthetic and with an overnight hospital stay. The operating time is 1h30 to 3h.

The aim of breast reduction surgery is to reduce the volume of hypertrophic breasts and to lift them, by removing excess skin and mammary gland. The position of the areola and nipple is restored. A reduction plasty is only reimbursed by the French Assurance Maladie when more than 300 grams per operated breast are removed. Otherwise, reduction mammoplasty is regarded as a cosmetic surgery procedure, not eligible for reimbursement or sick leave.

Tuberous breast is a malformation of the breast, the origin of which is unknown. Tuberous breast surgery restores the natural shape of the breast. The procedure is performed in the operating room, under general anesthesia and in hospital.
There are 3 grades of tuberous breasts, and treatments differ depending on the type:

Grade 1: (most frequent): only the inferomedial segment is deficient. The areola looks down and in. Breasts may be hypotrophic, hypertrophic or of normal volume. In these cases, Dr. Santini usually performs a breastplasty with a vertical (or sometimes T-shaped) incision scar.

Grade 2: both lower segments (internal and external) are deficient, resulting in an absent lower half of the breast. Breast growth occurs only in the upper segments, resulting in a downward-facing areola. In these cases, Dr. Christelle Santini usually performs a plasty with breast prostheses. The incision scar is located in the areolar area, with the possibility of a vertical scar (I-plasty).

Grade 3: the upper and lower segments are all deficient. The base of the breast is narrowed, and breast growth takes the form of a tube. These are almost always hypotrophic breasts. Glandular plasty and breast implants are performed. Incision scars are generally located in the areolar zone, and are sometimes associated with a vertical scar, as in Grade 2.

The aim of breast reconstruction surgery is to repair destroyed breast tissue, most often following breast cancer surgery (mastectomy or mammectomy), more rarely after a serious accident.

It's a breast surgery that requires more than good technique and a good artistic eye: it's a procedure that takes place in a particular context, and one that holds out great hopes.

That's why Dr Christelle Santini always devotes a great deal of time to pre-operative consultations, to provide patients with the best possible support and offer them a tailor-made solution, based on four main techniques.

Breast reconstruction by prosthesis

The aim of this procedure is to reconstitute the volume and contours of the breast by fitting a prosthesis. The breast implant technique is the simplest, creating no additional scars. However, this method is only possible if the skin is supple and well vascularized.

The latest-generation breast forms (shape-memory silicone, anatomical shape, textured envelope, etc.) offer maximum guarantees in terms of safety and natural appearance.

Breast reconstruction with dorsalis major

The latissimus dorsi muscle is a muscle of the back, which can be used as a flap when the skin of the patient's thorax does not allow a prosthesis to be placed on its own, and when the morphology of the thorax and the size and shape of the contralateral breast are suitable. It is indeed rare that the morphology of the thorax and contralateral breast make it possible to dispense with a prosthesis and use the flap alone. In the majority of cases, breast volume is therefore reconstructed by combining a prosthesis with the dorsalis major muscle flap.

DIEP abdominal flap breast reconstruction

The DIEP (Deep Inferior Epigastric artery Perforator) flap is a flap of skin and fat from the abdomen, below the navel in the lower epigastric region.

This vascularized flap is microsurgically reconnected to the internal mammary vessels. As the muscle is not removed, there is no weakness of the abdominal strap, unlike TRAM (Tranverse Rectus Abdominis Myocutaneous Flap) breast reconstruction, which uses the rectus abdominis.

Dr. Santini recommends the DIEP flap if the contralateral breast is large and the anatomy of the abdomen is suitable, with a clear excess of skin and fat below the navel. The result is both supple and voluminous.

Since the size of the skin-grease flap is significant, the breast volume can be reconstructed in most cases without a breast prosthesis.

Nipple reconstruction

This is breast surgery performed when the volume and shape of the reconstructed breast are considered stabilized. Reconstruction focuses on the nipple-areolar plate, made up of the areola and nipple, to completely restore the breast as a symbol of femininity.

However, this simple reconstruction allows the reconstructed breast to be better integrated into the patient's personal psychological scheme.

It often has a strong symbolic meaning, as the culmination of a long surgical journey.

Consult all the fees for the various procedures offered by Dr Christelle Santini on the Fees page.