Despite continual reassurances about the safety of certain breast implants -
especially silicone, which has been used for over 30 years - "scare stories"
mean that women often feel uncertain about any type of implant. For many,
however, this dilemma has come to an end. According to British cosmetic
surgeon Laurence Kirwan, it is now possible to use existing breast tissue to
provide the "lift" and fuller contours that many women seek.
Well known as a pioneer of new surgical procedures, Laurence Kirwan has
further developed the recent techniques of two of his peers – Giovanni Botti
in Italy and Ruth Maria Graf in Brazil – so that women with adequate breast
tissue can now have breast surgery without an implant.
Women whose breasts have drooped - after breast-feeding, weight loss or
through the normal ageing process - usually need a breast lift to eliminate
excess skin, plus an implant to provide volume. However, when there is
sufficient tissue, Kirwan combines the internationally-renowned procedures
of Botti and Graf with some of his own techniques, to create a natural
augmentation.
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Botti’s technique uses the lower part of the breast as an "auto implant",
combining it with a tightening of the skin that results in a scar around the
areola and a vertical scar in a lollipop configuration. Graf’s procedure is
similar, but involves an s-shaped scar with the lower part of the "s" in the
outer half of the crease beneath the breast. Kirwan’s development reduces
the scarring. He uses the concept of keeping the lower part of the breast as
an "auto implant" and combines a lollipop closure with a natural-looking "purse-string" gathering of the skin around the areola.
Kirwan calls his surgery Auto-Augmentation. To provide fullness where it is
needed - above the nipple - he moves the gland from the lower part of the
breast to the upper area. The gland is kept attached at its lower end to
preserve the blood supply. Once the skin is tightened, the finished contours
look exactly like a breast with an implant.
Kirwan calculates that this new procedure will benefit at least 10% of the
women he sees annually at his Harley Street consulting rooms, and perhaps
as many as 20% of all women in the UK who are contemplating breast
surgery.
As with most breast surgery, recovery from Auto-Augmentation
necessitates undertaking only light chores in the first week and limited
activities for another two weeks, with a return to normal lifestyle after four
weeks.
Scientific paper published to Canadian Journal of Plastic Surgery, January 2006.
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Body Contouring Procedures 
