New Type Of Implant Surgery Comes To Austin

[Guest guest]

The FDA specifically says the inserting breast

implants through the belly button is not advisable!

This is not new! . . .

This is nutz! . . . More plastic surgeon PR!

Wouldn't it be nice if they showed the scars necessary

to replace the implants every ten years (or less)? -

Rogene

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http://www.kxan.com/Global/story.asp?S=4928341 & nav=0s3d

May 19, 2006 09:34 PM CDT

New Type Of Implant Surgery Comes To Austin

Breast implants are back and more popular than ever.

In 2005, more than 360,000 women across the country

got the implants.

There's a new type of breast implant surgery in Austin

that leaves less scarring and pain.

Dr. Driscoll just came to Austin from Louisiana

and brought with him a new way to make breasts bigger.

Instead of cutting a woman open at her breasts to

insert the implant, Driscoll puts them in through her

belly button.

" The doctors who are in training now, they're really

the ones learning it. There is a learning curve with

this. This is not something you can learn in a weekend

course, " Driscoll said.

The procedure has been around for more than 10 years,

but not in Austin. It's popular in places like L.A.

anD New York because surgeons claim, unlike other

breast implant procedures, this surgery leaves no

visible scar.

An electric knife is normally used for breast implant

surgery. Driscoll demonstrated for KXAN using a

chicken. The burning stops the tissue from bleeding.

" You can imagine, if you do this to your hand, it

would hurt for a good week or two. And that's the

whole point. We're able to do this procedure without

this, " Driscoll said.

" I've been thinking about it since I was 17 or 18, so

a couple of years now, " breast implant patient

said.

is a patient of Driscoll's. She grew up in the

Austin area. wants bigger breasts. She wears a B

cup now. She would rather have a full C or a small D,

but she's not willing to take weeks to recuperate.

" I don't want to have any kind of scar or pain, and my

friends that have been here before have returned to

work within the next day, " said.

We didn't tape the actual surgery, but we did join

as she got ready.

" The first step we do is we make the little incision

in the belly button. This is what we make our tunnel

with. It doesn't cut. It has a tip to it, but it

doesn't cut anything, " Driscoll said. " I bring up the

skin like this and then sort of milk it through. "

The doctor then inserts a sizer through the tunnel and

inflates it with air to form a pocket in the breast.

It also stops the bleeding, just like the electric

knife would do.

" Once that's done, I take it out and put the implant

in the same way. And, then using this, which is

saline, I put it on the outside and just inject it

until it fills up, " Driscoll said.

The whole procedure takes about 30 minutes.

So, how about the price? Driscoll says to get the

breast implants put in through your belly button costs

the same as typical breast implant surgery, which

involves more scarring and burning. That cost is

around $5,000 to $6,000.

Is it worth it?

We met up with the day after her surgery to find

out.

" That's the black marker that he drew, and then,

that's where he went through? " Yeah, that's where he

went through. "

says besides a black marker mark and a very

small cut, there's no marks on her body and she's

happy with the results.

" I'm doing OK. I'm a little bit sore in the stomach

and the breast area, but that's about it, " said.

As with any surgery, there are potential consequences

that go along with the desired rewards. The FDA warns

with breast implant surgery, there could serious

complications including chest wall deformity, rupture

or deflation and infection including toxic shock

syndrome.

Its always good to do your research ahead of time.