Breast Enhancement: 3 Less Common Procedures You Should Know About (Updated 2023)

Model in a bra and underwear

I treat a significant number of women who choose breast lifts and breast augmentation at Scottsdale Center for Plastic Surgery, my practice near Phoenix, to enhance the shape and size of their breasts for beautiful results. However, these popular procedures are not the only options available. Here are 3 less common procedures all women considering breast enhancement should know about.

Revision Breast Surgery

Real patient before and after Revision Breast Surgery

With so many breast augmentations being performed around the country, I have seen a dramatic increase in the number of women coming to see me for repair of suboptimal results.

Many women who have undergone surgery with other surgeons and are unhappy with the appearance of their breast augmentation consult with me for revision breast surgery. Sometimes the problems are simply due to changes in the breasts from time, weight fluctuations, or pregnancies. Other times, the original surgeon did not meet the patient’s expectations with regard to shape, size or symmetry. Although breast revision surgery can be extremely challenging, I am usually able to significantly improve the appearance of the breasts and achieve more natural and beautiful results.

A number of techniques can be used to improve the appearance of breasts. These techniques include altering the placement of the implant from over to under the muscle, changing the size or type of implant and creating a better pocket to accommodate the implant. In addition, procedures to help minimize the appearance of scars or alter the size and shape of the nipples can help significantly with breast aesthetics. Finally, the addition of an acellular dermal matrix such as Strattice™ can provide soft-tissue support to help with implant positioning and reduce the chance of rippling and capsular contracture.

Tuberous Breast Surgery

Real patient tuberous breast surgery results

“Tuberous” breasts are caused by congenital tightness of the lower breast skin that restricts breast growth during development and forces the breast tissue to protrude through the areolas. As a result, tuberous breasts tend to be widely spaced, droopy and have a pointy appearance. Often, the pigmented skin around the nipples appears puffy and larger than normal. Because of the high location of the breast crease and tight skin, the breasts often appear to be long and narrow rather than having the more common rounded shape.

Tuberous breasts fall along a spectrum, with some cases being much more severe than others. All tuberous breast cases present challenges that are not generally seen with standard breast augmentation surgeries. A number of techniques are available for correcting tuberous breasts, so the procedure can be personalized to meet each patient’s specific needs. Typically, when I do tuberous breast surgery for women as part of their breast augmentation, I try to create a lower, more natural breast crease. This allows the lower half of the breast to expand over time and creates a rounder breast shape after an implant is placed. After the inframammary fold (the crease under the breast) is lowered and the implant size is selected, I usually perform a circumareolar mastopexy, which is a tightening around the areola. This allows me to reduce the areola size and puffiness while simultaneously changing the breast from a pointy shape to a rounder shape.

Check out our tuberous breast surgery patients’ before and after photos to see the type of results we are able to achieve.

Nipple/Areolar Surgery

Real patient nipple/areolar surgery results

Women sometimes want to correct multiple aspects of their breasts during enhancement procedures. For my patients, breast augmentation is a great way to increase breast volume, but there may be other concerns, such as the appearance of the nipple and areola. Nipple and areola surgery often can help create a more aesthetic breast appearance.

  • Nipple surgery can correct nipples that are too large, droopy or inverted. Although nipple inversion correction can affect breastfeeding, nipple reduction generally has no effect on breastfeeding. Normal sensation is usually maintained with these surgeries, as well.
  • Areola reduction surgery starts with an incision around the border of the areola to reduce the diameter. The same incision can be used to remove some underlying breast tissue if the areola appears puffy or swollen. Since the incision is placed where the skin color changes along the border of the areola, most patients find that the scars are less noticeable because they blend along the natural color junction.

You can see some of our patients’ nipple and areolar surgery before and after pictures to get an idea of the type of results we can create.

Learn More About Your Breast Surgery Options

To learn more about your specific breast enhancement options or other plastic surgery procedures, contact our office near Phoenix. You can use our online form to request a consultation or call us at (480) 423-1973 to schedule an appointment.

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