Exploring the most commonly requested cosmetic surgery procedure amongst UK women

What are the different kinds of cosmetic breast surgery?

Demand for cosmetic surgery is increasing every year; breast surgery being one of the most common procedures. Cosmetic breast surgery is often performed in order to help women boost their body confidence and to feel comfortable with the size and shape of their breasts.

Breast surgery can consist of enlargement, augmentation, reduction or uplift and the operation can be performed using various different techniques. Often a patient can undergo the procedure and be discharged within the same day.

A breast reduction is when excess fat and tissue are removed from the breast. This is often performed to give patients permanent relief from discomfort caused by having large breasts. The procedure can also be performed to correct large sagging breasts too. The result of a breast reduction is smaller, lifted breasts.

Breast uplift, also known as a lift or mastopexy is a procedure designed to improve the shape of your natural breasts if they are sagging. The procedure can also be performed to correct breast asymmetry, abnormal breast shape and the position of your nipples. The volume of your breast should remain unchanged in a breast uplift procedure, however they may appear smaller due to the change in position. Only the breast skin tissue is removed rather than the breast fat and your end result should be a perkier bust.

What can go wrong with cosmetic breast surgery?

Unfortunately, when cosmetic breast surgery goes wrong, the consequences can affect you both physically and emotionally. Rather than seeing the improvements you were expecting, you may be left in severe pain and with disfigurements such as scarring or a lack of symmetry.

Some of the circumstances that may provide grounds for a compensation claim include:

• capsular contracture – this is where the layer of scar tissue that the body normally grows around the implant contracts, resulting in the implant being hard or a different shape. This can lead to pain and the implant may need removal/replacement
• bleeding into the breast tissue causing swollen, painful breasts
• infection which can lead to scarring
• visible implants
• reduction/loss of nipple sensation
• haematoma (blood clots)

What can I do if my cosmetic breast surgery was negligent?

If you think that you might have received negligent care, then you may be entitled to a compensation claim. This can help you to get through the physical and mental pain that can result from a botched cosmetic surgery, and even pay for further treatment to fix the issue.

You can find out more about making a cosmetic surgery compensation claim here.