Ideal Breast: The New Science of Cosmetic Surgery (Ideal Look Series)

In this final volume of the Ideal Look series, subtitled The New Science of Cosmetic Surgery, the author may have saved the best for last. In the past, it has been unusual to see "science" and "cosmetic breast surgery" used in the same sentence. No longer.

Known for his analytical approach and aversion to dogma, Dr. Swanson has rebooted the study of the female breast. Using a new and original system for studying breast shape and changes after surgery, he provides powerful information that debunks many long-held assumptions. Whether you are a healthcare professional or a potential patient, if you want a fresh take on an old subject, there is no better place to start.

Reaffirming the notion that only what we measure do we tend to improve, the author boldly suggests that to study cosmetic breast surgery without standardized photographs and measurements makes as little sense as a cardiologist working without the benefit of EKGs!

In an illuminating discussion of geometry and anatomy, backed by extensive measurement data, the author reveals that the most common type of breast reduction performed today in the United States — the inverted-T or "anchor" technique — does not have a a valid basis and suggests it would not be tolerated in a topless society! Similarly, measurements show that the lesser "donut" breast lift, which promises to deliver an improved breast shape with minimal scarring, is an underachiever.

The news is not all bleak. Quite the contrary. Dr. Swanson finds validity in the newer "vertical" breast lift technique, particularly when coupled with breast implants — a powerful combination that has unfairly gotten a bad rap. He concludes it is time to acknowledge that inferior technique (literally) is to blame for past patient dissatisfaction, and that proper procedure selection is the key to happy patients.

It has been suggested that the very nature of the breast surgery is subjective, artistic, and immune to scientific analysis. Hardly. Dr. Swanson has evaluated and compared the full spectrum of cosmetic breast procedures — breast augmentation, breast lift, breast lift with implants, and reduction — and presented the findings for the first time at the 2008 meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Data from outcome studies provide realistic information on recovery times, results, and the bottom line — whether patients would "do it again." Complications? It's all here, with the photographs that you may not see on Web sites.

By shaking off old ideas, and embracing new ones validated for the first time by measurements, we can now fully appreciate the wonderful transformations made possible by cosmetic breast surgery in the 21st century. For women having cosmetic surgery today, the news is truly uplifting.