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Dr. Vitolo's no visible scar breast augmentation using the transumbilical technique.

Click on this link for Videos of Dr. Vitolo's Transumbilical technique

Accentuate the Positive.

Sweaters. Bathing suits. A low-cut dress. A blouse unbuttoned to there. Silk camisoles... A lot of new possibilities are created once you've had breast augmentation. But remember, you should choose a plastic surgeon with expertise, yes, but with an eye for beauty as well. And, one who can do the procedure with no visible scarring... Now that puts a whole new light on breast enlargement!

Dr. Vitolo is a pioneer in the revolutionary no-visible-scar breast augmentation - a technique that's quick (less than 30 minutes) virtually bloodless with a shorter recovery period (days instead of weeks). And he is one of the few Board Certified Plastic Surgeons in the country who performs this revolutionary endoscopic technique, using your body's one natural scar. He can also remove old silicone gel implants with the same technique without re-opening your old scars, allowing you to return to your normal activities much quicker.

If you have too much of a good thing Dr. Vitolo is equally expert in breast reductions and lifts. Always, with your goals and ideals for your body in mind.

Dr. Vitolo can create more pleasing contours in almost any breast, and that creates a more attractive proportional body. Remember, first impressions are everything. And the possibilities for making better ones are endless. At work. Parties. The beach. Lying around the house. Knocking that special someone's socks off... Burn your "miracle what cha-ma call it" and have the breasts you've always wanted without those telltale scars.

Transumbilical Breast Augmentation

Transumbilical Breast Augmentation also know as TUBA or Endoscopic Breast Augmentation. This state of the art technique for breast enlargement using saline filled breast implants creates no new scar on a woman's body. Everyone has one scar on their body- the navel. By placing an incision in the depths of the belly button, Dr. Vitolo is now able to perform breast augmentation without leaving any telltale evidence of the surgery. The incision that's made in the belly button heals with a scar, however, it is actually a scar on a scar and the result is a practically invisible remnant of the surgery.

Transumbilical Breast Augmentation: The Procedure

After the incision is made within the belly button, Dr. Vitolo uses a tubular, baton-like device to tunnel in the subcutaneous tissue, not inside the abdomen, but just below the skin. This introducer is passed either beneath the breast tissue or beneath the pectoralis muscle underlying the breast. (The choice of position depends upon the individual patient, Dr. Vitolo and the patient's preference.)

The introducer is then removed and a suitably sized saline filled implant is selected. An eighteen-inch long filler tube is attached to the self-sealing valve in the implant; all the air is removed from the implant, which now becomes pancake like. The flattened implant is then rolled like a cigar and slipped up the tunnel that has been made by the introducer until it lies in the pocket underneath the breast. The filler tube extends out through the incision in the navel.

Using a special syringe device the implant is filled with sterile normal saline solution. As the implant is filled, it unrolls and creates a pocket for itself that is the exact size desired. The implant is over inflated and then deflated until the final desired volume is reached.

When the final shape and volume has been achieved, the filler tube is pulled upon and it slips out of the self-sealing valve. As the filler tube exits from the valve a diaphragm snaps closed and seals the implant. The filler tube is then completely removed and the implant remains filled underneath the breast. The identical procedure is then performed on the opposite side and a saline filled implant is inserted in a similar fashion. One can compensate for the variations in size and shapes of the two different breasts by using different volumes in the implants.

The incision in the belly button is closed with a dissolving suture and the patient is placed in a mildly compressive dressing for twenty-four hours.

Transumbilical Breast Augmentation: The Introducer

The introducer is in fact a hollow tube with an obturator (solid core) that is removed once the instrument is in place. Dr. Vitolo then takes a long endoscope (a long thin pencil shaped television camera) and inserts it into the introducer so that now he can visualize exactly where the placement of the implant will be. As the introducer is withdrawn with the endoscope inside it, Dr. Vitolo can see the tissue planes that will receive the saline filled implant. This procedure causes basically no bleeding and minimal trauma to the tissues.

Transumbilical Breast Augmentation: Post-Op

This procedure causes such little trauma to the body that post-operatively the patients complain of minimal discomfort. There is no burning of tissue, there is practically no bleeding, and there is practically no chance of injuring the nerves to the nipples. Nothing is cut underneath the breast or in the surrounding tissues, the implant simply creates a space for itself by blunt dissection. This amazing procedure takes no more than thirty minutes to perform when performed by Dr. Vitolo.

The average patient can return to work the day after surgery although it is recommended that they take one day to rest. The dressings are removed in twenty-four hours and the breasts look a little too full and too stiff for about another forty-eight hours. Usually in three to four days the patient's breasts have achieved the shape and softness that had been anticipated. The results are instant, and since the technique causes such little trauma to the body the problem of firmness of the breasts after breast augmentation is virtually non-existent.

Transumbilical Breast Augmentation: Risks and Considerations

Since all saline filled implants are man-made devices that contain a self-sealing valve, the implants can sometimes leak. This is a very rare situation but if the implants did leak, the body would absorb the saline and since saline is a normal body component there is absolutely no harm done because of this. The implants can be changed through the umbilical approach and are fully guaranteed by the manufacturers for five years. The implants themselves are warranted for life by the manufacturer and if they ever deflate the patient will receive a new implant free.

This technique is a very difficult one to learn because it involves using the technique of endoscopy. Endoscopic surgery involves operating on the subject, not by looking at the tissues themselves but by looking at a television screen. This is different from the standard surgery that most surgeons perform and consequently, involves a whole new way of doing surgery. Once the technique is mastered, however, it is far superior to the standard open surgical techniques because it is more precise and causes much less trauma to the body.

For more information about Dr. Vitolo and his techniques or to schedule your consultation please click on the Contact Us link to the left or call us at (212)289-5248