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he breasts are two glandular organs located on the anterior wall of the thorax. However, in some cases supernumerary, usually incomplete breasts (just a trace of the nipple) can be identified along the lateral line of the body, towards the abdomen. Internally they are sweat glands modified to produce milk.

The mammary gland consists of two fundamental elements:

1. The glandular acini or glandular lobes, where the milk-producing cells are located.
2. The ducts, a set of tubular structures that converge into canaliculi (larger ducts). These ducts are responsible for carrying milk from the glandular lobes to the nipple.

The nipple is in the centre of a dark area called the areola.

At the base of the areola-nipple complex, a specific type of cells are located, surrounded by radial muscle fibres that allow milk to escape under certain stimuli.

The rest of the breast is made up of connective tissue (collagen and elastin) and adipose tissue (fat), as well as arterial, venous, and lymphatic vessels and nerves.

In addition, the breasts also have lymphatic vessels that go to small round organs, the lymph nodes, which are part of the immune system, responsible for defending the body.

Lymphatic drainage from the breasts occurs mainly to the axillary lymph nodes.

Aesthetic procedures in the breast

Breast enlargement

One of the methods to achieve an increase in breast volume is by implanting a breast prosthesis behind the existing gland. There are other methods that use tissues from the body itself and that are used, above all, in Reconstructive Surgery.

The breast implant can be placed behind the gland itself and in front of the pectoral muscle, or behind it, depending on each specific case.

The prostheses that are used can be filled with cohesive silicone gel or physiological solution, the outer covering of the prostheses can be textured, microtextured or smooth. Some possible local complications, such as bruising, infection, intolerance to sutures, capsular contracture, etc., will require adequate treatment but have an extremely low incidence.

Fat transfer to breast

Thanks to the great advances in technology applied in medicine, fat transfer has emerged, becoming one of the most innovative methods that currently stands out in cosmetic surgery, thanks to the fact that it is a safe technique that helps to rebuild or regenerate areas like the breasts through the increase of its volume.
This procedure consists of extracting fat from those areas where it normally accumulates such as the abdomen or thighs. In this way, the complete silhouette of body contour is redesigned and in turn, it is possible to reshape the breasts as the autologous fat is placed in them.

Breast lifting