For a long time, talking about breast surgery was almost synonymous with envisioning large implants and conspicuous changes. The idea of “getting operated on” was associated with a transformation that had to be noticeable, almost like a statement of intent.
Today, that reality has changed.
According to Dr. Juan Manuel Serén (MN 107.174), plastic surgeon, soon-to-be president of the Buenos Aires Society of Plastic Surgery (SCPBA) and creator of the ERABAS protocol for rapid recovery in breast surgery, consultations reveal a paradigm shift that goes far beyond surgical techniques.
Fewer and fewer women arrive at the clinic with the photo of a model or actress to show the result they desire. Instead, many bring an image of themselves before pregnancy, during breastfeeding, or after a significant weight loss. “They don’t seek to resemble someone else. They seek to reclaim a part of themselves,” summarizes the specialist.
From wanting a visible change to reclaiming one’s own image
For Dr. Serén, the biggest shift did not occur inside the operating room, but before the surgery.
The women arrive at the consultation with a different way of thinking about their bodies. They no longer seek a transformation that draws attention, but to look better while preserving what identifies them.
“Many times people think that trends in plastic surgery originate inside the operating rooms, when in reality they start much earlier. They begin in how people live with their bodies, in how society changes, and in the everyday conversations we have with our patients. Surgery accompanies those changes, it does not impose them“, he explains.
That change also altered the consultations. Today the questions are no longer solely about the size of an implant, but about recovering firmness after breastfeeding, feeling comfortable when engaging in physical activity, correcting changes caused by a significant weight loss, or simply feeling comfortable again with one’s own image.
Each woman needs a different surgery
If previously a large part of the consultation revolved around choosing the implant size, today the first question is different.
“We no longer think about which implant to place, but what that patient needs to achieve the result she seeks”, says Serén.
The specialist explains that breast surgery has ceased to respond to a single model and that each procedure requires individual planning. For that, listening plays as important a role as physical evaluation.
“It isn’t enough to analyze anatomical characteristics. We also need to understand what motivates the consultation, how that woman experiences her body, and what she hopes to achieve. Two patients with similar anatomy may require completely different procedures because their histories and expectations are also different.”
When the goal isn’t to increase, but to recover harmony
Within this new scenario, breast augmentation is no longer the only possible answer.
Many patients consult because the breast has lost support or changed its shape after pregnancies, breastfeeding, the passage of time, or a significant weight loss.
In those cases, Serén explains, a mastopexy—with or without implants, depending on the characteristics of each woman—can be the procedure indicated to recover the breast’s shape and position.
The specialist adds that today there are tools that allow planning surgeries much more precise and personalized and that, in selected patients, support materials such as resorbable P4HB meshes can be incorporated, designed to provide additional support to the tissues and favor the stability of the surgical result.
The impact of social media also changed the consultation
Social networks also influenced the way many women arrived at the clinic for years.
“There was a moment when it was common to receive consultations influenced by edited images or filters that modified the perception of one’s own body,” recalls the surgeon.
However, he notes that this trend also began to change.
“More and more women express the desire to look good in their everyday life, beyond a photograph or a screen.”
For the specialist, that context also implies a responsibility for professionals.
“The consultation is the space to discuss what results are possible, which respect the anatomy of each person, and why a surgery cannot or should not pursue a digitally altered image. A good result is one that integrates naturally with the patient’s body and accompanies her story.”
A surgery designed for each person
Dr. Serén notes that this evolution does not respond solely to the perceptions of those who work in plastic surgery.
The scientific literature also reflects a trend toward increasingly personalized procedures, which take into account the anatomy, expectations, and goals of each patient to achieve safe, harmonious, and durable results.
Along the same lines, the Buenos Aires Society of Plastic Surgery (SCPBA) promotes the importance of properly informing oneself before undergoing surgery, choosing qualified professionals, and always prioritizing patient safety.
“Before deciding on plastic surgery it is essential to verify that the surgeon is a member of the SCPBA. That information can be checked through the professionals search available on our website,” he recommends.
Because, as the specialist concludes, the greatest transformation probably hasn’t been technical.
“Breast surgery has evolved just as medicine as a whole has evolved. Today we have better tools to plan each procedure, but the most important change is understanding that there is not a single way to look good.”
Source: Dr. Juan Manuel Serén (MN 107.174), plastic surgeon, soon-to-be president of the Buenos Aires Society of Plastic Surgery (SCPBA) and creator of the ERABAS Protocol for Rapid Recovery in breast surgery.
