“Can you fix my tuberous breasts?”

Dr. Ted Eisenberg Corrects Tuberous Breasts With a New Simpler, Safer, One-Stage Procedure

It’s a question that women sometimes ask when they come in to Dr. Ted Eisenberg’s office for a cosmetic breast surgery consultation. They are asking about a congenital condition in which breasts might be longer and narrower, rather than round. The areolas may be puffy, there might be a lack of skin under the nipple, and the fold under the breast (the inframammary fold, or IMF) might be higher than usual.

While plastic surgery websites and Internet forums describe a complicated approach to correcting tuberous breasts with silicone implants, Dr. Eisenberg has achieved an equally aesthetic result using saline breast implants in a one-stage operation.

“Surgeons often recommend two options, both with silicone breast implants. One is a two-stage approach, in which they place an expander to break up the constricted (narrow) breast and later replace it with a permanent implant. The other is a one-stage approach that involves radial scoring (cutting breast tissue to expand the constriction) and lowering the IMF when necessary,” he explained.

Dr. Eisenberg has unparalleled experience; he has performed more than 7,000 breast augmentations, many with saline breast implants. He observed that when he placed a saline implants through the inframammary fold, it did the work of an expander. It broke up the constriction.

“This single surgery is less invasive; there is no radial scoring, no lowering of the IMF, and no drains. I can make a smaller incision when using saline than silicone implants because silicone come prefilled while saline are inserted prior to being filled. Plus, saline implants are less expensive.”

Dr. Eisenberg’s discovery was published in an article entitled “One-Stage Correction of Tuberous Breast Deformity Using Saline Implants,” which appeared in the Dec. 2019 issues of the American Journal of Cosmetic Surgery. He also lectured on the topic at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery earlier this year in Las Vegas.

Along with offering his surgical colleagues another option for correcting tuberous breasts, he also shared his unique perspective: “Unfortunately, surgeons created the term ‘tuberous breast deformity’ (TBD) and it has spread from surgical literature to consumer magazines. It’s become a ‘thing’ and is causing unnecessary concerns for women.

“Women’s breasts come in all shapes and sizes, and in my opinion, they shouldn’t be labeled.”

When patients come to Dr. Ted Eisenberg’s office for their free consultation, they see before and after photos of women who started out similar to them in height, weight, breast size and shape. “They see the satisfactory aesthetic results that this one-stage technique offers,” Dr. Eisenberg says, “and they are relieved and reassured.”

This article was first published on an NBC affiliated news station in Youngstown, Ohio.