Abdominoplasty | The medical term for a tummy tuck. |
Anatomical implant | Also called a teardrop, contoured or shaped implant: A breast implant that is fuller on the bottom than on the top, as opposed to being round. |
Anesthesia | Any one of a number of methods used to induce relaxation and either drowsiness or a deep sleep in a patient during surgery to eliminate pain. |
Areola | The shaded area surrounding the nipple. |
Arm lift | Also known as brachioplasty: A plastic surgery procedure to remove loose skin and excess fat deposits in the upper arm. |
Asymmetry | Lack of balance or proportion between elements on opposite sides of the body, such as the left and right breast. |
Axillary | Pertaining to the armpit; this is one technique for inserting breast implants. |
Axillary hidradenitis | A condition characterized by excessive underarm sweating. |
Blepharoplasty | Also known as eyelid surgery: A cosmetic surgery procedure to remove fat, and usually excess skin and muscle, from the upper and lower eyelids. |
Body contouring | Any cosmetic surgery procedure that reshapes the body. |
Breast augmentation | A surgical procedure that increases the size of the breasts by insertion of an implant. |
Breast implant | A sac made of a rubberlike silicone shell that is filled with saline or silicone gel. |
Breast lift | A surgical procedure that lifts and reshapes sagging breasts. |
Breast reconstruction | Surgery to restore the normal appearance of the breasts following mastectomy (surgical removal of the breast) or injury. |
Breast reduction | Also known as reduction mammoplasty: A surgical procedure that brings the breasts into better proportion with the rest of the body by removing fat, excess breast tissue and skin. The areola, or darker skin around the nipple, may be reduced and repositioned as well. |
Cannula | A long straw-like instrument used to suction fat during liposuction. |
Capillaries | Extremely small blood vessels in the body‘s tissues that transports blood from arteries to veins. |
Capsular contracture | A complication following breast augmentation in which the scar tissue that normally forms in the capsule around the implant begins to contract and squeeze the implant. |
Capsule | The name for the pocket the surgeon creates within the breast to insert an implant. |
Cc (cubic centimeter) | A measure of volume used for filling breast implants. |
Cellulite | Puckered or dimpled skin usually appearing on the hips, thighs or buttocks. |
Collagen | A fibrous protein found in the connective tissues that supports the skin. |
Dermal | Pertaining to the skin. |
Eklund technique | A special mammography method that improves the ability to visualize more of the breast tissue in women with breast implants. To get the best view of the tissue, the mammogram technician pushes the implant back and pulls the breast forward. The Eklund technique is available in every accredited mammogram facility in the U.S., but it is up to you to inform the technician that you have implants. |
Exfoliation | Removal of the oldest dead skin cells on the skin‘s outermost surface. |
Eyelid surgery | Also known as blepharoplasty: A cosmetic surgery procedure to remove fat, and usually excess skin and muscle, from the upper and lower eyelids. |
Facelift | Also known as rhytidectomy: A cosmetic surgery procedure to rejuvenate the face by removing excess fat, tightening underlying muscles and redraping the skin of the face and neck. |
Glabella | The space between the eyebrows and above the nose. |
High-profile breast implant | A breast implant with a narrower diameter, designed to create greater projection and often used for small or petite women. |
Hyaluronic acid | A naturally occurring sugar in the skin that holds collagen and elastin together, essentially providing a framework for the skin. |
Hyperhidrosis | Sweating greater than would be expected considering the temperature of the environment. |
Inframammary fold | The crease beneath the breast. |
Keloid | A thick, raised, uneven scar caused by excessive tissue growth at the site of a surgical incision or wound. |
Klinefelter’s syndrome | A congenital endocrine condition in males usually associated with the presence of an extra X chromosome. |
Labial hypertrophy | Enlarged labia minora, or inner vaginal lips. |
Labiaplasty | A plastic surgery procedure to reduce and/or balance the size of the labia minora, or the inner lips of the vulva, or external female genitals. |
Liposuction | The surgical removal of localized fat deposits in the body by using suction through a small cannula. |
Mammogram | A series of X-ray views used to detect cancer in the breasts (see also Eklund technique). |
Mastectomy | Surgical removal of the breast due to breast cancer. In a simple mastectomy, the breast, nipple, areola and involved overlying skin are removed. A radical mastectomy involves removing the breast, involved skin, pectoral muscles, lymph nodes in the armpit and subcutaneous fat. |
Mastopexy | The medical term for a breast lift. |
Microdermabrasion | A non-surgical procedure that stimulates the skin to produce new cells and collagen. This technique “polishes” the skin, producing a more refined texture. |
Mommy makeover | A combination of plastic surgery procedures to restore a woman‘s figure to its pre-pregnancy shape. |
Nasolabial folds | The facial lines from the nose to the corners of the mouth. |
Nipple/areola complex | The nipple and surrounding shaded area. |
Panniculectomy | A plastic surgery procedure that removes the apron of loose skin, tissue and fat, known as the pannus, that occurs in the lower portion of the abdominal wall after massive weight loss or sometimes after pregnancy. |
Pannus | The apron of loose skin, tissue and fat that occurs in the lower portion of the abdominal wall after massive weight loss or sometimes after pregnancy. |
Pectoral muscle | The muscle located between the breasts and the ribs. |
Periareolar | The area surrounding the nipples. |
Platysmaplasty | Neck-lift surgery to repair the superficial sheet of neck muscle (platysma), correcting the visible muscle bands and improving the neckline. |
Ptosis | The medical term for sagging breasts. |
Reconstructive surgery | Surgery performed to restore function or normal appearance. |
Rectus abdominis | The two vertical external muscles of the abdominal wall. |
Reduction mammoplasty | Also known as breast reduction: A procedure that brings the breasts into better proportion with the rest of the body by removing fat, excess breast tissue and skin. The areola, or darker skin around the nipple, may be reduced and repositioned as well. |
Rhytidectomy | Also known as a facelift: A cosmetic surgery procedure to rejuvenate the face by removing excess fat, tightening underlying muscles and redraping the skin of the face and neck. |
Rippling | A complication following breast augmentation in which waves of saline within the implant are visible through the skin, creating a wrinkling or rippling effect. |
Rupture | A complication in which a breast implant is punctured and may then leak or deflate. |
Saline | A saltwater solution, similar to what is found in the human body, that is used to fill breast implants. |
Sedation | A method in which medication is administered to the patient to induce relaxation, drowsiness or unconsciousness as a way to eliminate pain during a surgical procedure. |
Seroma | A pocket of clear, watery fluid that sometimes develops in the body after surgery. |
Silicone gel | A gelatinous substance made of silicone that is sometimes used to fill breast implants. |
Subglandular | The placement of a breast implant beneath the breast tissue but above the pectoral muscle. |
Submuscular | The placement of a breast implant beneath the pectoral muscle. |
Symmetry | Regularity and balanced proportions of elements on opposite sides of the body, such as the left and right breast. |
Transumbilical technique | An endoscopic surgical technique in which the incision for breast implants is made in the navel. |
Tumescent | A technique used in liposuction in which large amounts of fluids are injected into the area to be treated. |
Tummy tuck | A surgical procedure in which excess skin and fat are permanently removed from the abdomen and the muscles of the abdominal wall are tightened. |
Vulva | External female genitals. |
Wise pattern | A technique used for a breast lift or breast reduction in which incisions are made in the shape of an anchor or an inverted T. |
