Benefits of a Transumbilical Breast Augmentation (TUBA)
There are a range of choices you’ll make with your surgeon if you’re considering breast augmentation, including cup size, implant type (saline vs. silicone) and where your surgeon will make the incision.
For a breast augmentation, the incision techniques include:
- the crease of the lower part of the breast
- along the lower half of the areola
- in the armpit
- through the belly button
A transumbilical breast augmentation (TUBA) is one in which the incision is made through the belly button, and because the incisions are hidden in the navel, it is sometimes referred to as scarless breast augmentation.
According to Cosmetic Surgery Times, a review of 3,300 charts of TUBA cases emphasizes the assertion of Dr. Robert Shumway that it is a “faster, safer and better procedure than other breast augmentation approaches.”
Dr. Shumway, who reported on his own TUBA procedures at the 27th annual American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery scientific meeting, said that “TUBA is about as safe as breast augmentation can get.”
At the meeting he reported on complications, complaints and patient satisfaction ratings from the TUBA procedures he did between 1994 and 2010.
The most common complication Dr. Shumway saw was capsular contracture (69 cases, 2.09 percent), and he said the rate is lower than the published national average for augmentations performed via other techniques.
He also found that there was one possible infection (0.03 percent) and only several other types of complications, all with rates equal to or less than 0.18 percent.
On a scale of one to 10, patient satisfaction ratings at two and six months after surgery were eight or higher, with a mean of 9.7, he said.
Dr. Haiavy was one of the first cosmetic surgeons in the United States and Southern California to perform transumbilical breast augmentation, which results in no visible scars, reduced loss of sensation and reduced risk of infection.
