Topics in plastic surgery of the breast

The breast is an integral part of both the female and the male body. Its evolutionary role is the feeding of offspring, although in males it has no function and can be considered an atavistic remnant. Breasts are not essential for life as one can live without them, and in the present era they are not essential for the feeding of newborns since the advent of bottle feeding. However, breasts are important for the completeness of the body image and for sexuality, as well as typifying masculinity and femininity. Surgery of the breasts may be required in the case of disease or because the patient wishes to improve the body image or reverse the sequelae of disease.
In this thesis different aspects of plastic surgery of the breast are explored. In the first two parts the female breast is approached from the aspects of breast reduction and breast augmentation. The third part focuses on an often overlooked issue, namely the male breast. The fourth part presents cases of breast reduction, augmentation and reconstruction in which out-of-the-box solutions were implemented.