About Dr. Michael R. Schwartz, MD
- Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon - American Board of Plastic Surgery
- 25+ Years Surgical Experience - Thousands of successful breast procedures
- Advanced Preservation Training - Specialized expertise in tissue-preserving techniques
- National Recognition - Educator and trainer for advanced breast surgery methods
- Professional Excellence: ASPS, ASAPS, California Medical Association
- Location: Westlake Village, CA - Serving Greater Los Angeles Area
In This Complete Guide:
Why Breast Tissue Preservation Changes Everything About Breast Augmentation
Imagine breast augmentation that enhances your breasts while preserving everything that makes them naturally yours. For too long, women have accepted that breast surgery meant sacrificing their natural anatomy for beautiful results. Those days are over.
Breast tissue preservation represents the most significant advancement in breast augmentation in decades. This groundbreaking approach maintains your breast's natural support system – Cooper's ligaments – while achieving the stunning enhancement you desire. The result? Breasts that look, feel, and move naturally.
Dr. Michael Schwartz has mastered this advanced technique, bringing 25+ years of surgical expertise to every preservation procedure. His patients experience what traditional augmentation simply cannot deliver: natural-feeling results with faster recovery, maintained sensation, and long-term stability that defies gravity.
What Makes Preservation Different?
- Natural Feel: Your breasts maintain their natural softness and movement
- Preserved Sensation: Keep the sensitivity that's important to you
- Faster Recovery: Return to your life in days, not weeks
- Long-term Stability: Results that last because your natural support remains intact
- No Animation Deformity: Exercise and move freely without unnatural breast distortion
- No General Anesthesia: Performed under local anesthesia with light sedation - no general anesthesia, no breathing tube, no intubation fears
This isn't just another surgical technique – it's a complete reimagining of what breast augmentation can be. When you preserve your natural anatomy while enhancing your breasts, you get the best of both worlds: dramatic improvement with natural integrity.
What is Breast Tissue Preservation?
Breast tissue preservation is an advanced surgical philosophy that prioritizes maintaining your breast's natural architecture while creating space for implants. Unlike traditional methods that cut through vital structures, preservation techniques work with your anatomy, not against it.
The Revolutionary Approach
Traditional breast augmentation treats your breast tissue as an obstacle to overcome. Surgeons cut through Cooper's ligaments, damage blood vessels, and disrupt nerve pathways to create implant pockets. The result? Beautiful size with compromised function and feel.
Preservation breast augmentation recognizes that your breast's natural structures aren't obstacles – they're assets. Cooper's ligaments provide natural lift and support. Blood vessels maintain healthy tissue. Nerve pathways preserve sensation. Why disrupt what nature perfected?
The Preservation Advantage
- Maintain Cooper's Ligaments: Your natural "internal bra" stays intact
- Preserve Blood Supply: Healthy circulation supports healing and long-term breast health
- Protect Nerve Pathways: Sensation remains natural and intact
- Minimize Trauma: Gentle techniques reduce swelling, bruising, and recovery time
How Preservation Works
- Hydrodissection: Instead of cutting through tissue, Dr. Schwartz uses specialized solutions to gently separate tissue planes. This creates space while preserving delicate structures.
- Blunt Dissection: Rather than sharp instruments that cut and damage, blunt techniques push tissues aside, maintaining their integrity and function.
- Balloon-Assisted Expansion: Controlled expansion creates the perfect pocket size while protecting surrounding tissues from trauma.
- Anatomical Respect: Every step of the procedure considers your natural anatomy, working to enhance rather than replace your breast's inherent beauty.
The Science Behind Cooper's Ligaments: Your Breast's Natural Support System
To understand why preservation is so revolutionary, you need to appreciate the remarkable engineering of Cooper's ligaments. These aren't just random tissue strands – they're a sophisticated support network that maintains your breast's shape, position, and function.
Nature's Perfect Design
Cooper's ligaments form a three-dimensional web throughout your breast, extending from your chest wall to your skin. Think of them as your breast's natural architecture:
- Structural Support: They counteract gravity, maintaining breast position and preventing sagging
- Shape Definition: They create your breast's natural contour and projection
- Movement Facilitation: They allow natural breast movement while maintaining overall structure
- Tissue Organization: They create natural compartments that house blood vessels and nerves
What Happens When Cooper's Ligaments Are Damaged
Traditional breast augmentation cuts through these vital structures, leading to:
| Damaged Cooper's Ligaments |
Preserved Cooper's Ligaments |
| Loss of natural support |
Maintained lift and position |
| Implant displacement over time |
Long-term stability |
| Unnatural feel and movement |
Natural texture and motion |
| Potential sensation loss |
Preserved sensitivity |
| Longer recovery |
Faster healing |
The Preservation Difference
When Dr. Schwartz preserves your Cooper's ligaments, your breasts maintain their natural support system. This means:
- Immediate Benefits: Less trauma during surgery leads to reduced swelling, bruising, and pain. You'll be amazed at how comfortable you feel just days after surgery.
- Long-term Advantages: Your natural support system continues working, maintaining implant position and breast shape for years to come. No more worrying about implants "dropping" or shifting out of place.
- Natural Function: Your breasts continue to move and feel natural because their fundamental structure remains intact. Exercise, intimacy, and daily activities feel completely normal.
Life-Changing Benefits of Preservation Breast Augmentation
The benefits of preservation breast augmentation extend far beyond the surgical procedure itself. This technique transforms not just how your breasts look, but how they feel, function, and integrate into your active lifestyle.
Immediate Post-Surgical Benefits
Dramatically Reduced Recovery Time
While traditional augmentation patients spend weeks recovering, preservation patients often return to work within days. The minimal tissue trauma means:
- Less swelling and bruising
- Reduced pain and discomfort
- Faster return to normal activities
- Earlier exercise clearance
Natural Feel from Day One
Because your natural tissue remains intact, your breasts feel natural immediately. No waiting months for tissues to "settle" – your enhanced breasts feel like your own because they are your own, just better.
Long-Term Lifestyle Benefits
- Exercise Freedom: No animation deformity means you can work out, play sports, and stay active without worrying about unnatural breast movement. Your breasts move with you, not against you.
- Maintained Sensation: Preserved nerve pathways mean your breasts retain their natural sensitivity. This is crucial for intimacy, breastfeeding potential, and overall quality of life.
- Aging Gracefully: Your natural support system continues working as you age, helping maintain breast position and shape over time. While no surgery can stop aging, preservation gives you the best foundation for long-term results.
- Peace of Mind: Knowing your natural anatomy is preserved provides psychological comfort. You haven't sacrificed your body's natural function for aesthetic enhancement – you've enhanced what was already there.
Aesthetic Advantages
- Natural Appearance: Preserved Cooper's ligaments maintain your breast's natural contour and movement. The result is enhancement that looks completely natural because it respects your natural anatomy.
- Superior Cleavage: Natural tissue positioning creates beautiful, natural-looking cleavage without the artificial appearance of traditional augmentation.
- Proportional Enhancement: Working with your natural anatomy ensures results that complement your body's proportions rather than overwhelming them.
- Versatile Sizing: Preservation techniques accommodate a wide range of implant sizes while maintaining natural appearance and feel.
Dr. Schwartz's Advanced Expertise in Preservation Techniques
Not every plastic surgeon can perform preservation breast augmentation. This advanced technique requires specialized training, extensive experience, and a deep understanding of breast anatomy that goes far beyond traditional surgical education.
25+ Years of Surgical Excellence
Dr. Schwartz brings over two and a half decades of breast surgery experience to every preservation procedure. This isn't just about years in practice – it's about thousands of procedures, continuous learning, and a commitment to surgical excellence that has made him a recognized leader in advanced breast techniques.
Dr. Schwartz's Preservation Expertise
- Advanced Training: Specialized education in preservation techniques and Cooper's ligament anatomy
- Surgical Precision: Refined technique developed through extensive experience
- Continuous Innovation: Stays at the forefront of preservation methodology advances
- Teaching Excellence: Educates other surgeons in advanced breast techniques
- Patient-Centered Approach: Customizes each procedure to individual anatomy and goals
The Art and Science of Preservation
Preservation breast augmentation is both an art and a science. The science involves understanding the complex anatomy of Cooper's ligaments, blood vessels, and nerve pathways. The art involves working with these structures to create beautiful, natural results.
Dr. Schwartz has mastered both aspects. His scientific understanding ensures your natural anatomy is preserved and protected. His artistic eye ensures your results are beautiful, proportional, and perfectly suited to your body.
Personalized Approach
No two patients are identical, and Dr. Schwartz recognizes that preservation techniques must be adapted to each individual's unique anatomy. During your consultation, he'll assess:
- Your natural breast anatomy and Cooper's ligament structure
- Your aesthetic goals and lifestyle requirements
- The optimal implant size and type for preservation techniques
- Your healing characteristics and recovery expectations
This personalized approach ensures that your preservation breast augmentation is optimized for your specific needs and goals.
Are You a Candidate for Preservation Breast Augmentation?
Preservation breast augmentation offers advantages for most women seeking breast enhancement, but certain characteristics make you an ideal candidate for this advanced technique.
Perfect Candidates for Preservation
You're an Ideal Candidate If You:
- Value Natural Results: You want enhancement that looks and feels completely natural
- Lead an Active Lifestyle: You exercise regularly and want to continue without restrictions
- Prioritize Fast Recovery: You need to return to work and activities quickly
- Want to Preserve Sensation: Maintaining breast sensitivity is important to you
- Seek Long-term Stability: You want results that last without revision surgery
- Have Realistic Expectations: You understand the benefits and limitations of the procedure
Physical Considerations
Breast Anatomy: Most women are candidates for preservation techniques, but Dr. Schwartz will evaluate your specific anatomy during consultation. Factors include:
- Current breast size and shape
- Skin elasticity and quality
- Cooper's ligament structure
- Chest wall anatomy
Health Status: Good overall health is essential for any surgical procedure. Dr. Schwartz will review your medical history and current health status to ensure you're a good surgical candidate.
Age Considerations: While there's no specific age limit, preservation techniques are particularly beneficial for younger patients who want to maintain their natural anatomy for decades to come.
Lifestyle Factors
- Athletic Activities: If you're involved in sports, fitness, or other physical activities, preservation techniques offer significant advantages. No animation deformity means you can continue your active lifestyle without compromise.
- Professional Requirements: If your career requires quick recovery or physical activity, preservation techniques can get you back to work faster with less downtime.
- Family Planning: Preservation techniques maintain natural breast anatomy, which may be beneficial if you're planning future pregnancies or want to preserve breastfeeding potential.
Your Recovery Experience with Preservation Techniques
One of the most dramatic differences between preservation and traditional breast augmentation is the recovery experience. Patients are consistently amazed at how comfortable and quick their recovery is with preservation techniques.
Day of Surgery
Your preservation breast augmentation is performed as an outpatient procedure. Because the technique minimizes tissue trauma, many patients experience:
- Less immediate post-operative pain
- Reduced nausea from anesthesia
- Earlier mobilization and comfort
- Ability to go home the same day feeling well
First Week Recovery
Days 1-3: Surprisingly Comfortable
- Minimal pain, often managed with over-the-counter medication
- Light swelling and bruising
- Ability to perform basic daily activities
- Natural breast movement and feel
Days 4-7: Rapid Improvement
- Significant reduction in any discomfort
- Return to desk work and light activities
- Driving clearance (when comfortable)
- Shower and normal hygiene routine
Weeks 2-4: Back to Normal
- Week 2: Most patients return to full work schedules and normal daily activities. Light exercise may be cleared depending on individual healing.
- Week 3-4: Progressive return to exercise and physical activities. Many patients are cleared for full activity by the end of the first month.
Long-term Recovery
- Months 1-3: Continued improvement in comfort and natural feel. Any residual swelling resolves, revealing your final results.
- Months 3-6: Complete healing and final result achievement. Your breasts feel completely natural and integrated with your body.
- Beyond 6 Months: Long-term stability and satisfaction. Your preserved Cooper's ligaments continue providing natural support for years to come.
