Is TUBA Breast Augmentation with Breast Lift Safe?

Hi there-
As doing a breast lift on you will requires placing scars on them, and as your implants could be placed more carefully, accurately, and with less risk through these scars than through your belly button, I cannot think of a single advantage to you of having the implants placed through your belly button. Can it be done? Probably. Is it in your best interests? Absolutely not.

A breast augmentation and a breast lift are two different operations.  Putting in an implant (breast augmentation) will simply make the breast larger.  All you are doing is adding volume.  There is nothing about an implant that will actually lift the breast.  A breast lift requires incisions on the breast in order to tighten up the breast tissue as well as elevate the nipple/areola to a higher position and give a perkier look to the breast.  Because you will need incisions on the breast in order to do the breast lift, there is no advantage to be gained by putting in the implants through the belly button.  They can be put in through the same incisions used to do the breast lift.

First of all TUBA procedure does not yield excellent results in general.  there is very little precision/ control of the procedure, the plane of the implant is a bit of guess work and only saline implants can be placed.   I almost never perform TUBA for these reasons.  I almost never use Saline implants because they will never be soft or natural looking.  The shell of both Silicone and Saline implants are made of silicone so reactions to silicone is no more or less of a concern.  If you need a lift then there will already be access through the breast itself and I would strongly recommend subfascial placement of silicone implants to create a beautiful and lasting natural shape.  

Rian A. Maercks M.D.

NO.  TUBA and breast lift is like oil and water. It does not mix and not advised.  The TUBA procedure is a very difficult technique and the majority of Plastic Surgeons stay away from it for good reason. Trying to add a breast lift with it is asking for a complication.  Trust me.

Inherently, it does not quite make sense to have a breast lift with TUBA. If you are destined to have a breast lift, then the implants should be placed through the breast lift incisions. Of course this is my opinion and others may disagree.

 If you are going to have a breast lift, then there is absolutely no reason to have a TUBA breast augmentation.  Your implants can be placed through the same incisions as your breast lift.  Good luck.

The inventor of the TUBA procedure (Dr G. Johnson, now retired) is here in Houston. My personal experience with the technique is exactly what the other doctors have indicated...you have much less control over precise implant placement . I no longer offer the procedure for that reason.
Still, I have seen numerous results from Dr. Johnson over the years, and most are really good. There is some signifigant deformity of the belly button that can result, especially in women who are very thin or who have been pregnant and have tummy skin laxity.
If you are having a lift, you will have some scar on the breast that an implant can be placed through...so going through the belly button would not offer much benefit.

TUBAs (transumbilical breast augmentation) has a couple of major downsides, including more difficulty in controlling bleeding, more difficulty in controlling the shape of the breast, and inability to use silicone implants. In addition, if you require a lift anyway, your surgeon can easily use those incisions to place the implant-- this is the safest and most proven approach.
Also keep in mind that all breast implants may require revision surgery at some point later in your life, even many years later, and if this happens, your surgeon will have to place an incision on the breast anyway (the revision can't be done through the belly button) which makes the TUBA a less attractive option for most surgeons and most patients.
Good luck!

I have been performing the TUBA or "Scar Less" procedure as I call it, for over 20 years and have performed thousands of TUBAs, both above and under the muscle.
The TUBA is a unique proceure that has been mastered by very few plastic surgeons, consequently those who do not know to perform it , will unfairly denegrate the procedure , since they really dont know anything aboutit. 
This procedure is absolutely safe if performed by a plastic surgeon who is experienced in the procedure and who has performed many of them.In fact the TUBA usually takes 30 minutes to performed, has almost no bleeding and the healing is usually 1 or 2 days with a quick return to work and exercise.
As for your need for a lift, are you sure you really need a lift?  Many plastic surgeons will advise a lift even for minimal or moderate droop (ptosis) inspite of the fact that the permanent scarring is significant.   In my experience, I have found that in most , non severe cases, the droop can be corrected with just an implant with the TUBA procedure!  This totally avoids all scars.  Look at some of my before and after photos and you will see what I mean.
If you are one of those patients that truly need a lift then it doesnt make sense to do a TUBA, since the implant can be placed thru one of the mastopexy scars.
Thanks
DR Vitolo

A TUBA procedure can be safely done by a surgeon skilled in this procedure. Unfortunately however safe does not mean risk-free. The TUBA procedure is not widely accepted because of some significant limitations of the procedure and potential outcome. In this procedure an incision is made at the top border of the belly button. A hollow tube is then pushed through the fat layer under the skin from the belly button up to the bottom of the breast. Through this tube a space is created either under the breast tissue itself or under the muscle layer. An inflatable temporary device attached to a long filling tube is then pushed through the hollow tube into the breast pocket. This device then expanded to help create the pocket. After the pocket is created an empty saline implant attached to a long fill tube is pushed through the hollow tube and placed in the pocket. The saline implant is then filled and the attached fill tube is then removed. The implant is designed so that it seals itself after the fill tube is removed from the valve in the implant. The TUBA procedure remains controversial and is not widely recommended. Although seems ideal to minimize the visible scarring associated with breast enhancement the trade-offs are significant. With this procedure only saline implants can be utilized. The pocket is created bluntly from a remote location limiting the precision of pocket dissection. The precise creation of the ideal pocket for each patient is the key to the creation of an ideal breast shape. Because of the limited precision in creation of the pocket the revision rate of this procedure is significantly higher than other procedures done under direct vision. When the pocket is created bluntly there is more chance for postoperative bleeding. Even a small amount of blood remaining in the pocket can cause future capsular contracture. Another potential problem with this procedure is scarring in the fat tissue through which the dissection tube is placed. This can leave a permanent mark extending from the belly button up to the breast. Most patients are selecting silicone implants and would prefer a technique which results in a more predictable outcome and less chance for need for future revisional surgery.