Background: There is little consensus about the relative determinative value of each individual factor in female breast aesthetics. When performing breast surgery with an aesthetic goal, certain factors will be more important than others. The purpose of this study was to make an aesthetic factor rank list to determine the relative contributions to overall breast aesthetics. Method: Volunteers were scanned using the 3-dimensional Vectra system. Ten Scandinavian plastic surgeons rated 37 subjects, using a validated scoring system with 49 scoring items. The correlation between specific aesthetic factors and overall breast aesthetic scores of the subjects were calculated using Pearson’s r, Spearman’s ρ, and Kendall’s τ. Results: A very strong correlation was found between overall breast aesthetic score and lower pole shape (0.876, P < 0.0001). This was also true for upper pole shape (0.826, P < 0.0001) and breast height (0.821, P < 0.0001). A strong correlation was found between overall breast aesthetic score and nipple position (0.733, P < 0.0001), breast size (0.644, P < 0.0001), and breast width (0.632, P < 0.0001). Factors that were only moderately correlated with aesthetic score were intermammary distance (0.496, P = 0.002), nipple size and projection (0.588, P < 0.0001), areolar diameter (0.484, P < 0.0001), and areolar shape (0.403, P < 0.0001). Perceived symmetry was a weak factor (0.363, P = 0.027). Conclusions: Aesthetic factors of the female breast can be ranked in a priority list. Shape of the lower pole and upper pole and breast height are primary factors of female breast aesthetics. These should be prioritized in any aesthetic breast surgery. Vertical dimensional factors seem to be more determinative than horizontal factors.

Background:Reconstructive procedures with pedicled and free flaps are associated with a risk of ischemia. Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) is a hormone-like substance with known antiischemic and tissue-protective effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of PGE1 on the microcirculation in random pattern skin flaps on rats.Methods:Twenty-four rats were divided into 2 groups: an intervention group given PGE1 for 6 hours and a control group given saline. The flap (2 × 10 cm) was created on the back of the rats, and the microcirculation was monitored with laser Doppler perfusion imaging in 5 different zones (1, proximal; 5, distal) before surgery and after 60, 180, and 360 minutes postoperatively.Results:Before surgery, there was no difference in the perfusion in any zones between the intervention group and the control group. The mean perfusion values in zone 1 in the intervention group were significantly higher than those in the control group at 60, 180, and 360 minutes postoperatively (P = 0.02, P = 0.05, and P = 0.04, respectively). At 360 minutes, we also found significantly higher levels of perfusion in the intervention group in zones 4 and 5 (P = 0.05 and P = 0.03, respectively) compared with the controls. Comparing the perfusion at 360 to 60 minutes in the intervention group, we found a significant increase in microcirculation in all zones, which were not seen in the control group.Conclusion:PGE1 increased perfusion in the dermal random pattern flaps on rats.