Calf implant surgery to achieve muscular female calves

Calf augmentation is a surgical procedure that involves placing a silicone implant beneath the skin and over the muscles of the calf in order to enhance its appearance. The operation was first conceived in 1972 to help individuals with deformities and diseases to affect a more normal and proportionate appearance. However, lately the operation is more in demand from body builders who desire a shapelier calf. The procedure is also performed frequently on women who simply want their legs filled out so that their legs appear sexier. For whatever reason, calf augmentation is ultimately performed with the intent of altering the shape of the lower legs permanently. Not long legs, but long, female legs with muscular calves draw attention. Hence, calf muscle enhancement by silicone implants is gaining popularity in the well-to-do classes.

It is important to note here that although calf augmentation is considered to be reconstructive surgery for polio patients and other individuals who suffer from shrunken or diminished calf structure, it does not improve the function of the leg. It simply makes the leg appear more proportionate to the rest of the person’s body. It qualifies as cosmetic surgery, not reconstructive surgery.

The reason that both male and female bodybuilders often opt for calf augmentation is that the silicone implants give the legs a sculpted look with more muscular definition. The plastic surgery procedures for body builders can differ depending on the sex of the patient. Usually men require larger implants that give the backs of their legs added bulk while women may opt for less protrusive implants that give their legs an attractive slope.

So, would you be a good candidate for calf augmentation surgery? Here are some of the situations that would be most appropriate for the procedure from both a medical and insurance point of view. You are an ideal candidate for calf augmentation if:

• You were born with a skeletal malformation that makes your legs appear undeveloped, such as Talipas equinovarus, or longitudinal arrests
• You have a neuromuscular abnormality such as cerebral palsy that prevents you from using your legs so that it can develop it’s own calf muscle
• You have a central nervous system abnormality such as spinal bifida
• You have had a viral infection such as Western equine encephalitis or poliomyletis, a collagen-vascular disease such as scleroderma or a periphal motor neuron disease such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

In all of the above scenarios the cost of the calf augmentation may be covered by insurance if a physician deems it to be necessary to the health and well being of the patient. However if you are considering having the operation purely for cosmetic reasons the best you can hope for is that you will somehow are able to write it off as a business expense on your taxes. Of course this applies only if you are some kind of performer like a professional weight lifter or body builder.

The operation itself is not as invasive as might be expected and it can be done under a local anesthetic. However, many people find the idea of being awake while their calves are being operated on to be too gruesome and opt to have general anesthesia instead.

Calf augmentation only takes about an hour to perform. An incision is made on the medial (inner) side of the calf and a silicone rubber implant is slipped over the muscles. Professional body builders who want an exaggerated effect can also get implants inserted on both the medial and lateral (outer) side of the calves to pump up the muscular appearance of the lower legs even more.

Depending on the size of the implants inserted a compression bandage may or may not be a requirement during post-operative recovery. One thing that you can be guaranteed is to be advised to remain off of your feet as most plastic surgeons recommend keeping the legs elevated for at least a week after the surgery. After a week, walking and light exercise are possible and after a month, regular exercise can usually be resumed.

Of course not everybody is a candidate for this procedure. It is not ideal for individuals with severe circulatory problems or underlying diseases that suppress the immune system. It is also not recommended for people who do not have realistic expectations of what plastic surgery in general can do for their appearance. This includes individuals with a distorted sense of self-image or individuals who are hoping that this type of operation might lead to additional functionality of the leg.

Calf augmentation is not the kind of plastic surgery that you should take too lightly. Although it is a relatively simple operation, you may be living with your decision to have them forever. This is because the results of this surgery are usually permanent and the implants are not easily removed. As a rule of thumb remember that the larger the calf implants, the more risk you will have eventually of compressing and damaging a nerve or having unusually large calves in proportion to the rest of your body as your body ages.