1. Not Just for Professional Bodybuilders
Most people have heard about how professional bodybuilders sometimes enhance their physiques by getting calf implants. Calves are muscles that are difficult to enlarge with just exercise alone. However, not everyone may know that calf implants can be for anyone, not just for athletes looking to beef up the look of their legs. Anyone, regardless of gender, who is unhappy with the shape and size of their calves so much that they hate exposing them may be a candidate for calf implants. Men typically want them to emphasize the bulk of the muscle while women prefer that their calf implants provide anatomical balance and symmetry to their legs. Calf implants can also be used to fix leg deformities caused by disorders and diseases like club foot, spina bifida and polio.
2. Undergoing a Calf Implant
During a pre-operative visit and after the plastic surgeon has decided your are a good surgery candidate, your legs will measured to determine the best sized implants for you. They are ordered. Calf implants are made sterile. On surgery day, you'll be put under general anesthesia in a sterile operating room. You may be rolled onto your stomach before you're put under or after. When the anesthesia has kicked in, the surgeon makes an incision in the leg and a special instrument is used to create a perfectly positioned pocket. After the incision, the implant is inserted gently. The surgeon examines the leg to make sure the positioning is right before stitching everything closed. You're then rolled over and taken to the recovery room. The whole procedure takes about 1 hour.
3. Short-term and Long-term Recovery
During the first week after a calf implant surgery, you should walk around. When you sit or lie down you should keep your legs elevated to reduce swelling and discomfort. Movement for the first 2 days will usually be limited to bathroom visits. On the second day after the surgery, the dressings are removed and more vigorous walking around is encouraged. The reason why the surgeon encourages you to walk around after calf implant surgery is because it helps your muscles get used to the implants faster. It also helps the skin stretched by the implants to feel more comfortable. Most people begin to walk normally after about 3 weeks. About 2 months after the surgery, the majority of people can return to unrestricted, regular activities.
4. Know the Risks
Risks associated with calf implants include infection and bleeding. There's also the chance that the implants will shift and make your calves look asymmetrical and lumpy.
5. Try Fat Grafting Instead of Silicone Implants
To augment your calves with fat, excess fat is removed by liposuction from another part of your body. It's then purified and reinjected into your calves. The upside is that you'll have no foreign matter in your body. The downside is that the fat will eventually reabsorb the grafted fat.
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