What is breast augmentation?
If you are dissatisfied with your breast size, augmentation surgery is a choice to consider. Breast augmentation allows you to increase the fullness and projection of your breasts or improve the balance of your figure. Implants may also be used to reconstruct a breast after mastectomy or injury.
Breast augmentation does not correct severely drooping breasts. If you want your breasts to look fuller and to be lifted due to sagging, a breast lift may be required in conjunction with breast augmentation. Breast lifting can often be done at the same time as your augmentation or may require a separate operation.
Is breast augmentation right for me?
Breast augmentation may be a good option for you if:
- You are physically healthy
- You have realistic expectations
- Your breasts are fully developed
- You are bothered by the feeling that your breasts are too small
- You are dissatisfied with your breasts losing shape and volume after pregnancy, weight loss, or with aging
- Your breasts vary in size or shape
- One or both breasts failed to develop normally
What happens during breast augmentation surgery?
Anesthetic medications are administered for your comfort during the surgical procedures.
The choices include intravenous sedation and general anesthesia.
Once the anesthesia is provided, your surgeon will begin the breast augmentation. Incision options include:
- Inframammary incision- an incision made in the fold beneath the breast
- Transaxillary incision- an incision made in the armpit
- Periareolar incision- an incision made around the edge of the areola
Incisions vary based on the type of implant, degree of enlargement desired, your particular anatomy, and patient-surgeon preference.
After the incision is made, a breast implant is inserted into a pocket either under the pectoral muscle or behind the breast tissue. Breast size and shape are important, so be honest and open about your expectations when talking with your surgeon. Implant type and size will be determined not just on your desired increase in size but more importantly on your breast anatomy, skin elasticity and body type.
Options for Breast Implants include:
Saline implants, filled with sterile salt water, which can be adjusted for shape, firmness, and feel. If the shell leaks, the implant collapses and the saline is absorbed and expelled into the body.
Silicone implants are filled with an elastic gel. The gel feels and moves much like natural breast tissue. If the implant leaks, the gel may remain within the implant shell, or may escape into the breast implant pocket.
Incisions are closed with layered sutures in the breast tissue and with sutures, skin adhesive or surgical tape to close the skin. Over time the incision lines will fade.
The results of breast augmentation are immediately visible. Over time, post-surgical swelling will resolve and incision lines will fade.
What is breast augmentation recovery like?
After a post-surgical recovery period of 24 to 48 hours and an additional reduced-activity period of a few days, you will likely experience soreness and swelling for a few weeks.
Exercise and normal activity can resume at the direction of your plastic surgeon. Over time, post-surgical swelling will decrease and incision lines will fade.
If you experience shortness of breath, chest pains, or unusual heart beats, seek medical attention immediately. Should any of these complications occur, you may require hospitalization and additional treatment.
The results of your breast augmentation surgery will be long-lasting. You will find it easier to wear certain styles of clothing and swim wear.
Implants may need to be replaced or revised.
It’s important to know that your breast implants are not permanent and may require replacement during your lifetime. You should expect to have future visits with your plastic surgeon to discuss changes in your breasts.
Over time, your breasts can change due to aging, weight fluctuations, hormonal factors and gravity. If, after a period of years, you become dissatisfied with the appearance of your breasts, you may choose to undergo a breast lift or implant exchange to restore a more youthful contour.
What are the risks of a breast augmentation?
When a breast augmentation is performed by a qualified plastic surgeon, complications are infrequent and usually minor. The practice of medicine and surgery is not an exact science. Although good results are expected, there is no guarantee. In some situations, it may not be possible to achieve optimal results with a single surgical procedure and another surgery may be necessary. Breast implants do not impair breast health.
The risks include:
- Unfavorable scarring
- Bleeding (hematoma)
- Infection
- Poor healing of incisions
- Changes in nipple or breast sensation, may be temporary or permanent
- Capsular contracture, which is the formation of firm scar tissue around the implant
- Implant leakage or rupture
- Wrinkling of the skin over the implant
- Anesthesia risks
- Fluid accumulation
- Blood clots
- Pain, which may persist
- Deep vein thrombosis, cardiac and pulmonary complications
- Possibility of revisional surgery
Breast implants are not guaranteed to last a lifetime and future surgery may be required to replace one or both implants. Pregnancy, weight loss and menopause may also influence the appearance of augmented breasts over the course of your lifetime.