Breast Augmentation
Breast Augmentation Overview
Breast augmentation is one of the most commonly performed cosmetic procedures in the United States, and one of the most commonly performed in our practice as well. Our goal is to give you the fuller breasts you’ve always wanted.
Best Candidates
Breast augmentation patients should be generally healthy and have small to moderate-sized breasts. If there is a significant of drooping in your breasts, you may need a lift as well. Try this test: if your nipple hangs lower than the fold where the lower part of your breast meets the chest, you will probably require a lift as well as an implant to correct your appearance.
Fast Fact
Breast augmentation is one of the top 5 cosmetic surgical procedures- it has remained in the top 5 since 2006.
Types of Implants
- Silicone – For the majority of our patients, we utilize round, smooth-walled silicone gel implants. For most patients, we find that the silicone implants have a softer, more natural feel than the saline implants. The silicone implants now available are superior to those used many years ago that were prone to leakage and rupture, as the gel that fills the implant is thicker and the outer shell is more durable than the early styles.
- Saline – In the early years of our practice, before silicone implants were available for routine use in cosmetic patients, we had many patients with great results using saline implants. In terms of appearance, the difference between a saline and silicone implant is seldom visible. Although they don’t feel quite as soft as a silicone implant, there are some advantages. In addition to being a less expensive implant, they can generally be placed through a smaller incision as they are filled to their final volume once they are inside the breast. Minor size adjustments can be made on the operating table to correct asymmetry by putting different amounts of saline (salt water) in each implant. Although long-term studies have shown they are more prone to leak after many years than a silicone implant, they are easier to replace should a leak occur.
- Round versus teardrop-shaped – We use round implants for cosmetic augmentation. as do all plastic surgeons at this time. Teardrop-shaped implants required a textured surface and these have currently been withdrawn from the market in the U.S. because of safety concerns. We had placed the anatomic (teardrop) shaped implants in some patients when they were first introduced but stopped around 20 years ago. While we had no real problems with the anatomic implants, they were more expensive, somewhat more difficult to place, and we really couldn’t see much difference in the final appearance compared to a round implant.
- Smooth Versus Textured – All patients receive smooth walled implants. Textured implants are not available at this time.
- Low, Medium, or High Profile – The “profile” of an implant essentially refers to how tall it is relative to the size of the base. A low profile implant has a broad base but is relatively flat compared to a high profile implant. For most patients, we use a moderate profile implant, but we may suggest a high profile implant if you have a narrow chest but need a lot of volumes.
Implant Placement
We perform our breast augmentation procedures at the Lawrence Surgery Center, a fully accredited outpatient surgery facility located at the LMH Health West Campus. The procedure is performed under general anesthesia, and takes about 1-1½ hours. The incision will be placed under your breast or on the lower part of your areola. We often use the Keller Funnel for placement of our silicone implants to keep our incisions shorter.
The implants are generally placed under the muscle, as we feel this gives a more natural appearance to the upper part of the breast and better protects the implant. Before closing your incisions with dissolving sutures, we put a local anesthetic into the pocket around your implants to help decrease your pain after surgery. Finally, you are placed in a special surgical bra to help support your new breasts.
Combined Procedures
Breast augmentation can often be performed at the same time as other procedures on the breast, body, and face. We have frequently combined this operation with:
- Liposuction
- Breast lift (mastopexy)
- Abdominoplasty
- Facial cosmetic procedures
- Botox and other injectables
While combining procedures can save you a second trip to the operating room and recovery time, we will sometimes suggest NOT combining procedures if we feel it would compromise your chances for a good result or would significantly increase your risk.
Recovery
After your recovery at the surgery center, you will be sent home with pain medication, which most patients find they need for the first 1-3 days. We have had patients who never took a single pain pill, while others may find that even a week after surgery they still need an occasional pill, especially at night before going to bed. We always check our patients in the office the day after surgery to assure there are no problems with their breasts, medications, bra, etc.
We keep our patients in a surgical bra for about a week, then switch you to a sports bra. The time before you can return to work and everyday activities varies from patient to patient, but 1-2 weeks is adequate for most patients. Again, some have returned to work much sooner, while others have taken longer, especially those with jobs requiring heavy lifting or strenuous activities. always check our patients in the office the day after surgery to assure that there are no problems with their breasts, medications, bra, etc.
Financing & Payment Options
For information regarding insurance and payment options, please visit our Financing page. We can give you price information prior to the procedure so you can understand your financial obligations.
Patient Forms
Please fill out paperwork at least 24 hours before your scheduled appointment.
Breast Augmentation Gallery
How It Works
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Implant Insertion Demo
We have hundreds of happy patients and great results after performing this procedure for over 20 years. We were investigators in both the Allergen and Mentor Silicone Breast Implant Adjunct studies which were conducted before silicone implants were made available for general use by other surgeons.
