For the woman who feels her breast size is too small or wants to change the appearance of her breasts, cosmetic breast augmentation can be the answer.
Breast enhancement can balance differences in breast size and improve the overall contour of the body. Implants have been used since the 1960s to enhance and enlarge the shape of female breast tissue and are a safe method of breast augmentation. Breast implants are FDA-approved and undergo extensive safety and effectiveness testing before they are put on the market.
Difference Between Breast Augmentation and Implants?
Breast augmentation is a broader term for a category of surgeries that enlarge the breasts. This can refer to surgery with implants or fat transfer surgeries – any surgery that is meant to enhance breast size.
Breast implant surgery refers specifically to implants that are used to help facilitate breast augmentation surgery. Breast implant surgery is one of the most common plastic surgery procedures.
Breast augmentation can also be combined with breast lift surgery, a procedure designed to tighten the skin of the breasts.
Typical Breast Implants Last For Approximately 10 Years
Overall, breast implants will last for a number of years. However, implants do not last a lifetime; one or both implants will require replacement at some point, anywhere from ten to twenty years after surgery. Regular check-ups with your plastic surgeon, as well as ultrasounds or MRI screenings will look at the condition of the implants.
Long-term augmentation results depend on many factors, including age, genetics, and elasticity of a specific patient’s skin. Wearing proper support and following the doctor’s instructions closely after the procedure will provide the best, most long-lasting results after surgery.
Keep in mind that again and changes in weight can affect the elasticity of the skin and the breasts. Maintaining a healthy and stable weight can help elongate the results. Revisions may be needed in the long term. Women will smaller breasts often have longer lasting results, as large breasts can be heavy and may sag over the years. Most of the
Breast implants can last on average for approximately ten years. Pregnancy, weight loss or weight gain, and body changes can influence the look of breast implants. Some women will also have trouble producing enough milk when breast feeding after breast surgery. Breast feeding can also be impacted by the type of incision used to insert the implant. Be sure to discuss any breast feeding plans during your consultation.
Breast Augmentation Recovery and Pain is Covered During Your Consultation
Breast augmentation is performed under general anesthesia or under local anesthesia with sedation. Following surgery, the patient can expect to be sore and experience some pain for a few days, but this is well controlled by pain medication that is prescribed for you. Most patients return to work and some normal activities as early as four days after their breast augmentation. Drains are sometimes used after the procedure to drain fluid from the breasts, though they are not common.
The breasts may be swollen and bruised for around two weeks after the procedure. Patients should refrain from any physical activity until cleared by Dr. Hardaway. Typically, you should wait at least six weeks before engaging in heavy exercise and avoid any sexual activity for one to two weeks after the procedure. Patient can typically resume daily activities such as showering, washing their hair, and return to work two to three weeks after the procedure. A surgical bra should be worn after the procedure to support and compress the breasts and help aid the healing process. While healing, patients avoid sun exposure of the breasts and be sure to use sunscreen to protect the incisions from sun exposure and help reduce scarring.
Different Breast Augmentation Procedures
Types of Breast Implants
There are several types of breast implants, each made with either silicone or saline. Different types of implants feel and sit differently on the chest. FDA black box warnings do appear for some breast implants.
Dr. Hardaway works with each patient to determine the type of implants and incision that best fit the patient’s body and goals.
Saline implants are filled with sterile salt water, medically known as saline. Structured saline breast implants are also filled with sterile salt water, but they have an added inner structure. This helps make the implant look more natural. They are approved for those who are 18 or older.
Silicone breast implants are implants filled with silicone gel, which can feel more similar to natural breasts than other implants. They are approved for those who are 22 or older. This is to assure that the breast tissue is fully developed.
Both saline and silicone have a silicone outer shell around the implant.
Gummy bear implants are form stable implants. They are called this because their shape is maintained even if the implant shell is broken. These implants are made of firmer silicone than other types of implants, with a firmer feel. They are tear-drop shaped, tapered towards the top of the implant.
Round breast implants make the breasts appear fuller than gummy bear implants. These can offer higher profile options available with larger projections, which make the breasts look larger, rounder, and stick further from the chest. Because they are the same shape all over, they won’t rotate out of place.
Smooth breast implants feel the softest. Due to their ability to move within the breast implant pocket within the body, their movement can look more natural.
Types of Incisions
The type of incision used to insert the implant differs based on the physical needs and wants of the patient. Incisions to insert implants will leave a small scar, and different approaches can be used to hide the appearance of scarring.
Inframammary Approaches
An inframammary incision is the most common approach for placement of a breast implant. This approach places the incision in or adjacent to the inframammary crease. The inframammary approach provides the most direct route and, in general, requires the least operative time for placement of the implant.
Periareolar Approach
Periareolar approach implants are placed by an incision within the pigmented areolar tissue. This approach is recommended when our patients desire the least conspicuous scar.
Periumbilical Approach
A periumbilical approach, involving placement through the umbilicus, can be used for augmentation of the female breast. The periumbilical approach is not suggested for silicone implants because these implants are prefilled.
Transaxillary Approach
With the transaxillary approach, approach, incisions are placed and implants are inserted through the armpit, medically referred to as the axilla. This type of implant insertion avoids placement of the scar on the breast. However, the incision may be visible when the patient wears any sleeveless clothes or elevates their arms.