Breast Augmentation
More and more women are making the decision to have cosmetic surgery to enhance the shape, appearance and size of their breasts—a decision that can improve not only how you look but how you feel about yourself.
Advances in surgical techniques are creating more natural results, shorter recoveries, and smaller, often unnoticeable scars. Whether you're interested in creating fuller, more shapely breasts after pregnancy or simply having the cleavage you've always wanted, we offer today's newest improvements in care.
The most common cosmetic surgery today, breast augmentation allows you to safely improve the size and shape of your breasts. New implant styles and shapes are creating more options than ever before, while new surgical techniques are allowing a natural, shapely result through small, inconspicuous or hidden incisions with quicker, less painful recovery.
The two most common implant types are silicone and saline. Silicone implants tend to feel more like natural breasts compared to saline implants. With this said, when an implant ruptures, saline is naturally absorbed compared to a silicone implant which is an extracapsular rupture. The silicone filler leaks into the body and can result in inflammed nodes or enlarged lymph glands.
Implants are placed behind each breast, underneath either breast tissue or the chest-wall muscle. The procedure lasts 1 to 2 hours, and is typically performed with general anesthesia, although local anesthesia combined with a sedative may be used. Incisions are made in inconspicuous places (in the armpit, in the crease on the underside of the breast, or around the areola) to minimize scar visibility. The breast is then lifted, creating a pocket into which the implant is inserted.
Augmentation mammaplasty with fat transplantation (fat transfer) uses liposuction to harvest excess fat from other parts of the body; the fat is then injected into the breasts. Augmentation mammaplasty is appropriate for women who are not looking for a dramatic increase in breast size, and want breasts that look and feel as natural as possible.
For a number of weeks prior to augmentation mammaplasty, tissue expanders may be placed below the muscles of the chest wall to expand the breasts, and increase the amount of fat they can hold. When the tissue has expanded enough, augmentation using fat transfer can begin. First, fat is removed using liposuction, in which a cannula (a thin, hollow tube) is inserted through small incisions, and then moved back and forth to loosen excess fat, which is suctioned out using a vacuum or a cannula-attached syringe. The harvested fat cells are then purified. In the second procedure, which takes place on the same day, the fat is injected into the breast through small incisions. The procedure takes approximately 4 to 5 hours.
After augmentation mammaplasty with fat transplantation, recovery time is short, with normal activities being resumed as soon as the patient feels comfortable. Compression garments are typically worn over the areas that received liposuction.
In addition to the risks associated with surgery and anesthesia, those related to augmentation mammaplasty using implants include the following:
- Capsular contracture
- Implant leaks and ruptures
- Implant deflation or shifting
- Temporary or permanent change in nipple/breast sensation
- Irregularities in breast contour/shape
- Asymmetry
- Partial or total loss of nipple/areola
The risks related to augmentation mammaplasty using fat transplantation include those related to liposuction, as well as the following:
- Calcification
- Fat embolism
- Fat necrosis
- Oil cysts
- Loss of volume
Because of the loss of volume that occurs when fat is reabsorbed by the body, touch-up injections of fat are often necessary. Injections can be performed using local anesthesia.
Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
Have questions? Call us to schedule an appointment. We’d love to answer your questions and talk about developing an individualized treatment plan to help you look and feel the way you’ve always wanted to. Now offering in-person and video telehealth consultation for select procedures.