Breast Augmentation FAQs

Breast augmentation is a surgical procedure designed to enlarge the appearance of a woman’s breasts. This procedure can help to make the breasts more proportionate to the rest of the body. It can help to obtain symmetry between breasts which are different in size or shape, and it can enlarge and reshape breasts which have lost their fullness or shape due to weight loss, pregnancy, breast feeding, or age. Breast augmentation can also be used for reconstructive purposes on patients who have undergone mastectomy or on those with a congenital breast deformity.

The best candidate for Breast Augmentation is a woman over the age of 18 who is unhappy with her breast size or shape and looking to alter their appearance. Patients must also be psychologically stable, physically healthy and have realistic expectations.

Breast Augmentation typically takes approximately one hour to complete and is performed in a fully accredited outpatient surgery center under general anesthesia (facility and anesthesia fees will apply). The implant will be placed through a very small incision, and there are several different possible locations for this incision: While two common approaches are inframammary (the crease below the breast) and axillary (small incision in the armpit), we mostly utilize the periareolar approach, which is an incision around the outer boundary of the nipple. Once the incision is made, the breast tissue is lifted to make a space or pocket into which the implant is then inserted. The implant will be placed beneath the chest muscle to help provide support and a more natural look. The implant itself is a silicone shell that is filled with either a saline solution or a sililcone gel. Saline implants are inserted empty and then filled, allowing for a somewhat smaller incision. Women choosing a very large silicone implant may require an inframammary incision. an After the implant is inserted, the incisions are then closed. Tape may be used for added support and the breasts may also be wrapped with gauze or other bandages.

If a woman with uneven breasts seeks a breast augmentation, it is simple to fill one breast implant more than the other to make the breasts as symmetrical as possible. Sometimes a breast augmentation is performed on one breast and a breast augmentation and lift, or a breast lift alone, or even a breast reduction is performed on the opposite breast simultaneously. Our double-board certified, Columbia trained plastic surgeon has many options available to meet even the most demanding aesthetic challenges.

Breast Augmentation involves many different options and techniques. Choices must be made about the incision location and the implant placement. The choices that are right for you will depend upon your individual circumstances and the recommendation of your surgeon. A great option is the use of a pre- and post-treatment series of Fractional Resurfacing treatments, which will minimize any scarring so that your results look as natural as possible.

The amount of time it takes to recover will be different for each patient and for each technique. However, most patients find that they can return to work within a week of surgery. Regardless of how quickly you feel “normal”, we will ask that you refrain from overly strenuous activities and exercise for at least 4 weeks. The breast area may feel tight at first as the skin adjusts to the new breast size, and the breasts themselves may seem hard at first because of the muscle tissue that is now stretched beneath the skin, but this will soften in time. Swelling is common and usually begins to fade within a few weeks. Increased sensitivity to physical contact of the breasts may occur for a month or longer. The scars will be pink following surgery. Should you wish to further reduce the appearance of the already small scars, you may begin a series of 5 Fractional Resurfacing treatments approximately 2 weeks postsurgery, spaced 3 to 4 weeks apart (additional fees apply).

After surgery, patients often feel somewhat sore, tired and stiff. This can last for several days. Some degree of discomfort is usually experienced because the procedure stretches the tissues. Pain medication will help to alleviate any discomfort that you experience. Our surgeon may also request that you keep your arm extensions to a minimum, raising your elbows no higher than your armpit, for 3 to 5 days after surgery.

Medalase uses exclusively Natrelle implants from Allergan. Their silicone implants carry a lifetime warranty against defects, while their saline implants carry a 10 year warranty that can be upgraded to a lifetime warranty for a minimal fee. Even without any implant defect, however, many women will need to replace their implants around the 10 – 15 year mark because of changes in the body’s structure and its interaction with the implant over time.

All surgery carries some degree of risk. While these risks are mostly rare, some of the risks associated with breast augmentation include anesthesia reactions, breast-feeding complications (though these are lessened with inframammary implant placement), breast-tissue atrophy, calcium deposits, changes in breast and nipple sensation, deflation or rupture of the implant, excessive bleeding, hematoma/seroma, infection, mammogram interference, rippling, shifting of the implant and toxic shock syndrome.