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Breast augmentation is a method of enlarging the breasts by using breast implants.
Women who are unhappy with the small size of their breasts, sometimes after pregnancy or weight loss choose to have their breasts enlarged. Sometimes breast augmentation is performed to balance a difference in breast size. Breast augmentation can increase the fullness and improve the shape of the breast and as a result give a woman more self-confidence and a better body image. The implants used for primary breast enhancements are saline implants. These salt-water implants have a thin silicone shell or envelope, which contains the salt- water solution. Today, breast implants come in a number of different shapes, sizes and textures. Breast implants are man made mechanical devices and are considered temporary. Therefore, they will have to be exchanged at some point during your life.

The Surgery

Breast augmentation surgery may be performed in an office facility, a freestanding surgery center, or a hospital outpatient facility. Most likely, the anesthesia you receive will be general, although some doctors use a local anesthetic along with a sedative. The surgery should take between 1-3 hours to perform. An incision may be made in any one of the following places: the crease below the breast, around the areola, under the armpit, or, very rarely, through the navel. The breast implant is placed under the existing breast tissue or under the chest muscle. The implants are then centered beneath your nipples. Your surgeon will make sure the resulting scars are as inconspicuous as possible

The Recovery

Immediately after surgery there will be some discomfort from the stretching of the breast tissue, but it will subside within a few days and can be controlled with pain medication. Your breasts will be wrapped with gauze bandage and a tighter bandage for protection and support. It’s important you rest as much as possible following your procedure. For the first few days make an effort to raise your arms as little as possible. This allows the muscle and tissue around the implant to heal more quickly. Within several days, the gauze dressings, if you have them, will be removed, and you may be given a surgical bra. During the first month following surgery, you should exercise your implants three to four times a day for fifteen to twenty minutes. After that, you will need to exercise only once or twice a day. The swelling in your breasts may take three to five weeks to disappear. You should be able to return to work within a few days, depending on the level of activity required for your job.

The Best Candidates For Breast Augmentation

The best candidates for breast augmentation are typically 18 years or older, with normal shaped breasts and are not currently pregnant or nursing. Women with small breasts or extra skin with loss of breast volume may be good candidates. It’s important the patient is choosing to have a breast enlargement for the right reasons. As with any cosmetic surgery, good health and realistic expectation are important.

The Risks

Some of the risks associated with breast augmentation include: postoperative infection, blood clot in the breast tissue, breast implant rupture, deflation or leakage, calcium deposits, changes in the nipple or breast sensation and shifting of the implant. There is also a risk of capsular contracture. This occurs when the scar or area around the implant begins to tighten, causing the breast to feel hard. Breast Augmentation may change the way you get a mammogram. Make sure technicians are experienced in getting a reliable x-ray of a breast with an implant. Additional views may be required and ultrasound examinations may be used to detect breast lumps or to evaluate the implant.

Background

Breast augmentation, also called augmentation mammaplasty, involves surgical placement of an implant behind each breast to increase its volume and enhance its shape. Often, after weight loss, childbirth, or as a result of aging, the breasts lose volume and their shape changes. Also, many women choose to have their breasts enlarged in order to satisfy their desire for a fuller bustline. Breast augmentation can be performed at any age after the breasts are developed.

Technique

In 1992, because further studies were needed to establish the safety of breast implants, the Food and Drug Administration decided that silicone gel-filled implants would not be generally available for cosmetic breast enlargement. Currently, all women undergoing breast augmentation receive saline-filled implants which consist of a silicone shell filled with sterile saltwater. One of the advantages of a saline-filled implant is that, because it is filled with saltwater after being inserted, only a small incision is needed. Often an incision of less than one inch is made underneath the breast, just above the crease, where it is usually inconspicuous. Another possible location for the incision is around the lower edge of the areola (the pigmented skin surrounding the nipple). A third alternative is to make a small incision within the armpit. Once the incision is made, the surgeon creates a pocket into which the implant will be inserted. This pocket is made either directly behind the breast tissue or underneath the pectoral muscle, which is located between the breast tissue and chest wall.

Benefits

• In addition to positive aesthetic results, data has shown patients often receive a substantial psychological boost.
• It is often possible to return to work within a week, depending on the nature of your work.
• No scientific evidence that breast augmentation increases the risk of breast cancer, autoimmune disease, or any systemic illness.
• No evidence that breast implants affect pregnancy or ability to breast-feed.

Other Considerations

• Every surgical procedure carries some risk. Potential complications may include reactions to anesthesia, blood accumulation that may need to be drained surgically, and infection.
• Changes in nipple or breast sensation may result from breast augmentation surgery, although they are usually temporary.
• When a breast implant is inserted, a scar capsule forms around it as part of the natural healing process. The capsule may sometimes tighten and compress the implant, causing the breast to feel firmer than normal. If the capsular contracture is severe, it may cause discomfort or changes in the breast’s appearance. Additional surgery may be needed to modify or remove scar tissue, or perhaps remove or replace the implant.
• Breast implants can make performing and reading mammograms technically difficult. Placement of the implant underneath the pectoral muscle may interfere less with mammographic examination.
• As with other surgical implants, breast implants cannot be expected to last forever. If a saline-filled implant breaks, its contents are harmlessly absorbed by the body, usually within hours.
• Pregnancy can alter breast size in an unpredictable way and could affect the long-term results of breast augmentation.
• As of May 2000, Federal regulation prohibits breast augmentation for purely aesthetic surgery in women less than 18 years of age.