You may be an appropriate candidate for breast augmentation if:

• You are self-conscious of breast size.
• Excessive weight loss or pregnancy has changed the size and shape of your breasts.
• You have difficulty in finding clothing that fits proportionately.
• You have significant asymmetry in breasts.
• If you are considering breast augmentation surgery, you must be fully developed, physically and emotionally healthy, and have realistic expectations of your surgery.

Saline Vs Silicone Breast Implants

The major difference between saline and silicone implants is what they are filled with. Saline implants consist of an empty shell that is filled with sterile saline (salt water) solution at the time of surgery.

Silicone implants also have a silicone shell but are filled with a cohesive, silicone gel. Most surgeons and patients agree that silicone implants look and feel more natural, while saline implants are firmer and less natural.

In the event of rupture, saline implants don’t impose any immediate danger as salt water is not toxic to the body and will rapidly absorb, causing the implant to noticeably deflate. When a silicone implant ruptures, it may go unnoticed as the silicone is not initially absorbed by the body.

Both ruptured saline and silicone and implants can be removed and replaced with surgery.

The FDA requires that women be at least 18 years old to get breast augmentation with saline-filled implants, and at least 22 years old to receive silicone implants.

How Are Breast Implants Placed?

Breast implants are placed either over or under the muscle. Many factors will determine which placement is best for you including body type and existing breast tissue and desired results.

This procedure is performed in an operation theatre under suitable anaesthesia.

The procedure involves three principal steps:

i) Harvesting of fat – Liposuction, commonly from abdomen, back or thighs, is done to collect fat usually using syringe liposuction techniques.
ii) Processing of fat – The harvested fat is allowed to sediment and sometimes centrifuged to separate the unwanted components such as fluid, bood and oil.
iii) Transfer of fat – The fat is then injected into the breasts using a cannula. Fat is injected as small droplets and in multiple planes (levels) so as to ensure greater survival rates. Ideally, fat is injected in the subcutaneous (under the skin) & sub-glandular (under the breast tissue, over the muscle) planes and not in the breast tissue itself (gland).

Advantages of fat transfer:

a) Fat can be injected in greater quantity in selected areas to achieve better results eg. more fat is injected in the upper pole of breast to achieve better upper pole fullness.
b) No risk for allergic reactions or rejection since it is the patient’s own fat.
c) No risk for capsular contracture, ALCL etc (complications related to implants).
d) A touch up procedure can easily be added to further refine the result.

During your initial consultation, you will meet with the plastic surgeon and staff. Your previous surgeries, your medical history, medications you are presently taking, and your overall physical and emotional health will be reviewed.

Your skin quality will also be evaluated. Type and size of breast implant and procedure will be discussed in detail.

Photographs may be taken for your medical record.

Your surgeon will determine what you benefit from most and whether or not additional procedures will be necessary for you to achieve your desired results. Recovery time, risks and limitations associated with surgery will also be discussed.

The doctor’s patient coordinator will review surgical costs and scheduling with you.

Breast augmentation surgery is performed using general anesthesia/ IV Sedation. Immediate recovery includes observation in a recovery room until alertness is regained.

You will be able to go home a few hours after your procedure but someone will need to drive you.

It is also beneficial to have someone stay with you for the rest of the day once you are home to help you get around as needed and to ensure you take your pain medication at regular intervals.

Post-operative discomfort is initially reduced with prescription pain medication.

You will wear a surgical bra to help minimize swelling. This can also help to manage comfort.

Provided that your job is not strenuous, you may feel well enough to return to work about one week after surgery.

You will be advised to avoid any exercises, raising your arms overhead,lifting weights & strenuous activities and to use a sports bra regularly for 4-6 weeks.

You will not be allowed to sleep on the sides for 3 weeks and cannot sleep prone for at least 6 weeks.

A dressing change is usually done on the 4th/5th day and 8th/9th day. Washing the chest area will not be allowed for about 8-10 days. Stitches are almost always self-dissolving. Your surgeon will teach you to do a self-massage of your breast after 3 weeks. The scars will be firm and pink for at least 6 weeks after which they generally begin to fade.

Initially, the breasts may appear unnatural – high up on the chest and too firm to the feel. However, with time and with regular massaging, the implant and the surrounding capsule settles and the breast look and feel more natural. By around the 2 to 3-month stage after surgery, you can expect to see the final shape, size and feel of your augmented breasts. The scars will however take 3 to 6 months to settle.

Multiple studies have been performed to assess the safety of breast implants. While a certain type of textured implant was recently involved in a recall, the extent of this recall was very limited. The overall safety and efficacy of breast implants have not diminished over many years of use.

Breast augmentation DOES NOT

• cause breast cancer
• affect fertility, pregnancy or breast feeding

ARE THERE RISKS TO BREAST AUGMENTATION SURGERY?

The potential risks of breast augmentation surgery are similar to most surgeries. They include:

• Infection
• Fluid or blood accumulation
• Excessive bleeding
• Poor incision healing
• Asymmetry

There is also a risk of capsular contracture (firm scar tissue) and implant leakage or rupture after breast augmentation surgery. During your consultation, your surgeon can discuss these risks and answer questions you have about how they work to reduce them.

Breast implant surgery is not painful. You are given general anesthesia before your procedure to put you into a sleep state in which your body does not register pain signals.

Once you wake up from surgery, you will feel sore. This is manageable with prescription pain medication and plenty of rest.

Several factors contribute to the cost of breast augmentation surgery, including the type of implants that are selected, surgical fees, anesthesia fees, and medical supplies.

We provide detailed information to patients once a determination has been made regarding surgical specifics.

Breast augmentation surgery is considered cosmetic and is therefore elective and ineligible for insurance coverage.

The most important thing about planning your breast lift surgery is to choose the correct qualified Aesthetic plastic surgeon. More specifically, ensure that the chosen surgeon is routinely performing breast lift surgeries.

MEDICATIONS:

You must STOP the following medications approximately 2 weeks before surgery – blood thinners such as ecosprin, clopidogrel, warfarin etc, estrogen containing hormones, Vitamin E, ginseng, green tea, gingko balboa, garlic pearls, ayurvedic supplements.

SMOKING:

It is imperative that you completely stop smoking for a minimum of 1 week prior to your planned date of surgery as it can significantly increase your risk for anaesthesia as well as delay wound healing and increase your risk for post-surgery complications.

FITNESS:

You will be advised a set of routine pre-operative investigations to ensure that you are fit for anaesthesia and surgery. A mammogram is also advisable prior to surgery to rule out any existing lumps or lesions in the breast. If you have a personal or family history of breast cancer, then a detailed baseline mammogram is mandatory to ensure absence of any existing lesion.

Once you have decided to pursue a breast lift, Aesthetic international® stands ready to partner with you during this life decision.

We are dedicated to our patients and open communication is never compromised. The better informed our patients are, the better they are at making their decisions.

We believe in providing the highest patient care and through your assigned patient advisor, you can be sure every consideration is made to ensure your expectations are the same as the final results.

Aesthetic international® has the latest technological advances to ensure your satisfaction with your breast lift. Our plasticsurgeon is highly educated and trained in all of the latest medical advances.