Breast augmentation brings the breast to the desired size and shapes it. With this method, it is also possible to improve the irregularity of the breast and create a little uprightness. If you aren’t satisfied with the size or shape of your breasts, you can consult a plastic surgeon. If you think your breasts are too small, drooping, or have lost one or both of your breasts due to a particular disease, you can solve all these problems by having breast augmentation surgery.
| Operation Duration | Length of hospitalization | Recovery Time |
| 1-2 hours | 1-2 days | 4-6 weeks |
Breast enlargement improves women’s breasts’ appearance, size, and imperfections. Women consider breast enlargement for a variety of reasons. Some women think their breasts are too small, some use this procedure to correct the shape of the breasts after pregnancy, and a group to correct the asymmetry in breast size.
Breast augmentation often requests by patients who experience a reduction in breast volume after pregnancy, breastfeeding, or weight loss or who initially have small breast size and volume. Most women who want breast enlargement look for a natural look and the same breast size as when they were younger. Some other women seek more breast volume when using augmentation mammoplasty. No matter what category you fall into for augmentation mammoplasty, your surgeon will consider your goals in breast enlargement, the current condition of your body, and your breasts. If you have this procedure done by an experienced surgeon, you will definitely be successful.
At the first breast augmentation consultation, you can discuss your expectations about the results of the operation, including the size, shape, and type of breast implants you prefer to use, with the doctor or related specialists. During the consultation, the surgeon will talk to you about different techniques for placing breast implants.
What is breast augmentation?
Breast augmentation is a surgery that increases breast volume and restores aesthetics. In plastic surgery, this procedure is one of the most requested interventions by patients. With augmentation mammoplasty procedure, which started in 1895, it is possible to change the shape and size of your tiny breast, correct breast asymmetry, and increase your body harmony and self-confidence.
It is one of the methods used in breast augmentation, mammoplasty, or aesthetic breast surgeries. There are two main methods of breast augmentation.
These are breast implants and fat transfer. In these two categories, there are different options depending on your opinion about the appearance and feel of the breast.
The first method is breast implants, and we consider it the most common method for augmentation mammoplasty. Thorough research, awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of each method, and consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon are essential before choosing a breast augmentation method.
Breast augmentation with fat transfer is a minimally invasive procedure; the surgery performs with tiny incisions. This method allows it to fill and contour your breasts in the most natural way possible. Breast surgery with fat transfer is ideal for women who want to enlarge their breasts and have excess fat elsewhere in their bodies. Fat transfer is a procedure that appeals to women who don’t like implants, seek a shorter recovery period, or dislike a large surgical incision.
In this procedure, the surgeon uses liposuction to remove fat from other parts of the body and inject fat into the breast. This procedure is generally preferred by those who want a slight increase in breast size. In most cases, the surgeon removes fat from one of the areas, such as the abdomen, sides, waist, and thighs. Surgeons can use this method in combination with implants to reduce possible deformities.
Who should have breast augmentation surgery?
People who want this surgery are concerned about whether they are the right person for it and whether it suits them. Below you can find the characteristics of a suitable candidate for augmentation mammoplasty surgery. This necessary surgery is personal, and you should decide for yourself. Check out the ideal candidates for breast augmentation surgery:
- Having physical health and reasonable expectations
- Enlarged breasts
- The breasts are too small, and it bothers the person
- Loss of shape and volume of the breasts after pregnancy, losing weight, aging
- Being unhappy with the upper chest and its empty appearance
- Asymmetrical breasts
- One of the breasts isn’t fully developed
Before making a final decision, you should review the photos of the breast augmentation surgery and have all the information from the recovery process to your expectations.
What are the risks of breast augmentation surgery?
Breast augmentation surgery is a relatively simple surgical procedure that often yields excellent results and provides great satisfaction for both the patient and the surgeon. Thousands of breast augmentation procedures are successfully performed around the world each year. However, you should not underestimate the nature and risks of a surgical operation.
In particular, you should not prefer unauthorized structures (beauty centers, clinics, etc.) for this procedure. Because, in any case, it is a severe operation. Complications are rare. However, if the surgery performs by a plastic surgery specialist in duly authorized facilities, it is an operation you can easily overcome. Check out the breast augmentation risks that can arise:
- A possible complication of augmentation mammoplasty is the so-called capsular contracture (rejection of the prosthesis). It causes by the body’s response to the introduction of a foreign body. Capsule contracture consists of scar formation all over the prosthesis, which over time, can cause pain and compromise the aesthetic result of the intervention.
- Infection of the areola or nipple, hypersensitivity, implant dislocation, or skin folds around the implant may rarely occur. However, you must follow the advice and instructions the surgeon will give you before and after the surgery to reduce the risk of complications. If you smoke, you should reduce smoking as it can increase the risk of complications and delay healing.
- Rarely, there may be blood and heavy deposits. Infection, hypersensitivity of the areola or nipple, dislocation of the prosthesis, mild breast asymmetry, and formation of skin folds around the implant may also occur. Scientific studies have eliminated the possibility of passing harmful substances from prostheses into breast milk.
- Breastfeeding ability may reduce when the prosthesis places through the periareolar surgical incision. However, it is essential that you carefully follow the advice and instructions given by the surgeon before and after breast augmentation to reduce the risk of complications.
- During the visit and before the breast augmentation, the surgeon will give you all the necessary information, including the risks and complications associated with this type of surgery.
What will you encounter during a breast augmentation consultation?
Breast augmentation is a highly personalized procedure. Therefore, it requires an accurate specialist visit. At the first visit, the surgeon will evaluate the shape and size of the breast, areola, and nipple. The surgeon will show you the possible body and volume changes afforded by the most modern surgical technique for your situation. The surgeon will also evaluate your health to rule out the presence of changes (such as high blood pressure, clotting, or healing problems) that could affect the outcome of the breast augmentation surgery.
You will receive precise instructions on nutrition, medication, alcohol, and cigarette intake before and after surgery. Agreeing with you at the end of the visit, the surgeon will choose the type of prosthesis used for the augmentation mammoplasty operation, the most appropriate access route, and the correct positioning of the implant. The prostheses preferred by the surgeon in augmentation mammoplasty surgeries consist of an outer silicone sheath and an inner content that can make silicone gel, which is no longer a saline solution. The plastic surgeon will choose according to the breast shape you want to achieve.
Externally, breast implants may have a smooth surface or a rough (textured) surface. Implants with a smooth surface have a slightly softer coating and are less likely to feel, even when placed under the mammary gland. On the other hand, textured implants are a bit more rigid. But nowadays, they are used more than smooth ones because they give less rejection after being placed in the breast area.
How should you prepare for breast augmentation?
Before breast augmentation, you will decide on the prosthesis’s size, content, and shape together with your surgeon. The doctor always starts by evaluating your breasts’ size and overall structure, following your personal preferences. Afterward, the surgeon evaluates whether there is an asymmetry and positional disorder in the gland.
You should not take certain medications in preparation for breast augmentation surgery. Your doctor will prohibit you from taking Aspirin for two weeks before and after surgery, as it prevents your blood from clotting entirely and can cause complications during surgery. A month before, you should also suspend the birth control pill. However, before surgery, the good physical condition must be confirmed by laboratory tests and a clinical evaluation, as well as the addition of an electrocardiogram and a chest X-ray.
The surgeon will provide the patient with clear and complete information about the complications that may arise with breast implants. However, you should not smoke for at least four weeks before and after augmentation mammoplasty surgery.
What are the most popular types of breast augmentation surgery?
There are different ways of breast augmentation. The specialist doctor chooses the most appropriate method according to your physical condition and medical history. Check out some of the most common methods for breast augmentation:
Breast augmentation with fat injection
Breast augmentation with fat injection corrects the shape and size of your breasts. You can also correct any asymmetry or deformity in the breast with this method. To inject fat into the breast, the surgeon first takes fat from another part of your body using a low-pressure liposuction device. The surgeon then cleans this fat with saline and injects it into the less prominent areas of your breast. This technique has risks and limitations.
However, if you have the appropriate conditions for this operation and are a good candidate, your results will be entirely satisfactory, and the process will be safe. The gel injection method also uses to increase the volume of the breasts.
Most popular method: Breast augmentation with implants
Breast implants are the most popular breast augmentation methods. For this purpose, the surgeon uses different materials to place them on the breasts. In breast prosthesis aesthetics, the surgeon places the prosthesis under the soft tissues of the breast, and the inside of the prosthesis fill with silicone or saline. In this aesthetic surgery, you can use a breast lift at the same time as a breast prosthesis and experience a breast lift and breast prosthesis simultaneously.
Breast augmentation with implants is one of the most popular breast procedures among women, and a saline or silicone prosthesis places on the breasts. There are many different options for performing this surgery, such as the size and shape of the prosthesis and the way of creating an incision in the chest, depending on the surgery’s final results. These options select according to the circumstances. The needs of each patient; in augmentation mammoplasty, prostheses are inserted through small incisions in the breast and placed under the breast tissue.
Each of these methods has its advantages and disadvantages. But if a breast specialist best does it, you will minimize the side effects. Among these methods, a breast prosthesis is the best breast augmentation and shaping type. Complications of breast implants are infrequent.
What are the preferred implant types for breast augmentation?
Different breast implants differ in composition, size, shape (round or anatomical), and consistency (smooth or rough). Check out the main types of implants for breast augmentation by the material from which they can make:
- Implants with a saline solution: The outer shell make of silicone rubber, and the inner part makes of saline solution. Should this solution be lost, the body can absorb and eliminate it naturally.
- Adhesive silicone gel prostheses: They are the most used prostheses because they are the most similar to breast tissue and, therefore, can give a natural appearance.
- B-Lite prostheses: They are the lightest prostheses and a new product in the aesthetic surgery panorama. Good quality for augmentation mammoplasty. They are made of adhesive silicone gel and borosilicate microspheres and are up to 28% lighter than conventional dentures.
- Polyurethane prostheses: The difference in this type of implant lies in the material of which their outer covering makes. In fact, in the models previously described, the shell is made of silicone elastomer, while these models make micro-polyurethane foam.
How is breast augmentation surgery performed?
In this vital surgery, you will be under general anesthesia, which takes about 1.5 to 2 hours. Take a close look at the breast augmentation surgery steps:
Anesthesia
The specialist will inject you with medicine, so you don’t feel pain during the breast augmentation procedure. Options for this problem may include intravenous sedation or complete anesthesia, where the doctor will recommend the best option.
Incision
Depending on the technique chosen by the surgeon according to the characteristics of your breast, a small incision makes in the lower part of the contour (periareolar technique), that is, in the skin area surrounding the entire nipple. This incision will be the passage through which the prosthesis will insert and positioned. You will discuss with your surgeon which incision would best achieve the desired result.
Implant placement
Even about implant positioning, there are different techniques that the surgeon can choose for each woman, carefully considering their strengths and weaknesses:
- Subglandular placement: This technique involves placing the prosthesis directly behind the gland and can use where the glandular tissue has sufficient thickness. While this technique provides more control over the filling and shape of the breast and is less painful, there may be a risk of the implants being seen or felt.
- Placement under the muscle: If the thickness of the subcutaneous tissue and mammary gland reduces, the prosthesis is placed behind the pectoralis major muscle. In this case, the result is very natural, and the edges of the prosthesis aren’t visible. In addition, it provides more convenience in mammographic examinations compared to prostheses placed with the subglandular technique.
- Retromuscular positioning by dual plane technique: The double plane technique experts in the US and Northern Europe, where the prosthesis is only partially placed behind the pectoral muscle. It combines the advantages of the Retroglandular technique with the benefits of retromuscular intervention. The decollete is naturally defined, the lower breast area round, and the breast lift.
Incision closure
The surgeon will close the incisions with sutures, skin adhesives, or surgical tape. The incision line will fade and disappear over time. The quality of the scar will depend on many things, such as genetics, your body’s exposure to nicotine, or infection. The results of augmentation mammoplasty will be immediately visible.
What to consider after breast augmentation surgery?
Recovery times from breast augmentation surgery are very subjective. Keep in mind that the hospital stay is generally only one day, and it takes 3 to 7 days to return to the daily state. Check out what you need to consider after breast augmentation:
- Showering five days after breast augmentation with peace of mind is possible.
- You will need to be mindful of your dressing these days. But the surgeon will explain everything in detail before you leave the clinic.
- In order not to jeopardize the outcome of the surgery, it is essential that you don’t make any effort, such as heavy lifting with your arms or carrying a child on your lap. This type of effort requires at least a few weeks because contraction of the pectoral muscle can cause the prosthesis to dislodge.
- After the first two weeks, you can return to the gym or swimming pool by being careful not to do exercises involving the arm and chest muscles for at least a month.
- A rule of thumb for all patients in the postoperative period is to wear an elastic compression bra for one month after surgery.
- When lying down or getting up, get support from your loved ones, and don’t go to sleep alone.
- Sit or stand rather than lie down. Take active rest. Your back pain will increase as you lie down.
- Listen to your body for driving after procedure.
What is the recovery process after breast augmentation surgery?
During the recovery process after breast augmentation, the following awaits you:
- The specialist will wrap your breast with a bandage during the recovery period after breast augmentation. An elastic bandage or support bra will minimize swelling and keep the breasts in place during recovery.
- Immediately after the surgery, you will enter the recovery area to undergo a detailed examination. When your secretions are stable, the specialist will let you go home. Before you leave, the surgeon will give you specific instructions for recovery after process. Also, the specialist will prescribe you the necessary medicines.
- Your drugs may include pain relievers and antibiotics to prevent infection. Some surgeons may ask the patient to clean the incision site and apply cream and ointment there, while others may ask the patient not to remove the dressing from the incision. Instructions vary, so you must follow exactly what the injury says.
- Due to the possibility of bleeding in the first days after breast augmentation, keep your activity level low until you can do more vigorous activities.
- The sharp pain usually subsides after 2 to 6 days. However, you may experience skin swelling and tenderness for a few weeks.
- Perform and resume your sports training and normal activities according to the surgeon’s instructions.
- Although the result of breast augmentation can be seen immediately after the operation, the final result will be evident after a few weeks when the swelling and tension in the skin decrease. Some patients may need to maintain support genes to help shape their breasts, especially if the primary reason for the procedure is breast asymmetry or tiny breasts. The incision can take months or even years to heal.
- Augmentation mammoplasty isn’t a permanent solution and may need to replace. You can have an annual visit with your surgeon to examine and evaluate the health of the breast and implant.
- The shape of your breasts will change over time due to age, weight fluctuations, hormonal factors, and gravity. Because the appearance of the breast changes over time, some patients apply a breast lift or implant prosthesis to give their breasts a younger appearance.
How long after breast augmentation surgery will you see the final result?
You can immediately appreciate the results of breast augmentation. This process gives you more self-confidence. However, since there will be swelling that will last for several months after the operation, you can fully understand the final result after about six months.
The size you achieve will depend on your preferences and choices when planning the surgery, as we have seen in the previous paragraphs. You and the operating surgeon should pay attention to the ratio between the initial size of the breasts and your general physical structure to achieve the natural result you often desire. This will be more difficult if you are thin and have underdeveloped breasts, but it isn’t impossible.
Your breasts may lose their elasticity due to age, pregnancy, and weight changes and may become saggy over time. Breast augmentation procedure can also correct asymmetry and other defects in the chest area. The results of this surgery usually last for several years. However, your breasts continue to experience the natural effects of aging over time. But as long as you take good care of your body, you can enjoy the results of your breast surgery for years. One of the things you can do to prolong the life of the results of this procedure is to maintain your weight and health.
How much does breast augmentation cost?
Breast augmentation cost depends on several factors, such as the type of anesthesia you choose, the kind of hospital stay (day hospital or clinic), the surgery’s difficulty, and the surgery’s duration.
Breast augmentation price is also related to the type of prosthesis you choose. There are various models, but the most important thing is the selection of safe breast implants that you cannot ignore when you decide to have augmentation mammoplasty surgery. That’s why it’s so vital that you trust a plastic surgeon who can guarantee you use the best dentures on the market. The total cost of augmentation mammoplasty surgery can range from $6,500 to $15,000.
In which countries is the cheapest breast augmentation surgery performed?
Many people who want breast enlargement prefer different countries for breast augmentation surgery. The most obvious example is that this surgery is very popular in low-cost countries. In such countries, the price of augmentation mammoplasty is much cheaper than in other countries, especially in Europe and North America.
Of course, many clinics or hospitals in such countries offer a range of services that can compete with other clinics worldwide in terms of quality and satisfaction. Traveling to different countries for this surgery will make your experience much richer and more enjoyable. Here are the breast augmentation surgery prices according to the countries you can compare:
| COUNTRY | COST |
| United States | $6500 to $14000 |
| Brazil | $2500 to $9500 |
| China | $4300 to $15100 |
| Japan | $4250 to $15000 |
| South Korea | $3500 to $20700 |
| India | $3800 to $6200 |
| Argentina | $2200 to $9100 |
| Mexico | $3380 to $7500 |
| Germany | $7350 to $11500 |
| Turkey | $3000 to $4000 |
| Colombia | $4500 to $6850 |
| Italy | $6900 to $11000 |
| France | $7400 to $11250 |
| Spain | $8000 to $12000 |
| Taiwan | $3600 to $19100 |
| Venezuela | $3400 to $7200 |
| United Kingdom | $6500 to $13500 |
| Netherlands | $7250 to $12000 |
| Egypt | $3250 to $8000 |
| Peru | $3250 to $8000 |
| AVERAGE COST | $2200 to $20700 |
Attention: For Information Purposes Only
Please note that the content of this website is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should always consult a specialist surgeon for personal guidance.
References
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/152460900750020874
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https://www.ccjm.org/sites/default/files/additional-assets/PDFs/86_2_111.pdf
https://journals.lww.com/plasreconsurg/Fulltext/2012/10000/Article.40.aspx
https://journals.lww.com/plasreconsurg/fulltext/2004/10000/breast_augmentation.36.aspx
