Breast Augmentation Plastic Surgery, also known as breast enlargement or boob job is a procedure that aims to increase the size of your breast.
To do so, the process includes implanting silicone gel, saline or fat transfer to your breast. It’s one of the popular plastic surgeries. This surgery is popular to women (and wishes to become one!) who want to enhance their breast size. The surgery can also help restore the breast volume after sudden weight loss or pregnancy.
Before deciding to go through this procedure, keep in mind that breast implants may make it harder for you to breastfeed and have a possibility for cancer.
There are two basic types of breast implants in a breast augmentation plastic surgery: saline and silicone gel. The rest of them are their subtypes.
Every cosmetic procedure and other operations will start with anesthesia. You can choose between intravenous sedation and general anesthesia.
After the anesthesia, your doctor will make an incision in inconspicuous areas so that scars won’t be visible. You can choose areas like the fold under the breast, areolar edge or armpit for an area for the incision.
Your surgeon will then lift the breast tissue and creates a pocket where a breast implant will be placed. The breast implant can be inserted underneath the pectoral muscle or the breast tissue. Its incision will then be closed using a surgical suture. Don’t worry about the incisions. They’ll eventually fade.
When you opt for fat transfer for your breast augmentation surgery, this process will include removing your fat through liposuction. It’ll remove fat from your body parts where most fat yields like the thighs or abdomen. Then, it’ll be processed and injected into your breast.
Most of the health insurance doesn’t cover cosmetic surgeries like breast augmentation plastic surgery and any other related possible complications.
According to the 2016 statistics of American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the average cost of breast augmentation procedure is $3719.00. The average price doesn’t include the other fees like anesthesia, surgical facility costs, medical tests, and surgeon’s fee. All in all, you may have to prepare about $ 5,000 to $ 10,000 for the overall procedure.
The cost of this surgery may differ on the location, surgeon and the type of breast implant used.
You may be a good candidate for a breast augmentation plastic surgery if you pass these factors.
By: ROBERT M. REY, M.D., M.P.P.
A breast augmentation surgery must be done by a certified and expert surgeon to accomplish the best results. An unqualified practitioner may lead to surgical complications and unsatisfying results. Keep these factors in mind when choosing a surgeon for your breast augmentation surgery.
If you’ve chosen the perfect surgeon you can trust with your breast augmentation plastic surgery, it’s time for the consultation.
In this meeting, you’ll discuss your cosmetic goals and other factors that may affect the operation like medical history.
You and your surgeon will discuss your previous surgeries, allergies, current medications, family history of breast cancer, and recent mammogram results.
Upon this initial consultation, your surgeon will consider the following:
Your surgeon will give you pre-operative instructions about what you need to do before the surgery. He may recommend for you to have a baseline mammogram before the day of surgery.
There’s also a list of things you have to do before the operation. Some of these are:
If you choose to have a fat transfer for your breast augmentation surgery, your surgeon may ask you to prepare a particular type of bra. The special bra will help expand the skin and tissue around your breasts so it’s ready for fat injection.
Also, make sure to ask someone to drive you home after the operation and someone to stay with you for the night.
After the surgery, your breasts will be secured with gauze. You may have drainage tubes if your surgeon attached one, but it will be removed after a couple of days. A few days after your surgery, you have to take it very easy. Stay away from any strenuous activities like lifting something for about six weeks.
After the surgery, your surgeon may suggest a pain medication especially for you. Make sure to follow all the aftercare instructions of your doctor to avoid any complications.
Over time, your surgeon will suggest for you to schedule routine mammograms to keep track of your breasts’ health.
Just like any other cosmetic surgeries, breast augmentation plastic surgery won’t last a lifetime. You will have to replace your breast implants if any complication happened or the size and shape of your breasts changed.
If you went under a silicone breast implant, you need to have an MRI scan after three years from the day of the surgery. You should follow up after every two years with another MRI scan.
Stay in touch with your plastic surgeon for some follow-up evaluation. Schedule a check-up if you notice some changes on your breasts.
After the surgery, you’ll quickly see that your bust size grew larger than before. However, that’s not the final result. The result may be visible after a few weeks as the swelling disappears and the skin stretches. Also, the result of breast augmentation plastic surgery is long. But it still needs replacement after some time especially if they leak.