Breast augmentation is one of the most common plastic surgery procedures considered among women in the United States. William Bruno Plastic Surgery has compiled and answered several questions our breast augmentation patients have asked us when considering the procedure. This information may help you research whether this procedure is right for you.
Should I Try Breast Fat Grafting, or Should I Stick with Breast Implants?
Whether you have lost breast volume to pregnancy and nursing or simply desire a fuller set of curves, breast implants may not be your only option. Breast fat grafting is another popular option that removes fat cells from one area of your body and injects them into the breast tissue, not unlike a Brazilian Butt Lift. However, just because breast fat grafting may be an alternative to breast implants does not mean you shouldn’t consider your options carefully.
What Kind of Results Do You Want?
Ultimately, the right approach depends on the type of results you desire. Breast implants can dramatically change your breasts’ size, volume, and shape. Patients looking for a significant change will most likely want implants. Fat grafting tends to create a more subtle but still noticeable increase in the size and volume of the breasts. Patients more concerned with a natural appearance or who desire a milder enhancement to their breast size may prefer fat grafting.
Are You Having Other Procedures?
Dr. Bruno will also discuss how your breast augmentation options may vary depending on other procedures you wish to have performed. For example, fat grafting means taking your own body fat from an area of the body with excess fat cells, purifying it, and then injecting it into the breast tissue. It can be a good option if you also wish to have liposuction or bring about a more holistic change to your natural curves.
In contrast, breast implants have long been combined with other plastic surgery procedures to provide mommy makeovers. Therefore, breast implants might be your go-to breast augmentation option if you want to include other procedures to restore yourself to a pre-pregnancy appearance.
What About Your Personal Health History?
Another factor to consider is your personal medical history. The majority of patients are able to safely receive breast implants. For patients whose unique personal health makes receiving artificial implants inadvisable, breast fat grafting might be their only option. Since it is your own fat being used, there is no risk of implant rejection.
Inadvisable and Good Reasons for a Breast Augmentation
One of the first things you should ask yourself: Why are you looking to get a breast augmentation, exactly?
There are plenty of inadvisable reasons to pursue this surgery. Did you just have a bad break-up that left you feeling less self-confident? Are you looking to reward yourself for a big move up the corporate ladder? Do you only want a new body so you can look good on your upcoming vacation?
If you answered yes to any of the above, breast augmentation may not be suitable for you. Undergoing any plastic surgery is a big decision, with life-altering effects on your personal health and physical appearance. While breast implants can be removed, that is another surgery that you could avoid by pressing pause and seriously interrogating your rationale for wanting breast augmentation.
The reality is that when you meet with a plastic surgeon to discuss getting implants, you will be asked why you are considering surgery… and if you cite one of the iffy reasons mentioned above, there are decent odds that your surgeon will be unwilling to do the surgery at all.
With all of that said, what are the good reasons to think about getting breast implants?
- You are seeking a more proportional body. Small breasts can sometimes make your body look oddly proportioned, especially if you happen to have wide hips. Breast augmentation can address this.
- You are seeking symmetrical breasts. Some women have breasts that are dissimilar in size or shape. Through breast augmentation, you can ensure that your breasts look even.
- You want to regain your pre-baby body. Pregnancy and breastfeeding can take their toll on your body, including your breasts. It is perfectly reasonable to consider breast augmentation as a way to regain lost volume.
- You hope to improve your body shape following significant weight loss. It is not uncommon for women to experience substantial weight loss and a significant reduction in breast size at the same time. Breast augmentation can help restore your figure.
- You want to restore your feminine appearance following a mastectomy. If you have recently undergone a procedure to treat breast cancer, consider breast augmentation as a way to restore your curves.
Of course, you may also want to get new breasts simply as a means of feeling sexier, finding clothes that fit you better, or boosting your self-confidence. If these are carefully thought-through decisions, then breast augmentation may be a reasonable way forward.
What Are the Different Kinds of Incisions?
As you consult with a plastic surgeon about breast augmentation, you will certainly want to ask what kind of incision they are going to make. The types of incision that a plastic surgeon may use for breast augmentation are transaxillary, inframammary, and areolar. This choice matters because the type of incision used determines the placement of the scar.
- With a transaxillary incision, you will likely have a small scar in your armpit.
- An inframammary incision will result in a scar underneath the crease of your breast.
- Areolar incisions may lead to small scars on your areolas.
There are a number of factors that might impact the kind of incision you ask for. Are you someone who likes to wear tank tops? Then maybe you would want to avoid a visible scar in your armpit. If you have particularly small areolas, an areolar incision may be much more difficult for your doctor to perform.
Should Your Breast Implants Feel Natural?
There is a common misconception that breast implants feel unnatural or “fake.”
Well, they are not supposed to. Implants that feel fake have probably been placed improperly. But if you have breast augmentation done right by a skilled surgeon, your new breasts should feel normal.
Specifically, you should not be able to feel your implants through the skin of your breasts. Instead, they should be placed in such a way that when you touch your breasts, you just feel natural breast tissue.
A good surgeon will consider everything from your natural skin texture to your skin elasticity as they seek to provide you with completely “normal”-feeling results.
Does Getting Implants Impede Your Ability to Breastfeed?
Some plastic surgeons may recommend that you hold off on getting breast implants until you are through having children and nursing them. There are a number of reasons for this, but one of the primary ones is that breast augmentation surgery can sometimes impact your ability to produce milk.
Actually, this is true of all forms of breast surgery. “Breast augmentation, lift, and reduction procedures have the potential to affect the nerves and ducts within the breast, thus impacting lactation,” the CDC notes.
Certain types of breast augmentation carry higher risks of impaired breastfeeding. For example, if you have an areolar incision, there is a greater likelihood that you experience diminished sensitivity to the nipple, which may, in turn, interfere with the “letdown” reflex that causes your milk to drop.
Generally speaking, the breast augmentation method with the lowest breastfeeding risk is the inframammary incision, where there is less surgical interaction with the nipple or with the breast ducts.
The bottom line? Most women who get implants are still able to breastfeed, but not all. If you are considering breast implants but also want to maintain your ability to nurse children, make sure you consult with both a plastic surgeon and a lactation specialist.
Will You Lose Nipple Sensitivity After Breast Augmentation? Do You Get That Sensitivity Back?
One of the most vexing side effects of breast augmentation is a loss of feeling in the nipples. This results from your nipples getting stretched during the surgical procedure.
If you do find that you no longer have any feeling in your nipples, do not panic. For most women, this side effect lasts no more than a couple of weeks.
Permanent loss of nipple sensitivity can happen, but it is pretty rare.
Will I See Immediate Results?
It is crucial to have the right expectations for your breast augmentation procedure… and for the immediate aftermath.
If you expect that you will wake up from surgery and immediately see the breasts of your dreams, you may be disappointed. The reason for this is simple: The surgery is going to leave you with a moderate amount of short-term swelling and bruising. This is no big deal, as it will all subside within a couple of weeks. However, it does mean you need to be patient and wait a little longer before taking stock of your implant results.
Will Your Implants Interfere with Breast Cancer Screenings?
The rumor that implants mess up your mammogram has been around for decades, and there is no truth to it. The reality is that lots of women get implants, and mammogram technicians have long known how to maneuver the implants out of the way to get an accurate reading of your natural breast tissue. Do not let this worry prevent you from getting a breast augmentation procedure.
Will You Experience Some Psychological Effects from Your Breast Augmentation Procedure?
Getting breast implants can completely alter your sense of self and the confidence you feel in your own skin. As such, the immediate psychological effects can be profound. Many women emerge from their breast augmentation with significant improvements to their mood and their state of mind.
- Micromastia – Women with micromastia often do not develop breasts at all. For these women, they often report that they feel like less of a woman because of it. Women with micromastia who undergo breast augmentation often feel like they finally have a “normal” body. They also report that they feel more confident in clothing and bathing suits.
- Asymmetrical breasts – For some women, one of their breasts will develop fully while the other one will be smaller or not develop at all. For some women, the difference can be several cup sizes, and for others, it might be a half-cup difference. Either way, with breast augmentation, patients can get a big boost in confidence and feel good wearing the clothing that they love.
- Post-pregnancy – Breastfeeding and pregnancy can cause the breasts to lose volume and droop. For these patients, they long to have their pre-pregnancy breasts back. With a breast augmentation (and a breast lift, in many cases) these women can get firm, perky, and youthful-looking breasts.
With that said, some women experience the opposite effect: It is easy to get yourself excited about the prospect of new breasts, only to feel a slight letdown when you wake up from your surgery, and the results are not immediately evident. (“This is something I have wanted to fix my entire life, but now that I did it, I am so depressed,” says one forum user.) Often, these feelings of postoperative depression stem from all your pre-procedure adrenaline fading away, which can cause your mood to crash.
If you feel a little let down at first, that is perfectly natural. Hang in there and be patient! You will see the results you have longed for soon!
Can You Have Your Implants Removed at Any Time?
While getting breast augmentation is not a decision to make lightly, neither does it have to be a decision that is life-altering and permanent. If you decide, after a few years, that you simply do not like having implants and wish to return to your natural breast size, implants can be removed. This is a common procedure that any plastic surgeon can help you with. Do be aware that having implants removed may result in your breasts looking a bit deflated, but this can usually be fixed with a simple breast lift.
Are There Benefits to Getting Breast Augmentation in Your 40s?
- No more pregnancies – Many of our patients in their 40s have already established their families. This leaves them free to enhance their breasts, which may have started to sag from breastfeeding, without worrying about their bodies changing again from another pregnancy.
- Turn back time – Even for women who haven’t had children, time can start to cause their breasts to droop. In these cases, Dr. Bruno may recommend a breast lift along with a breast augmentation. Beverly Hills women of any age can restore their firm, perky breasts with this type of procedure.
- Confidence at any age – No matter what age you are, you should feel good about your body. A breast augmentation can increase your sense of self-confidence no matter what stage of life you’re in.
What’s the Difference Between Smooth and Textured Breast Implants?
Beverly Hills patients often ask us why they have to choose between textured and smooth implants in the first place. Originally, textured implants were intended to help prevent capsular contracture, a condition where too much scar tissue builds up around the implant and squeezes it. However, Dr. Bruno no longer provides or recommends textured breast implants because of their association with an increased risk of ALCL, a rare type of breast cancer. You will receive smooth implants for a safer experience.
Find Out if Breast Augmentation Is Right for You
William Bruno Plastic Surgery has been a destination for breast implants for more than a decade. Dr. Bruno has provided this information to help you decide whether breast augmentation is something you want to discuss with a plastic surgeon. Please visit our breast augmentation page and Dr. Bruno’s profile to learn even more about his approach to plastic surgery procedures.
