How Breast Augmentation Works

Breast augmentation surgery is one of the most popular and frequently performed procedures. It has a long and successful history in satisfying women’s desires to enhance, regain, or restore balance to their figures.

Those who desire a better proportioned or more appealing figure; those who have lost the size or shape of the breasts due to pregnancy, weight loss, or aging; and those who wish to restore symmetry to the breasts are the best candidates for an augmentation.

At our Miami cosmetic surgery facility ARC Plastic Surgery, breast augmentation procedures are offered as an option to help improve upper breast fullness and provide a minor lift to drooping breasts.

To position an implant, an incision is made in the bottom crease of the breast, the armpit, or along the lower edge of the areola. The implant is inserted through the incision and may be placed under either breast tissue or the chest muscle beneath the breast. Positioning the implant beneath the chest muscle interferes less with mammography. The breast implant surgery itself may be done either under local or general anesthesia. The procedure is usually performed as a one-day outpatient surgery, but for some women an overnight stay is recommended. The procedure takes around two hours, depending on the location of implants.

The surgeon will first create a pocket, a space between the tissues, to accommodate the implants. After inserting the implant, the incision is closed with sutures. There may be minor post-surgical swelling but most women can return to work and resume non-strenuous activities around a week after surgery. A breast lift may be done with a breast augmentation to increase the breast enlargement.

There are two basic types of breast implants: saline-filled and silicone gel-filled. Both types have the same basic type of outer envelope made of a solid, rubber-like form of silicone. Saline-filled implants are made of a silicone envelope, which is surgically implanted under the breast tissue and then filled with sterile saline, a saltwater solution, through a valve.

Silicone gel-filled implants are made of an envelope pre-filled with a clear, sticky, thick, jellylike form of silicone that approximates the consistency of the breast tissue. Silicone gel implants come in many sizes. The size used depends on the amount of augmentation desired or the size of the reconstructed breast.

Multiple factors, including anatomy and surgeon recommendations, will determine how the breast implants are to be inserted and positioned. Normally, the implant is placed either underneath the pectoral muscle, which is located between the breast tissue and chest wall, or underneath the breast tissue and on top of the pectoral muscle. Placement of the implant underneath the pectoral muscle may interfere less with mammograms.

Although breast implants are intended to last a lifetime, replacement may sometimes be necessary. Periodic examinations should be scheduled with a cosmetic surgery Miami surgeon after surgery to monitor implants. Surgical techniques for breast augmentation and all breast implants are continually being improved to increase the safety and reliability of the procedure.

At ARC Plastic Surgery, Dr. Jeremy White offers breast augmentation procedures and will spend time with each patient using a special breast implant sizing kit to help choose the best breast implant range for them.