Breast Enlargement

Breast Implant Surgery (Augmentation)

Breast enlargement, technically known as augmentation mammaplasty surgery, is a cosmetic procedure meant to enhance the size of a woman’s breast for a number of reasons:

• To enhance the body contour of a woman who, for personal reasons, feels her breast size is too small.
• To correct a reduction in breast volume after pregnancy.
• To balance a difference in breast size.
• As a reconstructive technique following breast surgery.

By inserting an implant behind each breast, cosmetic surgeons are able to increase a woman’s bust line by one or more bra cup sizes. If you are considering breast enlargement as your next cosmetic surgery, this will give you a basic understanding of the procedure, when it can help, how it is performed and what results you can expect.

The Best Candidates for Breast Enlargement

Breast Enlargement can enhance your appearance and your self-confidence but it won’t necessarily change your looks to match your ideal or cause other people to treat you differently.

Before you decide to have breast surgery, think carefully about your expectations and discuss them with your specialist plastic surgeon. The best candidates for breast enlargement are women who are looking for improvement, not perfection, in the way they look.

If you’re physically healthy and realistic in your expectations, you may be a good candidate for breast enlargement.

What Are the Types of Breast Implants

A breast implant is a silicone shell filled with silicone gel.

Planning Your Breast Augmentation Surgery

In your initial consultation, your cosmetic surgeon will evaluate your health and explain which surgical techniques are most appropriate for you, based on the condition of your breast and skin tone. If your breasts are sagging, your surgeon may also recommend a breast uplift or mastopexy.

Be sure to discuss your expectations frankly with your surgeon. He or she should be equally frank with you, describing your alternatives and the risks and limitations of each.

Be sure to tell your surgeon if you smoke and if you’re taking any medications, vitamins, or other drugs.

Your surgeon should also explain the type of anaesthesia planned for your breast augmentation surgery, the type of facility where the cosmetic surgery will be performed and the costs involved.

Preparing For Your Cosmetic Breast Surgery

At Canova Medical our surgeon will give you instructions to prepare for surgery, including guidelines on eating and drinking, smoking, and taking or avoiding certain vitamins and medications.

While making preparations, be sure to arrange for someone to drive you home after your breast surgery and to help you out for a few days, if needed.

Where Your Breast Augmentation Will Be Performed

Your surgery will take place in one of our fully registered hospitals; you should expect to stay in hospital overnight.

Types of Anaesthesia Used for Breast Enlargement

Breast Enlargement can be performed with a general anaesthesia, so you’ll sleep through the entire operation. Some surgeons may use local anaesthesia, combined with a sedative to make you drowsy, so you’ll be relaxed but awake.

The Breast Enlargement Surgery: How It Works

The method of inserting and positioning your silicone breast implant will depend on your anatomy and your surgeon’s recommendation. The incision can be made either in the crease where the breast meets the chest or around the areola (the dark skin surrounding the nipple). Every effort will be made to assure that the incision is placed so that resulting scars will be as inconspicuous as possible.

Working through the incision, the surgeon will lift your breast tissue and skin to create a pocket, either directly behind the breast tissue or underneath your chest wall muscle (the pectoral muscle). The implants are then centred beneath your nipples.

Some surgeons believe that putting the implants behind your chest muscle may reduce the potential for capsular contracture. This placement may also interfere less with breast examination by mammogram than if the implant is placed directly behind the breast tissue. Placement behind the muscle however, may be more painful for a few days after surgery than placement directly under the breast tissue.

Drainage tubes may be used for a few days following the surgery.

You’ll want to discuss the pros and cons of these alternatives with your surgeon before surgery to make sure you fully understand the implications of the procedure he or she recommends for you.

The surgery usually takes one to two hours to complete.

Dissolvable stitches are used to close the incisions, which may also be taped for greater support.

A gauze bandage may be applied over your breasts to help with healing.

It is advisable to wear a sports bra for at least four weeks after breast enlargement surgery.