Breast Augmentation

Just as breasts come in many sizes and shapes, so there are many reasons why you might want breast implants.

Some women would like their breasts to be bigger. Other women have uneven breasts, with one being up to two cup sizes larger than the other.

After having children, our breasts sag and many women want to get back the breasts they had before. Finally, after a mastectomy for breast cancer, breast augmentation surgery can reconstruct the breast (and can even enlarge the other breast at the same time!)

Choosing your breast surgeon and breast implants

To ensure the best results from your breast augmentation surgery it is vital you have a good trusting relationship with your surgeon.

Your surgeon needs to know what you want and whether that is possible, which will often involve more than one consultation and lots of discussion. Be sure you understand and are happy with the decisions made before you undertake surgery.

Before your breast augmentation surgery, your surgeon will examine your breasts and, if you are over 35 years, arrange for you to have a mammogram.

Modern breast implants are made of a silicone bag with either silicone gel or saline inside. They come in many sizes and shapes: some are round, some are oval and some are even conical.

Your surgeon will discuss with you what size breast implants you want, what result you hope to achieve and what type of implant you will use.

He or she will also discuss whether the breast implants should go under your breast tissue or under your muscle. If you are very thin, the breast implants will normally be placed under your muscle – otherwise they can go under your breast tissue.

Your surgery and possible breast implant complications

Most breast augmentation surgery is performed in an operating theatre under a general anaesthetic. Afterwards, you will stay in hospital for a night or day.

Recovery time varies, but usually you will need two to three weeks off work.

All operations have some risk and the biggest is normally bleeding immediately after surgery. However, this is rare, occurring in around 1 per cent of patients. The next most common problem is infection, which is also rare.

All surgery leaves scars, but at Breast Associates we take extra special care to make them as small as possible.

Most breast implant complications occur many years after breast augmentation surgery. Modern breast implants are much better than older ones, and are much less likely to cause breast implant complications such as tightening of the capsule or contraction.

You may want to read more about general breast surgery complications.

After your breast augmentation surgery, you can still safely have mammograms.