Breast Implants Primer
If you’re considering breast enlargement surgery, there are some things you should know about your options.
While the best place to start is to schedule a confidential, complimentary consultation with an experienced cosmetic surgeon, you might want to take a little time to research the various types, shapes and sizes of implants available. You can also read patient testimonials and talk to other breast surgery patients about their experiences before you make any decisions about your procedure.
Here’s a quick glance at the choices available today:
Implant Size
Implant size is a very personal choice and will depend largely on your appearance goals, as well as your comprehensive body measurements. Remember that your breast appearance will be affected by the size of your waist and other proportional factors. You may want to collect magazine or photos of women with your interpretation ideal proportions and stay within the manufacturer’s maximum recommended volume for natural-looking results and safety.
Implant Texture
While the majority of breast implants used today for cosmetic breast augmentation have a smooth surface, a textured surface is available with the advantage a lower rates of capsular contracture. However, since the textured surface allows it to “stick” to the surrounding body tissue, they tend to have visible rippling more than smooth surfaced implants.
Implant Shape
Breast implants may be round or anatomical (teardrop-shaped). Your cosmetic surgeon can show you before and after photos to help you choose the one that fits your needs best. For cosmetic augmentation, the breast already has a natural “breast shape,” so a round implant will provide the added volume necessary for the augmentation. For breast reconstruction after mastectomy, the natural “breast shape” has been lost, and therefore an anatomic, teardrop-shaped implant will recreate that shape necessary for reconstruction.
Implant Material
Whether you choose saline-filled or silicone gel-filled implants, the outer shell of the implant is made with a solid form of silicone. Saline-filled and silicone gel implants are the two most common types of implant available, but there a few new types, including cohesive-gel implants designed to retain their shape well. When choosing your filling material, keep in mind your ideal contour, the risks involved, the potential appearance results, and material biocompatibility.
To learn more about your breast enlargement options, and the risks and benefits of each, schedule a complimentary consultation with cosmetic surgeon Dr. Nirav Savalia at Finesse Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery today.
—Lindsey Kesel, Cosmetic Surgery Consultant
September 27 2008 12:17 pm | breast enlargement and breast surgery and cosmetic surgery
