Breast Implants 101

Frequently Asked Questions: Breast Surgery 1. Breast Lift vs Breast Augmentation: How to tell which is needed? Breast lift is ideal for a patient that is happy with the size of her breast, but has become saggy or ptotic from breast feeding, pregnancies, or just over time. Breast augmentation is for patients that will like to have more volume. Sometimes if the breast is only mildly ptotic or saggy, and the patient does not mind having more volume, a breast implant can help lift the breast some with minimal scars.

2. How to choose the right breast implant size? We do have sizers and bras without any padding.

The patients can try on sizers to see what size implant fits them best. It is also a good idea to bring some pictures of what the patient thinks is an ideal breast so the surgeon can have a better idea of the patient’s expectations.

3. Do breast implants lift slightly sagging breasts? Yes, if the sagginess is only mild. Implants can lift the breast by filling up the loose skin with volume.

4. Can I have breast implants under local anesthesia? It is difficult to completely anesthetize the tissues needed to create the pocket, especially under the muscle. It is risky to do multiple injections on the chest because of the proximity to the lungs and heart in order to deliver enough local anesthetic to provide maximum anesthesia.

5. Can I have breast implants if I’m planning to have kids in the future? Yes, absolutely no problems with pregnancy.

6. Can I breast feed if I have breast implants? Yes breast implants do not interfere with your ability to breast feed.

7. What is the best shape of implants to achieve more natural looking results? Depends on the amount of breast tissue that the patient has, when the breast is very small, more natural look can be obtained with anatomical shaped, or tear drop, implants.

8. Do silicone implants harden over time? No, although any implant can become hard over time if the scar tissue becomes thicker, silicone implants normally remain soft over time.

9. Do breast implants need to be replaced overtime? Depending on the manufacturer, most implants made in the United States have a lifetime warranty, meaning that if the patient is happy with her results, she can keep the implants for life.

10. How long is the downtime for breast augmentation surgery? The patient usually recovers within a week although they should not be doing any heavy lifting of more than 15lbs for 6 weeks.

11. Silicone vs. Saline: Which breast implant is safer? Both implants are very safe. The new generation of silicone implants are cohesive, which means that even if they rupture the silicone remains intact and stays inside the pocket.

12. What are the risks of breast implants? The risks of surgery are like any other surgery, but in relation to the implants, the most common complication is capsular contracture, which means that the scar tissue around the implant becomes thicker and the breast feels hard, and sometimes even painful.