Breast Augmentation Procedures, Implants, Risks & Recovery

Breast augmentation is a type of plastic surgery that is designed to surgically enhance the size and shape of a woman’s breasts using breast implants. Not all forms of breast surgery however, are carried out with the intention of producing larger breasts.

Some forms of surgery for example, such as mastopexy, are performed on a woman to correct breast ptosis or saggy breasts. Other forms of surgery, such as reduction mammoplasty, serve to reduce the size of overly large breasts that are interfering with a woman’s life.

However, regardless of the type of surgery, all forms of breast surgery are designed to improve the way that a woman looks and feels by surgically enhancing the very thing that makes her feel like a woman, her breasts.

Breast augmentation, sometimes called breast enlargement surgery or a boob job, is currently the most commonly performed type of breast surgery amongst young and middle-aged women.

It is also the second most popular type of plastic surgery next to liposuction surgery, so there are a lot of women who have had their breasts augmented and many more, like yourself, who are now considering having the same procedure done on themselves.

Benefits

Breast augmentation surgery can significantly alter a woman’s life and help to increase her levels of self-confidence and self-esteem. Many women for example, report that after their surgery they noticed an increased amount of attention from men, an improvement in the quality of their relationship with their partner and enhanced career progression and success.

Whether or not their implants were solely responsible for these life improvements or just facilitated a change in attitude that allowed for a change in lifestyle, is neither here nor there. The fact remains that the large majority of women who undergo breast augmentation report significant improvements to the quality of their life, so it is not surprising that this procedure is as popular as it is.

However, despite these benefits, breast augmentation surgery does have its risks. It is after all, an invasive form of surgery that involves cutting the skin, fat and sometimes even muscle. So if this procedure is not carried out correctly, there is a lot that could potentially go wrong which could ultimately result in the breasts being disfigured to the point of looking abnormal.

Picking Your Surgeon

If you are thinking of having a boob job done, be sure to take your time to educate yourself as much as possible about it. You want to be absolutely sure that the surgeon you are going to is the best person for the job and that you are happy with the type of technique they want to use.

The more you know about breast surgery, and the specific type of surgery that you want to have done, the better choices you are likely to make in finding the right surgeon and getting the best results possible. Most women who end up getting a bad result rushed into their surgery or didn’t do enough research before committing to having surgery.

Some of these women are lucky because they were able to correct their bad result with a revision surgery, but for many others, they were left permanently disfigured and ashamed of how they look. So don’t let this happen to you and be fully aware of what you are getting yourself into!

This article will provide you with a general overview of breast augmentation surgery so that you will be made aware of the most important points which you need to know about.

Who Can Get A Boob Job?

Any woman who feels self-conscious about her breasts or feels that her life would be improved by having larger breasts, is a suitable candidate for surgery.

There are some restrictions though as to who a surgeon will operate on. Most surgeons will not operate on pre-teenage girls, an elderly adult who is not considered fit enough to withstand the trauma of surgery, a patient who is deemed to be suffering from a psychological disorder such as body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) or any individual who has a pre-existing medical condition which could put that person’s life in danger if they underwent surgery.

The minimum age requirement for breast enlargement surgery in the United States is 18 for saline filled implants and 21 for silicone gel filled implants.

But providing that you are fit, healthy and can afford the cost of your surgery, you should have no problems being accepted by a surgeon.

How Is Breast Augmentation Surgery Done?

Most breast augmentation procedures are carried out in a hospital with general anesthetic, although in some cases, the procedure may be performed in a surgical suite or medical center with local anesthetic and an intravenous sedative.

Generally however, it is best for the procedure to be carried out in a hospital as this provides the surgeon with all the equipment, help and staff they need to ensure that your surgery goes smoothly and according to plan. If any complications do occur, being in a hospital will also mean that the surgeon can quickly and effectively respond thereby greatly minimizing the risk of something going seriously wrong.

How the actual procedure itself is carried out can vary greatly depending on the type of procedure that you are undergoing and the surgical technique the surgeon is using. We will discuss these in more detail later on, but for now, just be aware that an incision can be made around the border of the areola, in the breast fold, underneath the armpit or in the belly button through which a breast implant can then be inserted either beneath glandular tissue or beneath muscle.

The implant can come in different sizes, shapes and textures depending on the desired result of the patient and their current anatomical structure or body shape.

Once the implant has been inserted and the surgeon is happy that both breasts appear symmetrical to each other, the incisions are sutured together and a surgical bandage is then wrapped around the chest to create compression and support the breasts.

Breast augmentation surgery can take 1-3 hours to complete depending on the procedure that you are having done and its complexity. Some types of surgery, such as those which involve inserting implants beneath glandular tissue, are usually carried out in much less time than operations which involve inserting implants beneath muscle.

Silicone Implants

Although breast implants are considered to be relatively safe today, there is still concern about the safety of breast implants as a result of a number of bad experiences women have had with silicone implants in the past. Some women for example, experienced leakage of silicone after their implant ruptured and some even experienced leakage with intact implants.

Once the silicone was released into the breast cavity, scar tissue developed around the implants causing the breasts to harden, become infected, and in some cases, the silicone even found its way into the lymph nodes surrounding the breast.

The end result was that women were becoming sick because of their breast implants and were developing diseases such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, polymyositis and lupus. Soon after, silicone gel implants were largely withdrawn from the domestic marketplace, and for a time, cosmetic breast surgeons stopped using them.

The only exception to this was that silicone implants were still allowed to be used for a variety of reconstructive procedures, mainly, revision breast augmentation surgery.

Are Silicone Breast Implants Safe?

There has been much criticism over the withdrawal of silicone breast implants from the marketplace, as many medical professionals felt that the decision was not supported by sufficient and statistically significant scientific evidence.

It is now known for example, that women who have silicone breast implants and women who do not have silicone breast implants, both develop connective tissue disorders at the same rate. These findings largely discredit the whole basis for the removal of silicone implants in the first place.

In addition to this, breast implants themselves have improved dramatically over the past 10 years. Breast implants are now stronger, less permeable and don’t leak as easily as they used to. As a result, the number of women suffering from hardening of the breasts as a result of scar tissue formation or women suffering from deformed breasts has fallen to record low levels.

In light of recent evidence and developments in the construction and durability of breast implants, silicone gel implants were later considered to be safe and reapproved into the domestic market for cosmetic use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They are still however, considered to be part of an extended trial and so their safety is closely monitored and continually kept under review by regulatory agencies.

Types Of Breast Implants

When it comes to breast implants, there are two main choices to choose from: saline or silicone gel implants.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages, some of which shall be discussed below, although both are capable of producing excellent augmentation results in the hands of a good breast surgeon.

Saline Breast Implants

Saline breast implants look similar to a plastic sandwich bag that has been filled with water. The implant itself is made up of a coating of several layers of silicone rubber with a small valve. This allows for the implant to be inserted into the breast cavity deflated and then later inflated with a saline solution or salt water.

Due to the fact that the implant can be inserted deflated, the surgeon is usually able to make smaller incisions than with gel implants resulting in less visible scarring.

If the implant is ever ruptured or starts leaking, the breast will usually deflate over a period of days or weeks and the saline solution will be harmlessly absorbed by the body and then later excreted in the urine. Most implants will come with a 10-year warranty, which means that you won’t have to pay for new breast implants if something goes wrong with your original implants.

How Much Do Saline Breast Implants Cost?

Saline breast implants cost about half as much as silicone gel implants, although this doesn’t necessarily mean that the surgery itself will cost half as much. Prices range from $1,500 to $2,500 for a pair of implants, so you could be looking at $5,000 to $8,000 for the total cost of your surgery with the implants.

What Do Saline Breast Implants Feel Like?

One of the main criticisms of saline breast implants, and why many cosmetic surgeons prefer to use silicone gel implants, is that tend to cause the breasts to feel harder and not as natural compared to if gel implants are used.

Smooth & Textured Implants

There are several different varieties of saline implants to choose from. The first are smooth implants which have a smooth surface coating. The disadvantage of using smooth breast implants is that the risk of a capsular contraction occurring tends to be higher. A capsular contraction occurs when scar tissue develops around one or both implants causing an alteration in the shape of the implant and a hardening of the breast.

The second type of implant is called a textured implant because it has a textured surface. Scientific studies have shown that the use of textured implants reduces the risk of a capsular contraction occurring.

There is however, an increased risk of the implant producing noticeable wrinkling or rippling along the skin at the sides of the breasts. This means that you are more likely to see the outline of the implant if a textured implant is used.

It should be noted though, that depending on whether an implant is placed in a subglandular position (i.e. behind breast tissue) or in a submuscular position (i.e. behind the pectoral muscles) the risk of the implant becoming palpable (i.e. felt or seen under the skin) is not the same. This is because with a submuscular positioning the implant is provided with a good level of concealment by the muscles and tissues of the breast thus making it less visible.

Shapes

Saline implants can come in two shapes. The first are round implants and can be useful for restoring fullness to the breast in addition to increasing its size. The second are teardrop or anatomic shaped implants which are thinner at the top and fuller at the bottom.

Teardrop implants can be used in some cases, although round implants tend to be the most common because teardrop implants are more difficult to insert and there is also a risk of the implant turning on its side causing the breast to become misshapen.

Sizes

Saline breast implants can come in a variety of sizes ranging from 150 cc to around 850 cc depending on a woman’s needs and her existing breast tissue.

Symmetry

Because saline breast implants are inflated once they have been inserted into the breast cavity, this allows the surgeon a substantial degree of freedom to microadjust each breast so that they will both look the same size. Since most women naturally have slightly different sized breasts, saline implants can therefore be very effective in creating symmetrical looking breasts.

Skin Wrinkling

You may be able to feel the implant along the bottom or the lower sides of the breast as an edge or as a slight wrinkling/rippling underneath the skin. Most of the time though, this won’t be noticeable, and the only person who would notice it would be a trained breast surgeon.

Silicone Gel Breast Implants

Silicone gel breast implants, also called cohesive or gummy bear breast implants, are the preferred type of implant for many cosmetic surgeons. They are made from a shell of several layers of silicone rubber and contain a semi-solid silicone gel within them.

These modern implants are designed to be a lot more durable and safer than the old types of silicone breast implants and so now last longer and have a reduced risk of rupturing. It is important to note though, that silicone implants can still leak if they are ruptured as the silicone is in a semi-solid state rather than being completely solid.

Unlike saline implants however, ruptured silicone implants do not result in a rapid deflation of the breast and so will slowly leak silicone into breast tissue. This makes the rupture difficult to detect until adverse physical symptoms are experienced.

For this reason, women with silicone gel breast implants are recommended to have an MRI scan performed every three years to check that their implant is not leaking silicone into the body.

How Much Do Silicone Breast Implants Cost?

Silicone gel breast implants cost roughly twice as much as saline breast implants and so this increases the overall cost of surgery. Prices range from $3000 to $5o00 for a pair of implants, so you could be looking at $6,500 to $10,500 for the total cost of your surgery with the implants.

What Do Silicone Breast Implants Feel Like?

Silicone gel breast implants have a very smooth and soft feel to them which produces results that look and feel more natural when compared to saline implants.

Skin Wrinkling

Silicone implants typically do not form an edge around the bottom of the breast or produce skin wrinkling around the breast like saline breast implants do. However, this, in addition to hardening of the breast, may still occur if scar tissue develops around the implant and there tends to be a greater risk of this happening than with saline implants.

A good thing about silicone implants is that they are lighter than saline implants and so there is less risk of a woman developing premature sagging of her breasts. This risk does however, become greater with larger and heavier implants.

Scarring

As silicone gel implants come pre-filled by the manufacture, they must be inserted into the breast cavity as they are. This generally results in a longer incision than with saline implants, although the resulting scar should still be well concealed on the breast as the surgeon will make their incision along skin creases, folds or borders.

Symmetry

Perhaps the biggest disadvantage to using silicone gel breast implants is that the surgeon is unable to make micro-adjustments to the size of the implants as can be done with saline implants.

This means that if one of your breasts is noticeably larger than the other, then having silicone gel breast implants may exaggerate the difference causing the breasts to appear asymmetrical or different from each other.

Different breast sizes can be accommodated for somewhat by using slightly different sized implants, although due to the size increments used in most implants, the surgeon won’t be able to compensate for the different breast sizes as much as they could with saline implants.

Location Of Implant

There are two positions that a breast implant can be placed in. The first involves placing the implant above the pectoralis muscles and underneath the glandular tissue. This is known as a subglandular breast augmentation, although it is sometimes called a retroglandular or submammary breast augmentation.

The other location that an implant can be inserted is behind the pectoralis muscles. When the implant is placed entirely behind the muscle, it is refered to as a submuscular augmentation or complete submuscular augmentation. If the implant is incompletely covered by the muscle, it is referred to as a partial submuscular implant or dual-plane implant.

What’s Best?

There is a lot of debate amongst plastic surgeons over which placement yields the best results.

Those in favor of subglandular implantation argue that the procedure is easier to carry out, has a quicker recovery time and reduces the risk of asymmetry or involuntary breast movements when the pectoral muscles are tensed.

Those in favor of a submuscular placement argue that the procedure reduces the risk of the implant being seen or felt underneath the skin, reduces the risk of a capsular contracture occurring and has less risk of the patient experiencing premature sagging of the breasts.

The position that will give you the best results largely depends on the current size and shape of your breasts. Women with saggy breasts for example, are likely to benefit more from a subglandular placement, whilst women with smaller breasts and less breast tissue are likely to benefit more from a submuscular placement to reduce the risk of seeing or feeling the implant underneath the skin.

Most cosmetic plastic surgeons perform more submuscular placements than subglandular placements, but this is something that you are going to have to speak with your surgeon about after they have examined your breasts and taken your goals and expectations into consideration.

You can find out more information about subglandular and submuscular placements for breast augmentation surgery at the following links.

Submuscular Breast Augmentation

Subglandular Breast Augmentation

Note: Links open in a new window and are part of the EruptingMind Education website.

How Long Do Breast Implants Last?

Breast implants are not permanent and will eventually need to be replaced. Most implants come with a standard 10-year warranty so they should be good for at least 10 years, but all implants are meant to be replaced every 10-20 years.

If however, you experience rupturing of your implant or develop a capsular contracture, your implant will have to be replaced much sooner. Implants may also need to be changed with advancing age due to the loss of breast tissue and loss of skin elasticity that causes a decrease in breast fullness and an increase in sagging or laxity.

If you have breast implants at a young age and before your breasts have fully matured and developed, then you are also likely to require another surgery sooner as you may find that you have outgrown your old implants.

Finally, if you have breast augmentation surgery, bear in mind that future surgeries can reuse your original incision scar. So be sure to choose this wisely.

Breast Augmentation Incision Types

When it comes to breast augmentation surgery, it is important to remember that the type of procedure you will eventually undergo is largely dictated by your specific anatomy, your goals and the preference of the surgeon for the surgical technique which they choose to use.

For this reason, you may find that when speaking with different breast surgeons that they each recommend doing a different type of procedure on you. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that one is wrong or that one is better, but rather, that each surgeon has a style which they feel comfortable using and one which they feel can give you good results.

Because there are many different ways an implant can be inserted into the breast, it is helpful to familiarize yourself with some of the different options available to you. This will also come in handy when you meet with your plastic surgeon during your consultation meetings, as you will be able to ask them what they think about each particular insertion method and whether or not they recommend it.

Finally, it is important to remember that regardless of the technique your surgeon uses, there will be some amount of scarring after your operation. So you will need to balance your goals with the end appearance that a particular technique allows you to obtain, as there are some limitations associated with each technique that we shall be discussing shortly.

In general, you will have four options as to where your breast augmentation incision lines will be made, these are:

• Periareolar
• Inframammary
• Transaxillary
• Transumbilical

Lets take a look at each of these now.

Periareolar Incision

A periareolar incision involves making a small incision around the bottom or top of the areola, which is the dark circular area that surrounds the nipple. To reduce the appearance of scarring from the incision, the incision line will be made at the outer edge of the areola where the dark skin meets the light skin.

To perform the procedure, the cosmetic surgeon will cut through the breast tissue just enough so that an implant can be placed above the pectoral muscle. If done correctly, a periareolar breast augmentation can be an extremely effective way to enhance your breasts whilst at the same time minimizing the visible appearance of scars.

This procedure however, tends to be more suitable for inflatable breast implants as these can be inserted into the breast cavity and then inflated to size. This also means that a smaller incision will be needed to insert the implant compared to if an already inflated implant, such as a silicone gel implant, were used.

One drawback to this procedure is that as the surgeon cuts through the breast tissue, some damage to the breast ducts may occur and these then won’t be available for breastfeeding. However, because the damaged area is relatively small, you should still be able to breastfeed your child normally.

Inframammary Incision

Inframammary incisions are made in the crease that sits directly below the breast (i.e. the inframammary fold). The obvious advantage to this is that your scars will be hidden underneath your breasts (providing that you have a well-developed inframammary fold), although this comes at the disadvantage of having wider and longer scars than what you would get from a periareolar incision.

No breast tissue is cut through using this insertion method, and so there should be no damaged breast ducts that could potentially interfere with breast-feeding milk to your newborn.

This can also be advantageous if you undergo further surgery in the future to have your implants replaced, as the original inframammary incision can be reused and then reconcealed by the breast. If a periareolar incision is reused at a future date, the scar is likely to become more prominent and thus will be less easily concealed by the nipple-areolar complex.

Inframammary incisions are currently the most popular type of incision for breast augmentation surgery and are usually what most plastic surgeons recommend that you have done.

Note: Both the periareolar and inframammary incisions provide the surgeon with a great deal of control over the eventual outcome of the surgery because they are working directly on the breasts.

In the two following techniques, the surgeon has less control over the eventual outcome because they are operating further away from the breasts which increases the risk of an abnormality occurring such as asymmetrical breasts.

Transaxillary Incision

Transaxillary incisions involve making an incision in the armpit rather than on or near the breasts. For the cosmetic surgeon, this can be a slightly more challenging technique and asymmetry tends to be a greater problem when compared to other breast augmentation techniques.

However, if this technique is performed correctly, you will have no scarring around your breasts. The only scars that you will have will be in your armpits and these will only be visible when you lift your arms up, although they could also be visible when wearing short-sleeved shirts.

A major disadvantage of this technique is that the axillary incision usually can’t be reused for future surgeries, so you will most likely require another incision to be made which will then leave you with another scar. There are also concerns that transaxillary incisions could affect the lymphatic drainage of the breast, so this is something that you should discuss with your surgeon if it concerns you.

If you want to have this particular technique done, then it is strongly recommended that you go to a cosmetic surgeon who specializes in breast surgery rather than a general surgeon. This is because axillary breast incisions are carried out much less frequently than periareolar or inframammary incisions, and so you need to ensure that your surgeon has done this procedure before and is capable of doing it well and to a high standard.

Transumbilical Incision

Transumbilical breast augmentation (TUBA) involves making an incision around the belly button or navel. An instrument is then used to make a tunnel underneath your skin up towards each breast. Another instrument is then used to make pockets for the implants.

This procedure can work out very well if you are in experienced hands, because the scarring involved will be minimal and only located around the belly button hidden within its natural creases and folds. However, as with transaxillary breast incisions, because the surgeon is working further away from the breast it is a more complicated procedure to perform and so there is a greater risk of asymmetry occurring.

Also, due to the nature of the procedure itself, your recovery time may be slightly extended with pain around your breasts in addition to your stomach region. A transumbilical incision cannot be reused at a later date, and only saline implants can be inserted through the incision made.

A very rare, although serious, side effect of TUBA is that if the tunnels made from your belly button to your breasts do not heal properly, or heal fully, you could be left with visible track marks than run up your abdomen. These marks will eventually heal, but in some people they may leave a slight and permanent depression in the skin.

If you want to have transumbilical breast augmentation, only have this procedure done with a surgeon who has done it before and is well experienced in this technique, as otherwise you run the risk of having a disastrous result and a disfigured body.

Why Do You Want Plastic Surgery?

The reasons given for wanting breast implants are varied and diverse. Some women want breast implants because they don’t like the way they look to themselves, whilst others get implants because they don’t like the way they look to other people such as their partner.

Below we examine some of the most common reasons that women give for wanting breast implants. If you find that any of these reasons apply to you, and you are currently thinking of having breast surgery, then there is a good chance that a plastic surgeon will be able to help you to look and feel better about yourself.

I Want Cosmetic Surgery Because I Feel Abnormal

Some women who have small or flat breasts feel inadequate or abnormal when they compare themselves to friends or movie stars with fuller chests. Fortunately, it is quite easy to enlarge flat or small breasts, but most surgeons will refuse to operate on people aged under 18 or whose breasts have not yet been given enough time to develop fully.

If you are over 18 with fully developed breasts, a surgeon may still refuse to operate on you if they suspect that you are suffering with body dysmorphic disorder. In such cases, you may be asked to see a psychologist or psychiatrist before the surgeon will agree to carry out your procedure.

I Want Bigger Breasts For My Partner

Small breasts can sometimes cause intimacy issues with the opposite sex and a reduction in confidence. However, this tends to vary depending on what country you are in. For example, in France, smaller breasts are generally regarded as being more attractive, whereas in America, it is the other way around where larger breasts are favored.

If you are considering breast enlargement surgery, make sure that you are doing it because you want to and are not being forced into it by someone else. If you agree to an enlargement that you are not entirely happy with, you are likely to regret your decision later on especially if you split with your partner.

I Want Bigger Breasts To Look Better In Clothes

One of the most common reasons women give for wanting breast implants is to look better in their clothes and to have more confidence wearing particular outfits.

If you want breast implants for this reason, first decide whether you are willing to undergo cosmetic surgery just to look better in clothes. There are other ways to achieve bigger breasts without surgery, such as by wearing padded bras or bra implants, so be absolutely sure that plastic surgery is your only and best option before you make a full commitment to it.

You also need to take into account everything else that goes along with surgery such as cost, recovery and the eventual scars that will be permanently left on your body. If you are willing to accept all this, then you will probably end up being very happy with your enlarged breasts.

I Want To Correct Uneven Breasts

If you have one breast that is slightly larger than the other, a breast implant under the smaller breast can enlarge it and even up the size difference making your breasts look more symmetrical.

If you want both breasts enlarged but have one that is noticeably different from the other, your best bet for enlargement and to restore symmetry may be to have saline implants because they can be very finely adjusted to accommodate for differences in breast sizes.

I Want Plastic Surgery Because I Have Saggy Breasts

Although saggy breasts can occur early in life as a result of your genetics, most saggy breasts tend to occur in older women due to a loss of skin elasticity.

Breast implants can be used to very effectively increase the fullness and volume of saggy breasts, but for breasts which are very saggy, a breast lift in addition to augmentation may be required which will significantly bump up the cost of your surgery.

My Breasts Have An Unusual Shape

Oddly shaped breasts are usually a result of genetics, but they can also occur as a result of a previous breast surgery that went wrong.

Under the hands of a good cosmetic surgeon, oddly shaped breasts can be corrected to make them look like regular breasts. There may however, be more scarring left behind than with a regular augmentation procedure depending on the current size, shape, position and fullness of your breasts.

I Want Breast Implants Because I Want Bigger Breasts

Some women who have breast implants later decide that they want bigger breasts. In order to do this, they must undergo a revision breast augmentation surgery.

Generally, replacing smaller implants with larger implants is a relatively straightforward procedure. But, replacing larger implants with smaller implants can be a bit trickier to perform because the surgeon may have to remove some skin from the breast, so be very careful how large you choose to go.

With revision surgeries, a plastic surgeon will try to use the previous incision location so that no scarring is left elsewhere on the body. This is easiest to do with an inframammary incision, and to some extent, with a periareolar incision. Incisions made under the armpits or in the belly button however, generally cannot be reused and so the surgeon will need to make a new incision line leaving a new scar.

Recovering From Breast Enlargement Surgery

Just like with any other type of cosmetic surgery, you can greatly improve the results that you get from your breast augmentation by following the instructions given to you by your surgeon and by taking adequate steps to prepare yourself for the recovery period.

Some of the main things that you can expect to happen during your recovery are listed below.

Dressings

After your breast enlargement surgery you will have to wear a special surgical bra or medical compression bra for a few days. This is designed to support your breasts and to keep your dressings in place.

You will have to wear the surgical bra for the recommended amount of time as suggested by your surgeon. During this period it is important that you keep it clean and change your dressings when required. Wearing the compression bra will help to speed up the healing process by minimizing swelling, increasing blood flow and improving the drainage of lymphatic fluid around the chest.

Pain

Breast augmentation surgery is an invasive form of plastic surgery. As a result, you should expect some amount of pain during the recovery period. Fortunately, you will be given pain medication to help deal with the pain, so you should experience more discomfort rather than actual pain.

Some people however, will experience a lot of pain from their surgery even with their pain medication. This is most likely to be the case in the early mornings and at night when the pain medication is wearing off.

In some cases, you may also develop a tolerance to your pain medication and require stronger medication to ease your pain. The likelihood of this happening though is fairly low, as you should only be using your medication for a short period of time.

Finally, if your procedure involved under the muscle placement of an implant, then you can expect to be in more pain and discomfort than someone who underwent over the muscle or subglandular placement.

Rest

After any kind of surgery you should schedule some time out to rest and recover. During this time make sure that you have everything you will need at hand such as food and entertainment, and if possible, someone on call to come and help you out when you need assistance.

At a minimum, you are looking at a week off work for recovery, possibly two weeks if you underwent a submuscular augmentation procedure. Ideally, rest should occur on your back lying down in an elevated position for the first week. This can be achieved by placing a wedge pillow behind your back.

Swelling

After your surgery, your breasts are likely to feel swollen and heavy. During the first few days you will experience the most amount of pain and this pain will gradually lessen and pass in about a month’s time. However, it can take several months for the swelling of your breasts to completely go down.

To help reduce swelling after breast augmentation surgery, you may find it helpful to apply a cold compress to your swollen areas. This can be done quite easily with some frozen vegetables wrapped in a kitchen towel.

Bromelain, a pineapple enzyme, can be taken for 1-2 weeks post surgery to reduce your swelling. Turmeric, or curcumin, can also be very beneficial for this purpose. If you decide to take bromelain or turmeric however, be sure to ask your surgeon if it is ok for you to do so.

Tightness

Depending on the procedure you have done and the size of your breast implants, your breasts may feel tight or overly firm. This is normal, as it usually takes a few weeks before your breasts adapt to their new size and your skin and muscles stretch.

Nerve Numbness

It is not uncommon to experience a loss of sensitivity around the nipple area following surgery. In most cases, sensitivity will be restored within a few days and fully restored within a few weeks or months. However, in a small number of cases, the loss of breast sensitivity is permanent.

Breast Shape

Immediately after your surgery you may think that your breast implants have been inserted too high up on the chest. This is normal, as it will take a few days for your implants to drop into the correct position. In general, implants settle fastest when they have been inserted subglandularly and slowest when they have been inserted in a full submuscular position.

Bruising

Bruising will be visible predominantly along the incision lines that have been made on the breasts. This bruising should go down very quickly and disappear within the first few days, but if you notice bruising that lasts for longer than this, you should report it to your surgeon as it may be an indication of something more serious.

Scarring

Your scars will appear when the incision wounds have fully healed. At the start, your incisions will appear as a red line that looks inflamed but this will quickly settle down within a few days. Your main concern during this period should be to look after your incision wounds as best as possible, as how well they heal will determine the resulting scars that you are left with.

Traditionally, vitamin E has been recommended for topical application to wounds to reduce scarring. However, there is no actual scientific evidence which states that vitamin E is good for wound healing or that it reduces scarring. Some studies even suggest that it can make scarring worse.

So rather than taking the risk of making your scars worse, you might want to try applying a topical vitamin C serum to your wounds as that has been shown to be beneficial. Ideally, this should be a not irritating form of vitamin C such as tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate rather than ascorbic acid.

You may also want to consider the use of silicone scar dressings, which again are supported by scientific evidence that backups up their effectiveness in reducing scar formation. Such dressing are used in burn centers, hospitals and by plastic surgeons so your surgeon should be well aware of what they are.

Some supplements that you may wish to take internally to assist and speed up the wound healing process are vitamin E, vitamin C, lysine, proline and zinc.

Physical Activities

Your first week of recovery should be spent mainly resting in bed, getting up to walk around when you feel able to do so. You do not want to spend the whole day in bed though, as this could result in the development of a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or blood clot in the lower muscles of the legs. This could potentially be fatal if it travels to the vessels supplying your lungs with blood (i.e. a pulmonary embolism).

During the second week you also want to be taking things easy, but you may feel that you are now capable of doing more. Be careful not to over exert yourself and avoid doing anything that would cause you to get out of breath.

If you want to exercise, you may be able to do some light forms of exercise such as walking, but you shouldn’t be doing anything like running or playing tennis until at least a month after your surgery.

Getting Used To Your New Body

With breast enlargement surgery there will be a greater projection of your breasts from the chest as a result of the implants. Be careful for the first few weeks after your surgery because you may accidentally bump your breasts, such as when opening a cupboard door or when leaning forward towards something, which could then affect how your breasts heal and possibly even cause them to heal misshapen.

Risks & Complications

Providing you go to a well-trained, experienced and trusted cosmetic surgeon, the risk of something going wrong whilst having breast augmentation surgery is relatively low. However, you should still be aware of some of the things that could happen either during or after your surgery before you decide to commit to having your breasts enlarged.

Below you will find some of the main risks and complications associated with breast augmentation surgery.

Note: If you have breast enlargement surgery alongside another plastic surgery procedure, such as thigh lift surgery or face lift surgery, the risk of complications occurring will be increased as will your recovery time.

Capsule Formation

Capsule formation occurs when scar tissue develops around the breast implant and hardens. This may result in the breast itself hardening or becoming deformed in severe cases. Capsule formation is thought to occur as a result of the type of breast implant used. For example, capsule formation used to occur in 30-40% of women who had breast implants. But now, that number has dropped to about 5%.

So although the risk of breast hardening and deformity is much lower than it once was, this is still something that you should be aware of as it still posses a very real risk to women undergoing breast augmentation surgery.

The risk of a capsular contraction tends to be lower when textured implants are used and when implants are placed in a submuscular position.

Postoperative Bleeding

Because breast augmentation surgery is an invasive procedure that involves cutting through skin, there is a risk that blood vessels may become damaged causing them to bleed during the procedure and after the procedure.

In most cases, this will only result in minor postoperative bleeding that doesn’t produce much blood or bleed for very long. In such cases, you probably won’t even notice the bleeding.

There is a risk however, that more severe and prolonged bleeding can occur. This can cause the breast to swell, become tender and eventually feel painful. Under such circumstances the blood will need to be drained off.

Loss Of Sensation

There are nerves that surround the breast, especially around the nipples and areola region. Since the surgeon can’t see these nerves, there is a risk that they can become damaged during surgery leading to decreased sensitivity or a complete loss of sensitivity of the breasts.

In most cases, sensitivity problems tend to go away within a year or so. But in about 5% of cases, the loss of breast sensitivity is permanent which can then affect sexual arousal responses.

Breast Implant Failure

If you have a saline filled breast implant, then even the smallest hole could cause the implant to completely deflate. In some cases, the implant itself may be defective as the valve may not seal properly which then causes the implant to slowly deflate over time.

With defective implants, the breast implant will need to be replaced. This will require a second surgery and you will have one breast visibly bigger than the other until your revision breast surgery has been completed.

The good news is that you won’t have to pay for new implants providing that your implants became defective within the warranty period, which is usually set at 10 years. You may still however, have to pay for the cost of another surgery unless your plastic surgeon offers revision surgeries for free.

Scarring

A good cosmetic surgeon will try to make incisions in regions of the breast where they can be hidden by natural folds or lines in the skin. However, since everyone heals differently, it can be difficult to predict exactly how the resulting scars from those incisions will heal.

In most cases, scarring will become barely noticeable after 1-2 years. Although in some cases, the scar may look very unsightly and may need to be cut out with the skin re-sutured and then laser resurfaced at a later date.

Breast Asymmetry

Breast asymmetry tends to be one of the most common problems associated with breast augmentation surgery. It occurs when one breast looks bigger than the other and can be due to the wrong implants being used or an inexperienced surgeon.

Generally, women naturally tend to have slightly different sized breasts, so the surgeon will usually provide two different sized implants when carrying out the procedure.

However, sometimes the size difference is so small that it cannot be accommodated for with the implants that have been selected. For example, gel implants come in certain size increments and those sizes will be all the surgeon has to choose from. Saline water filled implants however, can be micro adjusted to create perfectly symmetrical breasts.

The risk of suffering from asymmetry tends to be greatest when implants are inserted from either underneath the arm in the armpit or from the belly button.

Infection

As with any type of surgery there is a risk of infection. Fortunately, the use of antibiotics has greatly reduced postoperative breast infections. But the risk is still there, and so you should take steps to ensure that your wounds are kept clean during the recovery period.

Remember, just because you are on antibiotics it doesn’t mean that you can’t get infected. Antibiotics will only reduce your risk of infection not eliminate it completely.