Refine the Shape and Size of your Breasts through Breast Augmentation

Breast augmentation is a surgical procedure that uses implants to refine the shape and size of the breasts. Recently, the FDA has lifted the restriction on the use of silicone implants allowing patients the choice between silicone and saline breast augmentation.

There is no specific operation that will work for every combination of variables; you will be best served by a doctor who will offer you several approaches and will work with you to decide what is best for you. Breast augmentation has seen a dramatic increase in popularity over the past three years, a testimony to the high satisfaction rate that most women give to the results.

There is considerable controversy among surgeons over breast implants, particularly those related to decisions about size and shape. The size and shape are decisions that are mostly subjective and are governed by prevailing taste. Adding to the confusion is the fact that nobody really agrees about what the appropriate size of the ideal breast actually is.

To resolve these issues, surgeons first perform detailed measurements and estimate a reasonable implant volume, based upon the tissue characteristics that we measure. This size becomes our starting point for the next step of their process.

To help patients better visualize the suggested volume, some doctors choose to have them use 'sizer' bras with different sized sizer implants to demonstrate the effects on them. By standing in front of a mirror with these sizers in their own clothes, patients can more appropriately appreciate what is ideal for them. Within reason, the surgeon will generally let their patients pick their own size implants. If the patient’s choice differs dramatically from what surgeons think tissues will accept, they will try to compromise. It is paternalistic of them to choose the 'correct' implant size for a patient. What the surgeon may think is the right size may have nothing to do with what women think is the right size. It is far more important to please the patient’s body image than my sense of beauty.

By combining the biodimensional measurements with the patient trial sizers, they are now able to have uniformly happy patients and have greatly reduced implant size exchanges. Recovery time depends on the type of procedure and ranges from two days to one week. The discomfort ranges from mild, when the implant is placed above the muscle, to moderate, when the implant is placed below the muscle.