Breast augmentation is a surgery to increase the size or change the shape of your breasts.
Complications are rare, but no procedure is completely free of risk. If you are planning to have a breast augmentation, your doctor will review a list of possible complications, which may include:
Factors that may increase the risk of complications include:
This is an elective surgery. If you have any illnesses or you are in poor health for any reason, you should not undergo this procedure.
Silicone filled breast implants are not designed to last a lifetime. They typically need to be removed within 10 years. Your risk for complications increases the longer you have the implants.
You may be asked to provide the doctor with a picture of a woman whose breasts you want yours to resemble. You may be asked to look through an album of breast sizes and shapes to help the doctor understand the outcome you desire.
Your doctor may do the following:
Talk to your doctor about your medicines. You may be asked to stop taking some medicines or herbal supplements up to one week before the procedure, like:
Leading up to your procedure:
Local anesthesia may be used, but general anesthesia is usually used. With general anesthesia, you will be asleep. With local anesthesia, the selected area will be numb.
A cut in the skin will be made either underneath your breast, alongside the areola (pigmented area around the nipple), in your underarm, or in your belly button. An implant or prosthesis will be placed through the incision. The implant can contain silicone gel or can be filled with salt water (saline) after it is placed. It may be placed between the skin/breast tissue and the muscle, underneath the fascia (connective tissue of the muscle), or under the muscle itself. You may or may not have a drainage tube placed around the implant. The incision will be closed with stitches and bandaged. The same procedure may be repeated for the other breast.
Side View of Breast Implantation
Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.
About 1-2 hours
Anesthesia prevents pain during surgery. You may have some bruising and tenderness of the breasts for several weeks after surgery. Talk to your doctor about medicine to help manage the pain.
This procedure may be done in the hospital or surgery center. It may be possible to leave the hospital or surgery center on the same day of the procedure, or you may be asked to stay overnight in the hospital. Speak to your doctor about your options.
Be sure that you follow-up with your doctor. For silicone gel implants, you will need routine MRI screenings to check for ruptures (tears or holes in the implant). The screenings are typically done three years after surgery and every two years after that.
After you leave the hospital, contact your doctor if any of the following occurs:
In case of an emergency, call for medical help right away.
RESOURCES:
American Society of Plastic Surgeons
http://www.plasticsurgery.org/
Breastimplantinfo.org
http://www.breastimplantinfo.org/
CANADIAN RESOURCES:
Canadian Society of Plastic Surgery
http://www.plasticsurgery.ca/
Women's Health Matters
http://www.womenshealthmatters.ca/
References:
Breast augmentation. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery website. Available at: http://surgery.org/public/procedures-breastaug.php . Accessed October 14, 2005.
Sabiston DC Jr. Textbook of Surgery . 17th ed. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders Co.; 2004.
Sabiston DC Jr. Textbook of Surgery . 15th ed. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders Co.; 1997.
Silicone gel-filled breast implants: updated safety information. US Food and Drug Administration website. Available at: http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm260235.htm . Published June 22, 2011. Accessed July 1, 2011.
Spear SL. Surgery of the breast. Principles and art . 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 2005.
6/2/2011 DynaMed's Systematic Literature Surveillance DynaMed's Systematic Literature Surveillance : Mills E, Eyawo O, Lockhart I, Kelly S, Wu P, Ebbert JO. Smoking cessation reduces postoperative complications: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Med. 2011;124(2):144-154.e8.
7/1/2011 DynaMed's Systematic Literature Surveillance DynaMed's Systematic Literature Surveillance : FDA provides updated safety data on silicone gel-filled breast implants. US Food and Drug Administration website. Available at: http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm260235.htm . Published June 22, 2011. Accessed July 1, 2011.
Last reviewed October 2012 by Marcin Chwistek, MD
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Copyright © 2012 EBSCO Publishing All rights reserved.
