Breast Augmentation in Charlotte - Breast Implants in Gastonia

The goals of Breast Augmentation

Women may consider breast augmentation surgery for many reasons. These include the desire to have larger, shapelier breasts to recovering breast shape and volume lost due to childbirth and age. Women also use breast implants in breast reconstruction after mastectomy.
Breast augmentation surgery can:

• Increase breast size and improve breast shape
• Bring a sense of balance and symmetry to your body
• Bolster self-esteem and confidence

The actual procedure, called augmentation mammaplasty, involves surgically inserting a breast implant under either the fat and breast tissue of the existing breast or under the pectoralis muscle, which lies just beneath the breast.

What Breast Augmentation won’t do

Breast augmentation surgery is a very specific surgery that can fulfill your desire to have larger, fuller breasts. However, if your breasts have significant sagging, augmentation alone will not be the right procedure for you. A breast lift is necessary if there is significant sagging of the breasts. This operation can be combined with breast implants in many cases. There are different types of breast lifts available depending on your specific needs and your surgeons’ experience. Your surgeon will consult with you on the various possibilities available to you.

Is it right for me?

The decision to undergo breast implants surgery is one that you should carefully consider. As with any cosmetic surgical procedure, be sure that your motivations are appropriate and are geared toward fulfilling and enhancing your own sense of innate beauty and self-image.

Breast augmentation surgery can be a good option for those who:

• Are physically healthy
• Have realistic expectations
• Have fully developed breasts
• Feel the desire for larger, fuller breasts
• Wish to restore their breasts back toward pre-childbirth condition and improve the natural sagging produced by age and fluctuations in weight
• Have uneven, asymmetrical or misshapen breasts

You should consider how breast augmentation will affect your lifestyle and self-image. Carefully consider your expectations for size and shape. Your surgeon will help you decide if your goals can be obtained. You and your surgeon will also review:

• General medical history, including any genetic propensity for breast cancer, results of previous mammogram’s and any previous surgeries
• A detailed account of current prescription medications, supplements (vitamins or others) that you take
• Any use of tobacco or other drugs
• What are your motivations for surgery? What are your expectations?

The Consultation
During your consultation you should share with your surgeon your goals and concerns. If you have photographs of results that you like, bring them along to help us better understand your goals. You will have time to see a short (10-12 minutes) informational video on breast augmentation. Most consultations last at least 30 minutes and will allow you time to review photographs of patients on whom your surgeon has operated. This is the time to ask questions and share your expectations with your surgeon. Other issues that will be evaluated/discussed during your consultation include:

• Evaluate your current health
• Examine the condition of your pre-operative breasts for size, shape and irregularities and photograph your breasts
• Based on the information gathered, your surgeon will discuss your surgical options and recommend a course of treatment
• Disclose the risk of common complications associated with breast augmentation surgery and the use of anesthesia
• Cover what to do the day of surgery
• Cover post-operative care and recovery

Preparing for surgery

In the weeks before surgery, your surgeon may request:

• Laboratory testing or medical evaluations
• Adjusting current prescriptions
• That you get a mammogram pre and post surgery to document any changes in breast tissues
• That you avoid the consumption of alcohol, drugs and abstain from smoking for a certain period surrounding surgery
• That you refrain from certain medications including diet pills, aspirin, and other anti-inflammatory agents.

We will also help you decide upon the location of your surgery. The operation is usually performed in the privacy of our AAAASF certified operating room. Certain patients may have a medical condition that necessitates that the operation be performed at a different facility. Your surgeon will carefully discuss the options with you.

Anesthesia

At our AAAASF facility we use deep intravenous sedation with a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) in addition to local anesthesia at the operative site. The CRNA is able to carefully monitor your breathing, airway, and vital signs while delivering anesthesia to keep you asleep. You should not be aware of anything while under anesthesia. If the operation is done at the hospital outpatient facility, general anesthesia is usually administered. We realize how important safe and effective anesthesia is and make it a primary objective in providing your care.

The Incision

Several incisions can be used to place your beast implant. Each of these options has potential advantages and drawbacks. No matter where the incision is located, it will be in a hidden area to minimize visible scarring. The most common incisions include the periareolar and inframammary approaches. The axillary incision is another possible option, but is used infrequently by our surgeons because of potential drawbacks. You will discuss these different options in detail during your consultation.

Implant choice

You and your surgeon will spend considerable time deciding upon the size, shape, and type of implant that best achieves your goals. It is therefore very important to have considered what size and shape you’re trying to achieve with a breast augmentation (and/or lift). It is important to be honest with your surgeon regarding the results you want to achieve, so that your surgeon can determine the best ‘fit’ for you based on your anatomical scale, proportion and skin elasticity. We strive to achieve your goals; however they cannot always be met. Your current breast shape, skin quality, and size are the primary determinants of your final result.

Several types of prosthetic breast implants are available. Silicone gel and saline implants have both been approved for use by the FDA. Each of these options has potential advantages as well as shortcomings. Both implant types offer multiple size and shape variations to fit to your individual needs. Both implant types consist of a shell which is filled with either saline (sterile salt water) or silicone gel. Silicone implants tend to feel softer and more natural. Implant rippling is also less common with silicone implants. Silicone implants must generally be placed through the inframammary incision as they come prefilled and are extremely difficult to place via other incisions without significant trauma to their shells. Implant rupture rates are relatively similar between saline and silicone, with those of silicone implants being slightly lower. Since saline implants are essentially water, rupture of the implant is readily noted because of the natural absorption of saline by the body. Silicone implant ruptures are difficult to diagnose. It is for this reason that the FDA recommends periodic MRI scans to evaluate for silicone implant rupture. If either type of implant ruptures, it will need to be removed and replaced. Both of the two FDA approved manufacturers of implants in the United States (Mentor and Allergan) provide a lifetime warranty for rupture of your breast implants. Depending on the timeframe of the rupture and your specific situation, they may also cover a portion of the anesthesia and facility fees to replace the implants.

Inserting and placing the implant

The implant is inserted through the incision and placed either:

• Under the breast muscle (sub-muscular), or
• Behind the fatty tissue of the breast, over the breast muscle (sub-glandular)

Silicone implants are inserted fully inflated or filled, which oftentimes necessitates a larger incision, whereas the saline implant is usually inserted empty and then inflated after it has been placed in the surgically breast pocket.

There are certain advantages to each of these implant positions. You surgeon will review these with you during your consultation.

Results

Although you will notice an immediate change in the shape and size of your breasts, the final result will often take 3 to 4 months to achieve. There is usually a significant amount of swelling initially and the skin and soft tissues must stretch and accommodate to the new implant. Your current breast type and soft tissues will have a significant impact on the time to ultimate shape and size.

Important facts about the safety and risks of breast augmentation

You should talk to your surgeon, do individual research, and carefully consider your motivations for breast augmentation. Ultimately, the decision to undergo breast augmentation surgery is yours alone. After careful consideration of both the risks and benefits of surgery, you’ll have to weigh the risks against the potential benefits to make an informed decision. Your surgeon and his staff will go over most of the potential risks of surgery and will make themselves available to answer any and all of your questions.
Here is a listing of some of the risks associated with breast implants surgery:

• Adverse scarring
• Excessive bleeding (hematoma)
• Infection
• Complications associated with scar healing, including pain associated with surgery
• Potential loss of breast sensation, which can be either permanent or temporary
• Capsular contracture, which is the hardening of scar tissue surrounding the implant itself
• Leakage or rupture of the implant
• Wrinkling of the skin over the implant
• Potential risks of anesthesia use
• Blood clots
• Need for reoperation or revision
• Possible inability to breast feed

Other important considerations:

• While the implants themselves are guaranteed specifically for leakage, replacement or revision surgery may be required due to any number of factors, including weight gain or loss, pregnancy, capsular contracture, rippling of the implant, and fluctuations in hormones, among others. Once again, check with your surgeon for all potential risks so you can make an informed decision.

Recovery

Recovery is a very individualized process, but there are some common effects one can expect. Bruising and swelling are normal. Recovery time is different for everyone, but a minimum of 5-7 days of resting with limited physical activity is recommended. In addition, observance of 14 days without strenuous physical exercise is essential, in order for the incisions to heal, minimize the risks of bleeding, and to allow the swelling to subside. Increasing your fluid intake and mild exercise such as easy walking is recommended.
Questions to ask your doctor before surgery:

• Where will I recover directly after surgery?
• Will I be prescribed any post-surgery medications?
• How often do my bandages need to be changed and when will they be removed permanently?
• When can I shower?
• Do my stitches need to be removed?
• How soon will I need to return for a follow-up visit?

Things to consider during your recovery:
After surgery, you should closely monitor how you feel, especially directly after surgery. It is important that you have a responsible adult with you for at least the first 24 hours. Varying degrees of pain are to be expected, however, if you experience any kind of tightness or shortness of breath, pains deep in your chest or an irregular heart beat you should call your doctor immediately.

How much will breast augmentation surgery cost?
Cost depends on many varying factors, including the experience of the surgeon, the type of implants being used and the location of the procedure. Be sure to interview several surgeons when doing your research so you can get a clear picture of your options. Oftentimes, higher cost is not indicative of higher quality; but, it can also be said that you get what you pay for. Silicone implants cost somewhat more than do saline implants. A written price quote will be provided during your consultation.
Costs you can expect to incur:

• Surgeon’s fee
• Facility fee
• Anesthesiologist
• Cost of implants
• Medications
• Laboratory tests

In addition, you may finance your surgery, should you desire, through Surgeryloans.com. (We also work with CareCredit)
If you have ANY questions, just ask your surgeon or his staff. Getting breast augmentation is a big decision and it’s important to become fully informed. The Breast Implants Chatlotte specialists of Southeastern Plastic Surgery will answer any questions you may have about Breast Augmentation surgery. Click here to contact Dr. Emerson & Dr. Timmons and setup a consultation today!