Breast ImplantsAbout The Procedure
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Breast Implant surgery is the third most commonly performed cosmetic surgical procedure in the United States. A breast implant or breast augmentation is a prosthesis used to enlarge the size of a woman's breasts or to reconstruct the breast after a mastectomy or to correct genetic deformities.
There are two primary types of Breast Implants: saline and silicone gel implants. Saline implants have a silicone rubber shell filled with sterile saline liquid. Silicone gel implants have a silicone shell filled with a viscous silicone gel. Other materials used less frequently for breast augmentation include soybean oil and polypropylene string.
Procedure Description
The type of Breast Implant used will depend on the patient's anatomy and the surgeon's recommendation. The incision is made either in the crease where the breast meets the chest, around the areola (the dark skin surrounding the nipple), or in the armpit. The location of the incision will be made to make resulting scars as subtle as possible. Working through the incision, the surgeon lifts the breast tissue and skin to create a pocket, either directly behind the breast tissue or underneath the chest wall muscle (the pectoral muscle). The implants are then centered beneath the nipples.
Best Candidates for Breast Implants
Breast Implant candidates must be in good health, have no active diseases or serious, pre-existing medical conditions, and must have realistic expectations of the outcome of the surgery. The best candidates for breast augmentation are women who are looking for improvement in the way they look.
Length of the Procedure
Breast Implants usually take 1-and-one-half to 2 hours, depending on the extent of the procedure.
Anesthesia
Breast Implants are typically performed under general anesthesia.
Inpatient or Outpatient?
Breast Implants are typically performed on an outpatient basis.
Possible Side Effects
Breast Implants oftentime result in temporary soreness, swelling, change in nipple sensation, and/or bruising. Breasts are sensitive to stimulation for a few weeks.
Recovery
After Breast Implant surgery, patients are back to work in a few days or more. Limited exercise can generally begin after two weeks.
Duration of Results
Breast Implant results are long lasting. If an implant ruptures it should be replaced as soon as possible to prevent contractures.
Risks
The most common problem with Breast Implant surgery, capsular contracture, occurs if the scar or capsule around the implant begins to tighten. This squeezing of the soft implant can cause the breast to feel hard. Capsular contracture can be treated in several ways, and sometimes requires either removal or "scoring" of the scar tissue, or perhaps removal or replacement of the implant. A small percentage of women develop an infection around an implant. This may occur at any time, but is most often seen within a week after surgery. In some cases, the implant may need to be removed for several months until the infection clears. A new implant can then be inserted.
Breast Implants may break or leak. Rupture can occur as a result of injury or even from the normal compression and movement of the breast and implant, causing the man-made shell to leak.
If a saline-filled implant breaks, the implant will deflate in a few hours and the salt water will be harmlessly absorbed by the body. If a break occurs in a gel-filled implant, however, one of two things may occur. If the shell breaks but the scar capsule around the implant does not, you may not detect any change. If the scar also breaks or tears, especially following extreme pressure, silicone gel may move into surrounding tissue. The gel may collect in the breast and cause a new scar to form around it, or it may migrate to another area of the body. There may be a change in the shape or firmness of the breast. Both types of breaks may require a second operation and replacement of the leaking implant. In some cases, it may not be possible to remove all of the silicone gel in the breast tissue if a rupture should occur.
Breast Implants may also change the way mammography is done to detect cancer. Breast Implant patients need to be sure to go to a radiology center where technicians are experienced in the special techniques required to get a reliable x-ray of a breast with an implant when requesting a routine mammogram.
Cost
Expect to pay $6,000 to $8,000 for Breast Implants.
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