Eight important questions to consider when going for breast augmentation:
The first question is what look do you want? Do you want a natural subtle look or do you want a more unnatural, obvious appearance? It’s important to get your preference down and to communicate that to your surgeon.
The second question is do you want silicone implants or do you want saline implants? Now, silicone implants are filled with a thick, silicone gel. It allows it to feel softer and feel more natural. Whereas saline implants; they’re filled with salt water. They tend to ripple more and also, sometimes they’ve been called “water balloons.” So for these reasons, most women prefer silicone implants. They’re FDA approved and they’re safe.
The third point is what implant shape should you get? You either have a round shape or an anatomic or form-stable shape. The anatomic implants are basically teardrop shaped implants. They’re bottom heavy unlike the round implants, which are full evenly and uniformly.
OK the fourth question and a very important question is what implant size and volume should you get? And so, this is largely dependent on your examination where breast measurements are obtained and serves as an initial guide to your implant selection. Beyond that, I like to have my patients try on different implant sizers and look in the mirror. This basically helps them determine the look that they want.
The fifth question is what implant profile should you get? The implant profile is basically how much the implant sticks out. So you have extra-full, full, moderate and low profiles. The low profiles are going to be flatter whereas the extra-full profiles are going to be more projected. This is a matter of preference.
The sixth question is what implant surface should you get? You either have a smooth surface or a textured surface. The smooth surface is most commonly used. However, the textured surface is used in certain situations – it tends to decrease the risk of capsular contracture. However, it’s a moot point if you’re placing the implant under the muscle. Also, it’s used for anatomic implants in order to prevent them from rotating or flipping over. It tends to keep them in place. The downside to textured surface implants is that they feel stiffer. They tend to ripple more. And also, recent reports show a small association with ALCL, a rare form of lymphoma.
OK, the seventh question is where do you put the incision? The two most common incision locations for breast augmentation are at the breast crease or infra-mammary fold and also the areola border. Less commonly, an incision can be placed at the armpit. We do not recommend placing the incision at the belly button.
The last question is where do you put the implant? What plane do you put it in? Do you put it above or below the muscle? Commonly, the implant is placed under the muscle in a sub-muscular dual plane. The advantages of this is that it gives you a more natural result. It decreases the risk of capsular contracture and there’s less interference with future interpretation of mammograms. There are a few situations where you may want to put the implant above the muscle. If you’re a body builder and if you’re super ripped and you have big pec. major muscles, it’s probably best to put the implant above the muscle in order to avoid an animation deformity.
Well, there you go! Those are eight important considerations and questions to ask when going for breast augmentation.
