Breast Augmentation Surgery
Breast Augmentation surgery is usually performed as an outpatient procedure and takes one to two hours to complete. General anesthesia allows patients to sleep throughout the procedure. Some pain after surgery is normal and usually subsides quickly. Risks and possible complications include general surgical risks as well as those specific to surgery using breast implants.
During breast augmentation surgery, or augmentation mammaplasty, breast implants are inserted into a pocket behind the breast tissues, positioned beneath the nipples and the incisions closed with stitches. The implants expand the breast area to provide a fuller appearance, more cleavage and an enhanced contour.
Breast Augmentation Incisions
The surgery is usually performed on an outpatient basis and takes from one to two hours to complete. General anesthesia is usually administered to ensure that the patient sleeps through the entire procedure.
Breast implants are inserted through an incision in the crease beneath the breast, around the nipple, in the armpit or around the belly button. Incisions for saline breast implants are usually only about one inch long because the implant is rolled up, inserted empty and then filled with sterile saline solution. Incisions for silicone gel implants are generally longer because the implants are pre-filled. The two most common locations for the incision are in the crease where the breast meets the chest (inframmamary fold incision) and around the nipple (peri-areolar incision).
Breast Implant Placement
Breast implants are inserted to a placement site either over, partially under, or completely under the pectoralis muscle in the chest to expand the breast contour. Over the muscle placement tends to create more distinct cleavage and a more rounded appearance. Implants placed partially under the muscle are usually less rounded and provide a more natural shape in the upper portion of the breasts.
Post-Surgery
Most women experience some pain due to stretching of the breast tissues after surgery. The pain usually subsides quickly during the first 48 hours after surgery and is relieved by pain medication prescribed by your plastic surgeon.
Most patients are able to return home within a few hours and return to work within a few days. Any dressings are removed after several days and stitches are removed in seven to ten days. Patients may experience a burning sensation in the nipples for about two weeks and swelling in the breasts may persist for three to five weeks.
Most women are able to successfully breastfeed following breast augmentation. If you may want to breastfeed in the future, let the plastic surgeon know when you go in for your consultation. The inframammary fold and transaxillary incisions may be the best choices for women who plan to breastfeed because the milk ducts located behind the nipple are left relatively undisturbed.
Risks and Possible Complications
Complications from breast augmentation surgery are infrequent, but all surgeries carry some degree of risk. The most common risks and possible complications include capsular contracture, excessive bleeding, infection, changes in sensitivity and deflation or rupture. Complications after surgery are not experienced by most women, but should be reviewed as part of your decision-making process.