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What Is Breast Augmentation? Learn about the Procedure and Its Benefits

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, there are approximately 300,000 breast augmentation procedures in the United States each year. Patients choose breast augmentation surgery for various reasons, but they all share a desire to get the upper body they’ve always wanted. 

At The Image Center, we offer breast augmentation surgery for those who want to increase breast size as well as for those who want to regain lost volume after pregnancy or illness. But what is breast augmentation and what can it offer?

What Is Breast Augmentation?

Breast augmentation, which is also called an augmentation mammoplasty, is a surgical procedure meant to increase breast size or to make your breasts more symmetrical. To create fullness in your breasts, we can use fat from other areas of your body, or we’ll use the more traditional and popular implants made of saline or silicone. 

Breast augmentation surgery can help you achieve the size you want and regain your breast size after:

  • Significant weight loss
  • Pregnancy
  • Breastfeeding

If you have uneven breasts or breasts that did not develop correctly, breast augmentation surgery can help there, too. If you’ve had a mastectomy or suffered an injury, this surgery can help with the reconstruction of your breasts. 

For women who have severely drooping breasts, we recommend choosing a breast augmentation and pairing it with a breast lift. In many instances, we can perform these two surgeries at the same time. 

The best candidates for breast augmentation surgery are women who:

  • Have overall good health
  • Have realistic expectations
  • Are not pregnant or breastfeeding
  • Have fully developed breasts
  • Have asymmetrical breasts

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, if you have cancer, or if you have had an abnormal mammogram, we do not recommend this surgery. 

Benefits of Breast Augmentation Surgery

A breast augmentation surgery will allow you to get the full, symmetrical breasts you want. This is particularly important for women who have had mastectomies or who have seen a change in their breasts’ fullness as they age. 

Breast augmentation provides long-lasting results. Breast implants last for years. Most breast implants, whether saline or silicone, can last anywhere from 10 to 20 years. 

If you’d like more pleasing cleavage but find that you show more sternum than anything else, a breast augmentation can help. You can ask us to place the implants in a way that they enhance your cleavage. 

As you age, breasts can begin to sag. By getting breast implants, your body can look younger, and you can even appear to have better posture. 

Preparing for Breast Augmentation Surgery

To begin the process, simply schedule a consultation with us. During this consultation, we will ask for a full medical history, including a list of the medications you take and any surgical procedures you may have undergone in the past. 

If we think you’re healthy enough for surgery, we will help you find the right breast implant size. Be open and honest about the goals that you have so that we can find the size that best fits your frame while offering the results you want. We recommend you bring some pictures from magazines of what you consider to be the right look.

It’s better not to think about breast size in terms of bra cup sizes because they can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. To help you with this choice, we have examples of implants that you can place in your bra. 

Once we’ve decided on the right breast implant size, we will do some routine blood work. Two weeks before surgery, we recommend that you stop drinking alcohol. You should also stop using all nicotine products. 

In addition, stop taking blood-thinning medications like aspirin and ibuprofen, as well as supplements like St. John’s Wort, fish oil, and vitamin E. You can continue taking Tylenol. 

One week before surgery, gather items that can help you through the recovery process, including:

  • Shirts that button in the front
  • Laxatives or stool softeners
  • Antibacterial soap
  • Retrieval tool to help you avoid bending over
  • Foods low in sodium and sugar
  • Entertainment

The night before surgery, wash your hair and use the antibacterial soap for your body. Eight hours before your surgery, stop eating and drinking. This includes water and chewing gum. 

Come to the clinic without makeup, contact lenses, or jewelry. 

During the Procedure

We will place you under general anesthesia for a breast augmentation. We will make a single incision at one of four locations: at the fold of the breast, at the edge of the nipple, in the armpit area, or on the belly button.

Depending on your body type and the results you want, we may insert the implants between the chest muscles and the breast tissue, or we can do so below the chest muscle. We insert saline implants empty and fill them once they’re in place. Silicone implants are pre-filled and inserted full. 

Once the implants are in place, we close the incision. 

Aftercare

We recommend wearing a compression garment for the first few days after surgery. We may prescribe pain medication, and we recommend that you do not engage in any strenuous activities for at least two weeks. 

You want to avoid alcohol for at least two weeks, as well, and continue to avoid smoking. Make sure to schedule your follow-up appointment. 

Breast Augmentation in Huntington Beach, CA

At The Image Center, we offer breast augmentation surgery for people in and around Huntington Beach, CA; Irvine, CA; San Clemente, CA; and Downey, CA. With our experienced surgeons and state-of-the-art facilities, you’ll receive the care you want when you choose breast augmentation. Book an appointment online today. 

David Thompson

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