Breast Augmentation

The best way to determine if you’re a good candidate for breast augmentation surgery is to schedule a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon. They can evaluate your medical history, anatomy, and aesthetic goals to determine if this procedure is right for you.

The two commonly used types of breast implants are saline and silicone. Saline implants are filled with sterile salt water, while silicone implants are filled with a cohesive silicone gel. Both types of implants have their advantages and disadvantages. During the consultation, Dr. Vallecillos will determine which type of implant is best suited for your particular anatomy.

Typically following breast augmentation surgery, patients will need at least some assistance for a few days. Pain medications are typically required for 1 to 3 days. It is also recommended that the patient wear a post-surgical compression bra for one month. Lastly, lifting objects greater than ten pounds and engaging in heavy exercise is discouraged for a period of one month.

Complications from breast augmentation surgery are rare but include scarring, bleeding or hematoma, infection, capsular contracture or hardening of the tissue around the implant, and loss of sensation in the nipple or breast.

In short, yes. However, although breast implants typically yield long-term results, over time, changes in your breasts may require additional unforeseen procedures. Women’s breasts may sag over time, a finding that is common, especially after pregnancy or large fluctuations in weight. Excessive breast sagging or “ptosis” requires a breast lift or mastopexy to recreate the ideal breast contour. Additionally, while it is rare, implants can rupture. A ruptured implant would require a surgical procedure for correction. Regular follow-up visits with Dr. Vallecillos are an important part of your post-procedural routine.

Breast implants are not considered to be lifetime devices. It is recommended that breast implants be exchanged every 10 years.

The recovery period after breast augmentation surgery typically involves taking a few days off from work and avoiding strenuous activity for a few weeks. Dr. Vallecillos will provide you with specific instructions on how to care for your breasts in the early post-operative period and beyond.

It is highly unlikely that breast implants would affect your ability to breastfeed. The location of the incision used during surgery may increase the risk modestly, but the risk remains low in most women. Breast implants can make it more difficult to read mammograms, but special techniques are utilized to ensure accurate imaging.

The cost of breast augmentation surgery can vary depending on a number of factors, including the surgeon’s fees, the type of implants used, and the geographic location of the surgery. The average price for breast augmentation in the United States is $7,000 to $12,000.

The principal alternative to breast augmentation with implants is a fat transfer breast augmentation. Fat transfer to the breasts requires the patient to have an ample amount of donor fat to perform the procedure successfully. Fat transfer breast augmentation or “natural breast augmentation“ offers a more subtle result than breast augmentation surgery with implants but in the right patient, results can be excellent.

There are a few studies that have shown that women with breast implants have a lower risk of breast cancer. This lower risk is likely due to higher surveillance, as women with breast implants tend to perform self-breast exams more regularly. Additionally, the lower risk may be associated with traits of women who tend to choose to undergo breast enhancement with implants – in general, women opting to get breast implants tend to be thinner, which is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer. Lastly, breast implants have been linked to non-breast tissue cancers, including anaplastic large cell lymphoma, other lymphomas, and squamous cell carcinoma, although these cancers are exceedingly rare, and much more rare than primary breast cancer.

Common things you should avoid immediately after your breast augmentation procedure:

• Intense exercise
• Aspirin, ibuprofen, and any medications which may increase the risk of bleeding
• Bathing in a pool, lake, ocean, or bathtub
• Smoking
• Sleeping face down

While there is no specific contraindication to going braless after a breast augmentation, it is important to remember that not wearing a bra can increase the risk of long-term problems with the breasts, including accelerated sagging as a consequence of the gravitational effects of the implants on the breast tissue. Wearing a bra on a regular basis provides the breasts with needed support, which over time will extend the longevity of the results.

1. Optimal soft-tissue coverage/pocket location for the implant.
2. Implant volume (weight).
3. Implant type, size, and dimensions.
4. Optimal location for the inframammary fold based on the width of the implant selected for augmentation.
5. Incision location.

The most requested breast implant shape is a smooth, round moderate plus profile implant because it provides excellent breast volumization for most body types while providing additional projection that more conventional implants do not provide.

Gummy bear implants made of cohesive, form-stable silicone gel made in a teardrop shape tend to produce the most natural-appearing breasts. Teardrop-shaped implants tend to be a little more expensive than conventional silicone implants. However, they are less likely to:

• Leak
• Ripple
• Develop implant folds

Zingers are sharp shooting, burning, intermittent sensations lasting a few seconds, experienced immediately after breast augmentation surgery. They are typically due to nerve hypersensitivity, as the body becomes accustomed to the new implants. They may occur on one or both sides of the breasts and normally resolve after a couple of weeks. Zingers may sometimes be experienced years following the breast augmentation procedure. In these cases, it may be due to early signs of capsular contracture development and require early identification for proper management.

Breast Implant Illness (BII) is a term used to describe a range of symptoms and health issues that some women attribute to their breast implants. These symptoms can include chronic fatigue, joint pain, hair loss, brain fog, and autoimmune problems, among others. Typically, BII is a diagnosis of exclusion meaning that healthcare providers make this diagnosis by ruling out other causes of the signs and symptoms.

The Keller funnel is a medical device used in breast augmentation procedures. It is a cone-shaped, sterile, single-use device made of a soft, hydrophilic material that allows for easy and gentle insertion of breast implants into the surgical pocket.

A Snoopy breast deformity is a term used to describe a type of breast shape that can occur after breast augmentation surgery. It is named after the cartoon character Snoopy, whose nose has a similar shape to the breast in this deformity.

Showering is allowed 24 hours after surgery, however, patients are instructed not to take baths, swim in lakes/oceans/pools/hot tubs, and avoid saunas for a period of two weeks following surgery.

In general, you can expect to gain a few pounds following breast augmentation surgery. This is largely due to the fluids administered during the procedure. This weight is typically lost within a couple of weeks following surgery. Once totally healed, you can expect to be about a pound heavier secondary to the weight of the actual implants.

Early signs of capsular contracture may include the following:

• Breast firmness or tightness
• Breast "zingers"
• Breast pain
• New onset breast asymmetry
• High riding breasts
• Round or ball-shaped implants are typical findings of more advanced disease

Insurance coverage for capsular contracture is largely dependent on the insurance carrier and their policy. Some carriers cover capsular contractures. Others do not. That being said, insurances that cover capsular contracture generally require a diagnosis of Grade 3 or Grade 4 with a medical necessity which includes associated signs and symptoms of pain, notable breast deformity, and asymmetry.

Massaging the breasts following breast augmentation surgery is critical in establishing the implant pocket dimensions, which will result in more natural-appearing breasts both during movement and in static situations. Dr. Vallecillos provide his breast augmentation patients with a breast massage protocol, which involves performing several breast massages, 4 times a day, for the first several weeks following surgery.

In general, patients with sub-muscular(under the muscle) breast augmentations experience modest discomfort after surgery, typically requiring pain medications for 1 to 3 days, with most pain resolving by the two-week mark.