When carried out by an experienced and skilled surgeon, the breast augmentation procedure can completely transform a patient’s appearance and boost their confidence. This cutting-edge procedure is now being conducted hundreds of thousands of times a year, and many patients enjoy the results for a decade or longer. If you are interested in this procedure and think that you might make a good candidate, then you should spend a little bit of time going over all of the different options that you will need to discuss with your surgeon in the coming weeks.
Finding the Ideal Candidate
One of the biggest benefits of breast augmentation surgery is the fact that it has an incredibly high success rate with very few post-op complications. In most cases, a patient is going to make a great candidate as long as they are relatively healthy. You also need to have realistic expectations regarding what can be accomplished with implants. To get a better understanding of the typical results, you can take a close look at some breast augmentation before and after photos. You will also need to schedule an initial consultation with your surgeon so that they can go over your medical history.
Choosing the Implant Materials
While almost all implants have silicone shells, you will need to decide which type of material you would like in those shells. Saline implants have continued to be very popular over the years because they are relatively easy to put in place and the incisions don’t need to be very large. The patient is also going to immediately notice if an implant twists or ruptures, and that means that they can have them immediately replaced. That being said, saline implants tend to feel relatively hard once they are in place.
Silicone implants are chosen by many patients because they feel extremely realistic. That material will also hold its shape for a short period of time if the shell ruptures. One of the biggest drawbacks of silicone implants is the size of the incisions. Those implants must be completely filled before they are put in place, and that requires sightly larger incisions than saline implants.
Incision Location
There are a few different incision locations to choose from, and each option has its own pros and cons. In recent years, inframammary incisions have become very popular, and those are carried out in the natural creases just below the breasts. That incision site is often chosen because the incisions are very easy to hide. They can also easily be opened up if the implants need to be adjusted, replaced, or removed.
Periareolar incisions are very popular as well, and those take place just along the areolas. When they heal properly, the surgical scars are often very subtle. Unfortunately, irregular healing can result in changes to the appearance of the areolas as well as damage to nearby nerves. In most cases, periareolar incisions can only be used if the implants are filled with saline.
Deciding Which Options Are Right for You
The only way to determine which options are going to be best for your own situation is to schedule an appointment with a plastic surgeon who has extensive experience carrying out these operations. Your breast augmentation procedure must be personalized if you want to achieve world-class results that are going to last for many years to come. You should also take a close look at some breast augmentation before and after photos to get a better idea of what the surgical scars generally look like and what types of results can be achieved.