Breast augmentation is a procedure to enlarge or change the shape of the breasts.
Alternative Names
Breast augmentation; Breast implants; Implants - breast; Mammaplasty
Description
Breast augmentation is done by placing implants behind breast tissue or under the chest muscle.
An implant is a sac filled with either sterile salt water (saline) or a material called silicone.
The surgery is done at an outpatient surgery clinic or in a hospital.
- Most women receive general anesthesia for this surgery. You will be asleep and pain-free.
- If you receive local anesthesia, you will be awake and will receive medicine to numb your breast area to block pain.
There are different ways to place breast implants:
- In the most common technique, the surgeon makes a cut (incision) on the underside of your breast, in the natural skin fold. The surgeon places the implant through this opening. Your scar may be a little more visible if you are younger, thin, and have not yet had children.
- The implant may be placed through a cut under your arm. The surgeon may perform this surgery using an endoscope. This is a tool with a camera and surgical instruments at the end. The endoscope is inserted through the cut. There will be no scar around your breast. But you may have a visible scar on the underside of your arm.
- The surgeon may make a cut around the edge of your areola This is the darkened area around your nipple. The implant is placed through this opening. You may have more problems with breastfeeding and loss of sensation around the nipple with this method.
- A saline implant may be placed through a cut near your belly button. An endoscope is used to move the implant up to the breast area. Once in place, the implant is filled with saline.
The type of implant and implant surgery can affect:
- How much pain you have after the procedure
- The appearance of your breast
- The risk of the implant breaking or leaking in the future
- Your future mammograms
Your surgeon can help you decide which procedure is best for you.