What Is Breast Augmentation?
Customized Breast Augmentation
Preparing For Breast Augmentation
The Breast Augmentation Procedure
Breast Augmentation Recovery
FAQs About Breast Augmentation
Breast augmentation is a personal decision
As a female plastic surgeon serving patients in Naples, and Fort Myers, FL, Dr. Kiran Gill understands a patient’s motivation to undergo breast augmentation, also known as augmentation mammoplasty, or colloquially as a “boob job”. There are a variety of reasons that bring women into her office. The most common reasons are:
- To enhance appearance in or out of clothing
- Improve body proportions
- Achieve symmetry in the breasts
- Restore breast volume after pregnancy or weight loss
Whatever the reasons, ultimately patients choose to undergo breast augmentation to feel better about the way they look and improve their self-confidence. Dr. Gill understands this and designs a customized surgical plan to help achieve her patients’ goals.
Due to their compassion, personalized attention, and expertise in cosmetic breast procedures, our breast surgery specialists are known both locally and throughout the country for delivering the best breast augmentation results.
What Is Breast Augmentation?
Breast enlargement with breast augmentation is a surgical procedure that enhances the shape and size of a woman’s breasts through the use of breast implants. Breast implant surgery increases the fullness, shape, and projection of the breasts to the desired proportion.
The surgery can be performed with saline (salt water) or silicone breast implants and using fat grafting (or fat transfer). Implants are more predictable, whereas fat grafting feels more like natural breast tissue.
If you are seeking a fuller bust line, have experienced post-pregnancy breast changes or significant weight loss, or simply want to enhance your look, breast augmentation surgery may be ideal for you. Most patients in good physical health with realistic expectations are candidates for this procedure.
Customized Breast Augmentation
Naples Aesthetic Institute provides breast augmentation consultations. The consultation usually lasts an hour, during which time the surgeon gains an understanding of the underlying motivation and goals of her breast augmentation patients. A typical consult will start by meeting a member of our clinical team.
A medical history will be taken, followed by photographs and a personal meeting with Dr. Kiran Gill.
Your surgeon will listen to your goals for your breast implants, perform a comprehensive breast evaluation, and then discuss your options for every stage of the procedure. In some circumstances, your surgeon may recommend a tandem breast lift, or mastopexy, to achieve the ideal overall aesthetic result.
Our goal is to customize a treatment specifically for you. Based on the consultation, a surgical plan will be created and typically includes:
- Type of implant (silicone or saline)
- Size of implant (cc)
- Placement of implant (submuscular or subglandular)
- Incision location (inframammary or periareolar)
While both saline breast implants and silicone breast implants can improve the appearance of your breasts, there are differences between the two types of breast implants. Although all breast implants are made with a silicone shell, saline implants are filled with saline during surgery after being placed in the breast pocket, whereas silicone implants come pre-filled with silicone.
Saline implants feel firmer and may show rippling under the skin in patients with little breast tissue. Cohesive gel silicone implants feel very natural with less tendency for rippling.
Silicone implants, on the other hand, are filled with a cohesive silicone gel, simulating breast tissue. Silicone implants give a very natural appearing breast shape and feel akin to the breast itself.
Preparing For Breast Augmentation
Our patients will need to stop smoking for several weeks pre and post-surgery, and the surgeon will instruct them regarding this during the consultation process. They may also alter the patient’s schedule for prescription meds, blood-thinning medicines, and herbal supplements in consultation with their physician.
The initial consultation process will involve various other aspects such as the approximate costs of breast augmentation, financing alternatives, before and after pictures, and patient testimonials.
Size of Breast Implants
Your surgeon will also help you decide on the size of the implants that will meet your goals while respecting your body’s proportions and the anatomic borders of the breast.
During your consultation at our Naples plastic surgery practice, your surgeon will perform breast measurements and you will be able to try on a range of sizes in your own clothing. Together you will decide on the ideal implant to achieve your goals.
Implant Position
Breast implants may be placed in three different locations:
- Submuscular (under the pectoral muscle or chest muscles)
- Subglandular (on top of the pectoral muscle or chest muscles)
- Dual-plane (partial muscle coverage)
There is no perfect choice for everyone; however, your surgeon will be able to guide you to the best implant plan for you. In general, in patients with little breast tissue, submuscular placement is preferred.
However, our breast surgery specialists perform both subglandular breast augmentation and dual plane breast augmentation in her practice in Naples, FL. Your surgeon will discuss implant positioning with you during your consultation, specifically addressing the pros and cons of each.
Location of Incisions
In breast augmentation surgery there are four choices for incision placement:
- Inframmammary (hidden in the breast fold)
- Periareolar (camouflaged around the nipple)
- Transaxillary (hidden in the armpit)
- Transubmilical (TUBA, through the belly button)
Despite what many surgeons may say, each of these incisions will leave a scar; however, precise surgical technique results in a fine line that is well hidden and often not perceptible to anyone other than your physician. In general, the inframammary and periareolar incisions allow for more precise implant placement.
Gallery
Beauty is
your birthright
The Breast Augmentation Procedure
On the day of surgery, you will be greeted by members of our surgical team. Your surgeon will guide you through the surgical day at our onsite operating room and surgical suite in Naples, FL.
Breast enhancement with implants is an outpatient procedure typically performed under deep sedation or general anesthesia. Our surgeon uses advanced techniques with intercostal blocks and the use of Exparel to provide adequate pain relief without the use of pain pumps.
In addition, we perform a “no touch” breast augmentation using a Keller Funnel that reduces the risk of infection. Time in surgery takes approximately 1-2 hours, in general. After surgery, Dermabond skin glue will be applied to your incisions and a surgical dressing placed.
Breast Augmentation Recovery
After surgery, the surgical staff will care for you in our surgical facility for 1-2 hours after surgery. Thereafter you will be released home with a family member, friend, or nurse.
Your surgeon will see you the day following surgery at which time your surgical dressings will be removed and at several more follow-up appointments over the following 2 months. Most patients experience mild swelling and bruising which subsides within a few weeks.
Although breast augmentations patients experience some discomfort after surgery, it usually subsides within the first week. Post-operative discomfort is reduced by pain medications prescribed by your surgeon as well as the use of Exparel during the breast augmentation procedure.
Patients can expect their implants will sit higher on the chest for the first few weeks after surgery if placed in the submuscular plane. Within a few weeks, the implants will “settle” into the ideal location.
We recommend patients take a week off from work to recover, but several patients have returned to work sooner. In addition, we recommend 2 weeks of rest from physical activity, followed by 2 weeks of light activity. At 6 weeks most patients can resume physical activities including exercise.
Breast Augmentation Before & Afters Photos
Breast augmentation is a personal procedure. It is important that you do the procedure for yourself. You are a good candidate for our breast augmentation if you are physically healthy, have realistic expectations, and are currently dissatisfied with the size of your breasts, the shape of your breasts, or if your breasts are asymmetrical.
Determining your candidacy as a patient is the main priority during your breast augmentation consultation process. Your surgeon will conduct a general health exam and review your breast anatomy, skin elasticity, and texture.
Furthermore, your surgeon will assess the health and surgical history of the patient and may order medical tests, if necessary.
Breast Augmentation costs can vary widely, however, the average cost for breast augmentation at Naples Aesthetic Institute is between $7,000 and $10,000.
There are several factors that determine the total cost of your breast augmentation surgery, including the type of implant, patient BMI (body mass index), overall health, previous surgeries, and allergies to medications. At Naples Aesthetic Institute, we strive to provide affordable patient-perfect cosmetic surgery without increasing any health risk to our patients. Breast augmentation surgery is unique and will be tailored to each patient.
Visit this comprehensive article for more information on breast implant costs in Naples and Fort Myers, Florida, and financing options available.
In 1994 the FDA placed a moratorium on silicone breast implants to further study the safety of these devices. After several clinical trials, breast implants were deemed safe and reintroduced into the US Market in 2004. Both saline and silicone implants have been proven safe through extensive testing and both types are approved for use by the FDA. There is no right choice that will apply to everyone. This is a decision you and your surgeon will make together during your consultation.
Our surgeons use Allergan (Natrelle Inspira) cohesive gel implants. Usually, these are round implants with smooth surfaces. Although rupture of the implant is possible, the rupture rate is low and both companies back up their implants with excellent warranty programs.
Our surgeons will work closely with you to determine the best implant size. The most common complaint from women after surgery is implant size. Therefore, Dr. Gill spends a great amount of time discussing this with their patients prior to surgery.
Implant size will be determined by a number of factors including breast measurements, current breast size, and the desired outcome. You will use external sizers during your consultation as well as review photographs.
Breast augmentation is a generally safe surgical procedure with minimal complications. However, as with all types of surgical procedures, there are risks. These include but are not limited to the risk of infection, bleeding, problems with wound healing, loss of sensation, and poor scarring.
Risks specific to implants include but are not limited to implant malposition, asymmetry, capsular contracture (scar tissue that forms around one or both implants, distorting the shape and hardening it), and implant rupture. Your surgeon will discuss these risks with you at the time of consultation and during your preoperative appointment.
No, there is no link between breast implants and breast cancer. There is a rare form of cancer of the immune system called anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) that has been linked to textured breast implants but the chances of developing ALCA are low.
All patients form a capsule after a breast implant is placed. It is the body’s natural response to a foreign object. In most patients, this capsule stays soft and pliable. However, in certain patients, this capsule can become firm. It is more common in patients who smoke and in patients who have undergone subglandular saline breast augmentation. Capsular contracture has four grades:
- Grade I: no palpable capsule
- Grade II: palpable capsule without implant distortion
- Grade III: palpable firm capsule causing implant malposition/distortion
- Grade IV: palpable firm capsule causing pain
In order to minimize capsular contracture, our surgeons a “no touch” technique using a Keller Funnel. In this technique, the breast implant is placed directly into the breast using a Keller Funnel. In addition, she prefers an inframammary approach thereby avoiding ducts in the periareolar incision.
Schedule A Consultation For
Breast Augmentation
Plastic surgeon Dr. Kiran Gill receives patients from Naples and Fort Myers and surrounding areas for breast implants. To learn more about her cosmetic plastic surgery procedures and treatments, please contact us by calling (239) 596-8000. She is currently taking new patients.
The Doctors at Naples Aesthetic Institute have either authored or reviewed and approved this content.