Tyler Plastic Surgery

Breast implants are an integral part of cosmetic body contouring and can help women with naturally small or asymmetric breasts feel more confident about their appearance. Right now, breast augmentation surgery is the only effective way to increase your bust size and enlarge the breasts, so don’t waste money on breast enhancement creams, pills and gadgets.

About Breast Augmentation

• The Best Breast Augmentation Candidates
• Silicone Breast Implants vs. Saline Breast Implants
• Breast Implant Sizes
• Breast Augmentation Recovery
• Breast Augmentation Terms

The Best Breast Augmentation Candidates

Are breast implants right for you?

The best breast augmentation candidates are adult women in good physical and mental health who wish to increase their naturally small breast size, correct a breast deformity such as asymmetrical or tuberous breasts, or restore breast volume lost after breastfeeding.

For breast implant patients who have firm, elastic skin, there is no need to combine the procedure with a breast lift, however for patients with deflated, sagging breasts, a breast lift with implants may be performed to simultaneously correct drooping breasts and increase or restore breast volume.

In contrast, the breast lift with implants may be recommended for patients who wish to both lift and enlarge or restore volume to their breasts.

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Silicone Breast Implants vs. Saline Breast Implants

Comparing saline implants and silicone implants

Saline and silicone breast implants are both equally safe options for breast augmentation, however patients may prefer one implant material over the other for a few reasons.

First, the size or fill of some saline implants can be adjusted after breast augmentation without the need for additional surgery to replace the implants. For silicone or cohesive silicone gel implants (gummy bear implants), a breast revision surgery is necessary to adjust implant size if you’re not satisfied with it after your breast augmentation.

Silicone gel implants generally require a slightly larger incision and are usually placed through an incision in the breast fold (inframammary incision) or in the armpit (transaxillary incision).

Because saline implants can be filled after the shell of the implant is placed in the breast pocket, a smaller incision is usually needed. Patients who choose saline breast implants also have more options for the location of the incision, including a periareolar incision (around the areola) or transumbilical incision (in the belly button).

Although saline implants can be more convenient at times, cohesive gel and silicone implants typically look and feel more natural than saline implants, and in the event of an implant rupture, silicone implants will not deflate or leak as significantly as saline implants.

Common incisions used for breast augmentation

     Inframammary                  Transaxillary                   Periareolar 

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Breast Implant Sizes

Differences in breast implant size, shape, profile and texture

Breast implants come in many different sizes and shapes so you can find the right style to fit your anatomy and meet your breast enhancement goals. In the U.S., saline breast implant sizes range from 120cc to 960cc, and silicone breast implant sizes range from 80cc to 800cc.

Not to be confused with the size of your breast implants (measured in cc’s) is the implant profile, which determines how far off the chest wall your implants project. Implants may have a low, moderate, moderate plus or high profile.

Other breast implant variables include implant shape, which may be round or anatomical (teardrop), and implant surface, which may be smooth or textured.

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Breast Augmentation Recovery

After breast augmentation surgery

Breast augmentation surgery is performed while you are “asleep” under local anesthesia with IV sedation or general anesthesia, so you will need someone to drive you home or to your hotel after the procedure.

If your breast implants were placed over the pectoral muscle (subglandular placement), your recovery will be shorter and less painful, whereas more healing time is needed for implants placed under the pectoral muscle (submuscular placement).

Submuscular vs. Subglandular implant placement

Initial recovery after breast augmentation takes about 3-5 days, with most patients returning to work within one week. Generally, you’ll need to wait several weeks to a few months to resume vigorous activity, depending on how fast your body heals.

Periodically throughout your breast augmentation recovery, you will need to return for follow-up appointments at Tyler Plastic Surgery so Dr. Motlagh can check on your healing progress.

Tyler Plastic Surgery is conveniently located in Eastern Texas and serves not only Tyler breast augmentation patients but also breast implants patients from Dallas-Fort Worth to Shreveport, Louisiana and all the cities in between.

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Breast Augmentation Terms

• Areola: Pigmented skin surrounding the nipple.
• Augmentation mammaplasty: Breast enlargement by surgery.
• Breast Augmentation: Also known as augmentation mammaplasty; breast enlargement by surgery.
• Breast Implants: Medical devices placed in your body to enhance an existing breast size or to reconstruct your breast. Breast implants can be filled with either salt water (saline) or silicone (elastic gel).
• Capsular contracture: A complication of breast implant surgery which occurs when scar tissue that normally forms around the implant tightens and squeezes the implant and becomes firm.
• General anesthesia: Drugs and/or gases used during an operation to relieve pain and alter consciousness.
• Hematoma: Blood pooling beneath the skin.
• Inframammary incision: An incision made in the fold under the breast.
• Intravenous sedation: Sedatives administered by injection into a vein to help you relax.
• Local anesthesia: A drug injected directly to the site of an incision during an operation to relieve pain.
• Mammogram: An x-ray image of the breast.
• Mastectomy: The removal of breast tissue, typically to rid the body of cancer.
• MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging; a painless test to view tissue similar to an x-ray.
• Periareolar incision: An incision made at the edge of the areola.
• Saline implants: Breast implants filled with salt water.
• Silicone implants: Breast implants filled with an elastic gel.
• Submammary or subglandular placement: Breast implants placed directly behind the breast tissue, over the pectoral muscle.
• Submuscular or subpectoral placement: Breast implants placed under the pectoral muscle, which is located between the breast tissue and chest wall.
• Sutures: Stitches used by surgeons to hold skin and tissue together.
• Transaxillary incision: An incision made in the underarm area.
• Ultrasound: A diagnostic procedure that projects high frequency sound waves into the body and records the echoes as pictures.

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