The medical term for breast implant surgery is augmentation mammoplasty. Women undergo the procedure to enhance the size and shape of their breasts; to correct the reduction in size or shape that occurs naturally after pregnancy or with age; to balance a significant difference in the size of their breasts; or to reconstruct their breasts after a mastectomy. Augmentation mammoplasty is a relatively common and definitely more commonly accepted cosmetic procedure these days, meaning more and more women are getting comfortable with the idea of enhancing their breasts.

There are various ways a surgeon might choose to insert and position an implant depending on an individual patient’s anatomy. The incision allowing for insertion of the implant is usually made in the breast fold, around the areola or in the armpit. Working through the incision, the surgeon lifts either the breast tissue or the chest muscle beneath the breast tissue and inserts the implant behind it centered under the nipple. Occasionally the nipple will have to be repositioned. Augmentation mammoplasty is a routine and straightforward outpatient surgery performed in a free-standing clinic or hospital. The surgery is performed either under general anesthesia or using a combination of sedatives and local anesthetic. It takes one or two hours to complete.

As part of the recovery process, the patient will have to wear bandages and drainage tubes for a few days, but those are removed within a couple of days of surgery. The patient may be given a surgical bra to wear following the surgery but will be up and about, though not fully active, within a few days. The stitches will come out in a week to five days, and the swelling will subside in the same period. The patient may feel intense itching in the nipples for about two weeks, and the breasts will be sore for four to five weeks following surgery.

There are the usual surgical risks associated with augmentation mammoplasty, and there are risks particular to the procedure. The most common risk is capsular contraction in which scar tissue forms around the implant, causing the breast to feel hard. The condition can be treated in various ways but sometimes requires removal of the implant. A small percentage of women develop infection around the implant. This is most often seen within the first week after the surgery, but sometimes can take several months to clear up. Sometimes the implant must be removed. Some women report over or under sensitivity in their nipples following the surgery and some report numbness around the nipples or the incisions. All these issues should clear up within a few weeks of the surgery. Of course, there is the risk that the breast implant will rupture. If this happens, the implant will need to be removed and replaced. There can be more serious complications surrounding an implant rupture, but there is no evidence linking intact or ruptured implants to breast cancer.

Women who are looking for enhanced breasts, not perfect ones, are the best candidates for augmentation mammoplasty. With the advances in materials and surgical techniques and the decrease in cost, any woman who wants to feel a little better about the size and shape of her breast should at least look into the surgery.

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