Breast Augmentation surgery

Breast Augmentation surgery is a surgical procedure used to enhance the size of a female’s breasts. It is one of the most popular cosmetic surgeries in the United States and has even been named one of the “Top Ten Plastic Surgeries” by Time Magazine.

Along with Breast Reduction surgery, Breast Augmentation is also a common type of plastic surgery. The demand for breast augmentation surgery is so high that it has spawned a number of different types of breast enhancement procedures. Some women choose to have both a Breast Augmentation and a Breast Reduction at the same time. In this guide, we review the aspects of Breast Augmentation surgery, breast augmentation surgery cost, how long do breast implants last, and breast surgery type.

The most common type of Breast Augmentation surgery is where saline or silicone implants are inserted into the breast tissue through an incision made under the breast or around the nipple. The incisions heal quickly and leave no visible scars, although scars can be hidden by tattoos or lingerie.

Breast augmentation is performed under general anesthesia, which means you will be asleep during the procedure. Recovery from breast augmentation usually lasts 1 to 2 weeks but can sometimes last longer, depending on your personal healing rate. During this time period, you will have to wear special garments designed to minimize pain, help with your recovery, and support your newly augmented breasts as they heal. Your surgeon will provide you with specific instructions.

Breast Augmentation surgery

Breast augmentation, sometimes referred to as a “breast aug” or “boob job” by patients, involves using breast implants or fat transfer to increase the size of your breasts. This procedure can also restore breast volume lost after weight reduction or pregnancy, achieve a more rounded breast shape or improve natural breast size asymmetry.

Breast augmentation is also referred to as augmentation mammoplasty. When fat from another part of the patient’s body is used to create the improved breast volume, the procedure is referred to as fat transfer breast augmentation.

What breast augmentation surgery can do

• Increase fullness and projection of your breasts
• Improve balance of breast and hip contours
• Enhance your self-image and self-confidence

Breast implants may also be used for breast reconstruction after mastectomy or injury.

What breast augmentation surgery can’t do

Breast augmentation does not correct severely drooping breasts. A breast lift may be required along with a breast augmentation for sagging breasts to look fuller and lifted.

Breast lifting can often be done at the same time as your augmentation or may require a separate operation. Your plastic surgeon will assist you in making this decision.

Steps of a Breast Augmentation Procedure?

A breast augmentation procedure includes the following steps:

Step 1 – Anesthesia

Medications are administered for your comfort during the surgical procedure. The choices include intravenous sedation and general anesthesia. Your doctor will recommend the best choice for you.

Step 2 – The incision

Incisions are made in inconspicuous areas to minimize visible scarring. You and your plastic surgeon will discuss which incision options are appropriate for your desired outcome. Incision options include: along the areolar edge (peri-areolar incision), the fold under the breast (inframammary fold) and in the armpit (axillary incision). A belly-button approach is associated with a higher complication rate.

Incisions vary based on the type of breast implant, degree of enlargement desired, your particular anatomy and patient-surgeon preference.

Step 3 – Inserting and placing the breast implant

After the incision is made, a breast implant is inserted into a pocket either:

A. Under the pectoral muscle (a submuscular placement)

B. Directly behind the breast tissue, over the pectoral muscle (a submammary/ subglandular placement)

The method for inserting and positioning breast implants depends on the type of implant, degree of enlargement desired, your body type and your surgeon’s recommendations.

Step 4 – Closing the incisions

Incisions are closed with layered sutures in the breast tissue and with sutures, skin adhesive or surgical tape to close the skin.

Over time the incision lines will fade. The quality of scar depends on many things, including your genetics, exposure of your body to nicotine and infection.

Step 5 – See the results

The results of breast augmentation are immediately visible. Get more information about breast augmentation results.

breast augmentation surgery cost

This blog post will help you understand more about the cost of breast augmentation surgery and what factors have an impact on the price.

Breast augmentation cost

The cost of breast augmentation is dependent on a number of factors. The most important factor is the type of implant used, as this can vary from R10 000 to R20 000 per breast. The cost also depends on your choice of surgeon and hospital. It’s best to consult with several surgeons before making a decision about where you want your surgery done so that you can compare costs and get quotes from each one.

Breast augmentation cost in South Africa

A breast augmentation is a surgical procedure that improves the size, shape and firmness of breasts. The cost of a breast augmentation depends on several factors such as the type of implant you choose, your body mass index (BMI) and whether or not you want liposuction at the same time as your breast enlargement.

The average price range for this procedure in South Africa is between R15 000 – R30 000 depending on whether or not you need any additional procedures done at the same time such as liposuction or tummy tuck surgery.

How much does breast augmentation surgery in India cost

The cost of breast augmentation surgery in India depends on the procedure chosen, but it is generally lower than in other countries. The average cost for breast augmentation with implants can range from USD 5500 to USD 10 000 depending on your choice of implant size and surgical technique.

The average price for this procedure in South Africa ranges from ZAR 21 000 to ZAR 26 000 (USD 1=ZAR 9).

How much is breast augmentation surgery in the UK?

If you’re looking to have breast augmentation surgery, the cost can differ depending on where you live. In the UK, the average cost of breast augmentation surgery is $3,300 USD. In America and Australia, it’s about $5,000 USD.

While these prices may seem high compared to other countries’ averages (for example: Thailand), keep in mind that this procedure has increased in popularity over time and doctors are now able to charge more for their services as a result of increased demand from patients who want bigger busts but don’t want to travel abroad for medical tourism purposes.

how long do breast implants last

What’s the average duration?

Although breast implants don’t actually expire, they aren’t guaranteed to last a lifetime. The average saline or silicone implants may last anywhere from 10 to 20 years.

However, many are removed sooner due to complications or cosmetic concerns. Up to 20 percent of people have their implants removed or replaced within 8 to 10 years.

Wondering if it’s time to have yours replaced? Read on to find out symptoms to watch for, what you can expect from removal, and more.

Signs that replacement or removal is necessary

The following complications may necessitate breast implant removal.

Hardening

Many peopleTrusted Source develop capsular contracture, or hardened scar tissue around one or both implants.

This can also cause tightness, pain, tenderness, and abnormal cosmetic changes to the breast.

In some cases, hardening may happen more than once to the same breast.

Saline rupture (leakage and deflation)

If a saline breast implant ruptures because of a tear or hole in the implant’s shell, it will begin to deflate like a balloon.

The saline in your implant will leak out and get reabsorbed by your body. This leak can happen all at once or slowly over the course of a few days.

The deflation may not become obvious until all of the saline leaks out. The affected breast will lose its size and shape and look dramatically different from your other breast.

Breast implant ruptures are rareTrusted Source in the first few years, but the risk does increase over time.

Silicone rupture (silent rupture)

Silicone implants can also rupture.

Silicone gel is much thicker than saline. When a silicone implant ruptures, the gel will often stay inside the implant or surrounding scar tissue.

Because of this, ruptured silicone implants often go unnoticed. That’s why silicone ruptures are also known as silent ruptures.

Most peopleTrusted Source don’t experience any symptoms. When symptoms are present, they can include:

• decreased breast size
• hard knots
• an uneven appearance of the breasts
• pain or tenderness
• tingling
• swelling
• numbness
• burning
• changes in sensation

Although the exact rate of silicone rupture is unknown, it’s estimated to be somewhere between 2 and 12 percentTrusted Source.

Some implants rupture immediately, some after several years, and others after 10 years or more.

Rippling and palpability

Rippling occurs when the implant develops wrinkles or ripples. Palpability refers to the ability to feel these ripples when you touch your breast. In some cases, these changes can also be seen through the skin.

If you see or feel wrinkling in your implant, you may want to consider replacing or removing it.

Change in position

Breast implants don’t prevent your breasts from sagging as you age. Gravity is still going to take its toll. Weight gain and loss can also cause stretching and sagging of the breasts.

You may also notice that one breast hangs lower than the other, or that your nipples point in different directions than before.

If you’re bothered by these changes, getting a breast lift or implant replacement may help return your breasts to their previous appearance.

What to expect with implant removal

Any qualified plastic surgeon can remove your breast implants. It doesn’t need to be the same surgeon who did your first surgery.

During an initial consultation, the surgeon you choose will evaluate the state of your current implants and discuss your surgical options.

Depending on your preferences, your surgeon can do any of the following:

• implant removal alone
• implant removal and breast lift
• removal of hardened or lumpy tissue
• implant replacement with or without breast lift

Sometimes, implant removal alone can lead to cosmetic abnormalities. This includes:

• deflation
• sagging
• dimpling
• asymmetry

Because of this, your doctor may recommend replacing your implants with implants of a different size or shape.

Depending on the specifics of your procedure, you may be able to return home the day of your surgery. Recovery time differs for everyone.

Many people are able to resume working in about five days, but it’ll be about six weeks until you can resume strenuous activities like exercising and lifting.

Following all postoperative instructions can help improve your healing time and prevent infection.

What to expect with implant replacement

Implant replacement is a procedure in which your doctor switches out your implants for a newer model. Whether you stick to the same type, size, and shape is up to you,

The procedure may also be combined with a breast lift or scar tissue removal.

The cost of implant replacement is higher than that of implant removal. You’ll need to pay for the initial removal, replacement implants, and any related procedures.

Depending on your procedure package and geographic location, your overall out-of-pocket cost may be anywhere from $2,500 to $7,000.

How to increase implant longevity

One of the most commonlyTrusted Source cited reasons for removal is unhappiness with the implant size and shape.

It’s natural for tastes to change over the course of a lifetime. One of the best ways to make your implants last is to pick a size and shape that you feel like you can live with for 10 to 20 years.

In other cases, local complications are to blame. Ruptures and deflations, for example, oftenTrusted Source result from normal wear and tear or surgical error.

For the best outcomes:

• Choose your surgeon carefully.
• Follow all postoperative instructions.
• Get regular MRIs to check for silicone ruptures.

breast surgery type

What is breast cancer surgery?

If you have localized breast cancer, your healthcare team will almost always recommend surgery to remove it. Surgery is considered the primary treatment for breast cancer when it’s technically possible to remove the affected tissue. (It’s not an effective treatment for metastatic breast cancer — when the cancer has already spread to other parts of your body.)

Sometimes breast cancer surgery removes an individual tumor from your breast (lumpectomy), and other times it may be necessary to remove your entire breast (mastectomy) to remove the cancer. Breast surgery for cancer is primarily a treatment, but it can also be diagnostic and even cosmetic. Sometimes surgery is exploratory to look for signs of cancer spreading. Sometimes it involves reconstructing your breast after a mastectomy.

The type of surgery that your healthcare team recommends for you will depend on many individual factors, including the type of cancer you have, how advanced it is, your general health and your personal preferences. Depending on your condition, surgery may be only a piece of your overall treatment plan, or it may be the only treatment you need.

What are the different types of surgeries for breast cancer?

The two types of surgery used to treat breast cancer are mastectomy and lumpectomy. Additional surgeries for breast cancer may include lymph node dissection (lymphadenectomy) and breast reconstruction surgery.

Mastectomy

Mastectomy, or breast removal surgery, is the most common surgery for breast cancer. That’s because mastectomy treats both late-stage and early-stage breast cancers. In addition, some people with a high risk of developing breast cancer in the future choose prophylactic mastectomy as a preventative measure.

Types of mastectomy procedures include:

• Total mastectomy: Removal of your entire breast, sparing your chest muscle beneath.
• Double mastectomy: Removal of both breasts. This may be necessary if the cancer has already spread to both breasts, or it may be a preventative measure.
• Skin-sparing or nipple-sparing mastectomy: Removal of all your breast tissue, but sparing your skin and, if possible, your nipple, to use to reconstruct your breast.
• Modified radical mastectomy: Removal of your breast tissue and your underarm lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are often the first place that breast cancer spreads to.
• Radical mastectomy: Removal of your breasts, underarm lymph nodes and chest muscles. This is a rare surgery, only necessary when breast cancer has infiltrated your chest muscles.

Lumpectomy

Lumpectomy, also called breast-conserving surgery, removes only part of your breast tissue. This is an alternative option for treating earlier-stage breast cancer. When the tumor is relatively small and hasn’t spread yet, you can have surgery just to remove the “lump” — the tumor itself. Lumpectomy also removes a margin of the surrounding tissue, just to make sure there aren’t any stray cancer cells left in your breast.

The benefit of lumpectomy is that it allows you to keep most of your breast. But to prevent breast cancer from returning, your healthcare provider will most likely recommend radiation therapy after the surgery. Having a total mastectomy instead is often a way of avoiding radiation therapy. But for people who have the option, lumpectomy with radiation therapy has been shown to be equally effective to total mastectomy in treating early-stage breast cancer.

Types of lumpectomy procedures include:

• Excisional biopsy: This is a procedure to remove a tumor for biopsy. Analyzing the tumor in a lab can help determine if the tumor is cancerous (malignant).
• Wide local excision: Surgery to remove a cancerous tumor and a margin of tissue around it. The marginal tissue will be tested afterward to make sure it’s cancer-free.
• Quadrantectomy: A segmental mastectomy that removes about a quarter of your breast, including your duct-lobular system. Recommended when the tumor shows ductal spread.
• Re-excision lumpectomy: A procedure that follows the original excision of the tumor and the margin of tissue around it. When the marginal tissue tests positive for cancer cells, your surgeon will reopen the surgical site to remove an additional margin of tissue until the tissue comes back cancer-free.

Lymph node dissection

Your lymph system is often the first place cancer spreads, and cancer in your lymph nodes is a warning sign that it may be spreading beyond your breast. To find out, your surgeon may remove and analyze one or several of the lymph nodes under your arm next to your affected breast. This is where breast cancer cells would be most likely to drain.

Lymph node procedures include:

• Sentinel lymph node biopsy: This is an investigative procedure to find out if cancer has spread to your lymph system. The sentinel lymph node is a good indicator because it’s the first node that filters fluid draining away from the affected breast. Your surgeon will often perform a sentinel node biopsy during the operation to remove the original tumor from your breast — and sometimes before. They’ll remove the sentinel node and analyze it for cancer cells.
• Axillary lymph node dissection: If the sentinel node biopsy tests positive for cancer, or if your surgeon has other reason to believe you have pervasive cancer in your lymph nodes, they may want to remove a larger portion of lymph nodes to analyze. In an axillary lymph node dissection, your surgeon removes a pad of fatty tissue containing a group of axillary lymph nodes (the lymph nodes under your arm). They’ll carefully search through the tissue for signs of cancer.

Reconstructive breast surgery

If you’re having some or all of your breast or breasts removed to treat breast cancer, you may be interested in reconstructive surgery to restore your breast shape. Surgeons can often rebuild the breast with plastic surgery techniques immediately following your lumpectomy or mastectomy. They can also perform a separate surgery at a later time, such as after you’ve finished radiation therapy or chemotherapy treatment and your tissues have had time to recover.

Regardless of whether you have immediate or delayed reconstruction surgery, you may need an additional follow-up surgery to perfect your results. Follow-up surgeries may adjust the size balance between your breasts, for example, or add a reconstructed nipple. Breast reconstruction can use a mix of different methods and can happen in stages. You and your surgeon will determine the right methods and timing based on your condition and preferences.

Breast reconstruction methods include:

• Implant reconstruction: A breast implant replaces the tissue that was removed from your breast to restore its shape and volume. The implant is a silicone shell that’s filled with either saline or silicone gel. The surgeon places it over or under your muscle and covers it with your skin — either your original breast skin or a skin graft from another part of your body.
• Autologous or “flap” reconstruction: This method takes tissue from another part of your body to reconstruct your breast. Skin, fat and sometimes muscle from areas such as your belly or buttocks tend to better resemble breast tissue in look and feel. Sometimes surgeons use a combination of flap and implant reconstruction for more realistic results.
• Nipple reconstruction: If you had a nipple-sparing mastectomy or lumpectomy, your surgeon preserved your nipple to use in the reconstruction of your breast. If they weren’t able to preserve your original nipple, they can construct a new one from a skin graft taken from another part of your body. This may be done in a follow-up surgery after breast reconstruction.