Breast size and shape are important concerns for many women, and being satisfied with your breasts can be central to both healthy self-esteem and enhanced confidence. Serving patients Queensland-wide, Pacific Plastic Surgery offers breast augmentation using silicone prostheses to assist women achieve the breast size desired. Dr. James Gaffield always strives for realistic results to blend with and enhance your natural proportions.
- Breast Augmentation
- Breast Implants
- Silicone Breast Implants
- Saline Breast Implants
- Breast Augmentation Procedure
- Breast Augmentation Recovery
Breast Augmentation
For women who consider their breasts undersized, the decision to undergo breast augmentation may be the culminating moment of years of insecurity, self-consciousness, and general dissatisfaction. Breast implants are an appropriate way to resolve many challenges, including:
- Problems finding clothes and swimwear that fit
- A body shape that appears imbalanced or out of proportion
- Lost breast volume after breastfeeding
- Drooping or sagging breasts (often performed with breast lift)
Breast Implants
Breast implants are available in different sizes, shapes, and materials, this allows Dr. Gaffield to customize the breast augmentation procedure to meet the unique goals of each patient. Identifying the right breast implants for you is an important part of preparing for augmentation surgery. Dr. Gaffield will discuss the appropriate options in detail with each patient to help them settle on the best procedure options.
Silicone Breast Implants
Modern silicone gel breast implants, fully approved for use in Australia, offer the most realistic texture and shape available without compromising on safety. These implants feel as close to natural breast tissue as possible. The cohesive gel filler of silicone breast implants is constituted to maintain its shape and position better than other alternatives. While early silicone implants were prone to rupture and leakage, today’s devices are designed with a stronger shell and a cohesive filler to minimize the possibility of both rupture and leakage.
Saline Breast Implants
Saline breast implants are the most flexible available. The saline filler, which is essentially sterile salt water, is entirely safe for the human body. In the unlikely event of an implant rupture, the body absorbs saline harmlessly, and the rupture is quickly evident so it can be corrected immediately. In addition, because saline breast implants can be filled after implantation, they can be placed using smaller incisions in different parts of the body. Saline implants are also more cost effective than other breast augmentation alternatives.
Breast Augmentation Procedure
Breast augmentation surgery can be performed in several different ways, depending on the style of implants a patient prefers. Silicone implants, preferably, can be placed through incisions along the inframammary fold at the base of the breast. Inframammary incisions give Dr. Gaffield the greatest degree of control over the procedure, and they have the added advantage of allowing him to perform revision surgery at the same incision site should it become necessary.
Whichever implant material is chosen, the breast implants can be placed either behind the chest muscles (submuscular placement) or in front of them (subglandular placement). For most women, submuscular implants produce the best aesthetic effect. This is particularly true for women with comparatively smaller natural breasts. Submuscular placement also interferes less with mammograms in the future. On the other hand, subglandular implants require a simpler, less invasive procedure with a quicker recovery time, and may be the best option aesthetically for particularly athletic women with larger or stronger chest muscles.
A few things are nearly universal to any breast augmentation procedure. Surgery is performed under general anesthesia. Once anesthesia has commenced, Dr. Gaffield will make the appropriate incisions and insert the breast implants. After placing the implants, he will carefully close the incisions with surgical sutures and apply protective bandages. The surgery takes between one and two hours to complete.
Breast Augmentation Recovery
Planning ahead for recovery is an important part of preparing for breast augmentation surgery. Patients who choose subglandular implants recover more quickly than those who choose submuscular implants, but every patient should be prepared to take at least a week off from work.
During the first 48 hours, most patients experience some discomfort, for which Dr. Gaffield prescribes pain medication. Fatigue is also common during this period, and most patients simply rest in bed at first. Patients have their bandages removed within a few days and replaced with a supportive surgical bra. Sutures are typically removed within one or two weeks, at which point most patients can return to work.
The breasts typically remain tender and swollen for several weeks after breast augmentation surgery. During this time, it is important to avoid physical contact with the breasts, as well as exercise, heavy lifting, and other strenuous activities. Surgical scars fade over the course of several months to become much less noticeable.
Contact Pacific Plastic Surgery Bundaberg
If you live in Queensland and would like further information, contact Pacific Plastic Surgery today to schedule a breast augmentation consultation.