Breast augmentation is the most popular plastic surgery procedure in the United States for a reason. It can help women improve their appearance and self-confidence.
At Farrell Plastic Surgery & Laser Center, Dr. Leo Farrell is dedicated to helping women achieve the body they’ve always desired. He is a board-certified plastic surgeon with more than 20 years of experience. Dr. Farrell serves Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg, and surrounding areas of Pennsylvania. Call (717) 732-9000 today to schedule a potentially life-changing breast augmentation consultation.
What are the Benefits of Breast Augmentation?
Women choose to undergo breast augmentation for several practical and aesthetic reasons, including:
- Enlarging small breasts
- Increasing breast fullness
- Improving self-confidence
- Restoring breast volume lost because of childbirth, weight loss, or aging
- Revising a previous breast augmentation
Am I a Good Candidate for Breast Augmentation?
If you’re in good overall health, you’re probably a candidate. Other factors that influence your candidacy include:
- Age: You must be 22 years old to receive silicone implants.
- Pregnancy: If you’re currently pregnant, you won’t be able to get breast implants until at least six months after you are finished breastfeeding.
- Smoking: If you smoke, you must be willing to quit before surgery and throughout your recovery.
Breast Augmentation Before And After
What Types of Breast Implants Does Dr. Farrell Offer?
Dr. Farrell offers both silicone and saline implants. During your breast augmentation consultation, he’ll discuss your goals with you to help you determine which implant best meets your needs.
- Silicone implants consist of a silicone shell filled with a silicone gel. Silicone is thicker than saline, so these implants have a more natural look and feel. They aren’t as prone to leakage as saline implants and can hold their shape better if they do rupture.
- Gummy bear implants are a newer form of silicone implant filled with a cohesive, form-stable silicone gel. They also have a teardrop shape that more naturally fits the anatomical contours of your breast than traditional, rounded implants. Gummy bear implants are often textured, which allows the breast tissue to grow into them. This drastically reduces the chance of the implant slipping.
Breast Implant Incision Location
Dr. Farrell performs breast augmentation using inframammary incisions, which are made in the natural folds under your breasts. This allows your scar to be discreetly hidden and also preserves your nipple sensation.
What are my Breast Implant Placement Options?
As with the location of your incision, you have options for the placement of your implant. Dr. Farrell will discuss them with you and help you choose one based on your goals and lifestyle:
- Subglandular: Your implants are placed beneath your breast tissue but above your chest muscle.
- Submuscular: Your implants are placed underneath your chest muscles.
- Dual-plane: The upper portion of your implants is placed partly under your pectoral muscles, and the lower part is above the muscle.
Submuscular implants have a subtler, more natural appearance, but may not be suited for women who have athletic lifestyles that require the use of their chest muscles. Those women may prefer subglandular implants that don’t interfere with chest muscles. Dual-plane implants offer the benefits of both with minimized trade-offs.
How Do I Choose My New Breast Size?
Your ideal breast implant size will be based on several factors. Taking into account your stated desires, things like the size of your ribcage and length of your torso will play a role in which size breast implant makes the most sense as well.
We use tools to help our patients understand how various augmentation options will look after recovery. We will work directly with you during the planning phase of your procedure to help ensure you are satisfied with the final appearance of your breasts.
Breast Augmentation Surgery
Despite the various choices you make in determining your implant type, incision location, and implant placement, all breast augmentation surgeries largely follow the same steps. They take about one hour and are performed on an outpatient basis:
- You’ll be given anesthesia and made comfortable in our surgery room.
- Farrell will make incisions and place your implants.
- When finished, Dr. Farrell will seal the incisions with sutures or surgical tape.
What is Recovery like After Breast Augmentation?
Your recovery process will depend on your body’s natural healing ability, the particulars of the procedure, and other factors. However, you can generally expect some post-operative pain that will subside a couple of days after the procedure. You will also experience soreness and swelling for up to several weeks.
It’s important to follow Dr. Farrell’s post-operative instructions to ensure your recovery goes as well as possible. Dr. Farrell will provide you with a compression garment to help reduce swelling and support your breasts. It’s vital to wear this until he clears you to wear sports bras.
This is a general timeline for breast augmentation recovery:
- 1-2 weeks before you can return to work
- 30 days before you can wear a sports bra
- 6 weeks before you resume strenuous activities
- 3 months until you can wear regular bras
Patient Testimonial
“There was little to no pain. I have so much more confidence.”
Click here to read more reviews.
When Can I Return to Work After Breast Augmentation?
Most women can resume working in a non-strenuous capacity within five to seven days of breast augmentation surgery. If your job is physically demanding, you may need to wait a bit longer before resuming all normal duties. It typically takes six to eight weeks before the body has healed enough to take on more demanding workplace tasks.
Each woman heals differently. During your follow-up visits, we will carefully assess your progress to help you determine when it is safe to resume specific activities.
Can I Breastfeed After Breast Augmentation?
In most cases, breast augmentation will not interfere with your ability to breastfeed. Great care is taken during breast augmentation surgery to preserve milk ducts and nipple sensitivity. Implant placement and incision location can play a role in this as well. If you plan to have children in the future or if you are uncertain about the possibility, it is best to talk to your plastic surgeon about breast augmentation options that will reduce the risks of breastfeeding complications.
Am I Too Old for Breast Augmentation Surgery?
You must be 18 years of age or older to have a breast augmentation. So long as you meet candidacy requirements, you can have breast implants placed at any age.
Will Breast Augmentation Increase My Risk of Breast Cancer?
Breast augmentation does not increase the risk of breast cancer. There may be a link between some types of breast implants and anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL), a type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, though instances are rare and the link is not definitive. Some women have also complained of breast implant illness (BII), an extremely rare condition marked by fatigue, joint pain, and respiratory difficulties, and complications such as capsular contracture are possible as well.
It is rare, but not impossible, for breast implants to cause complications. If you experience difficulties with your breast implants, revision and/or removal are always options. Honest and upfront, we will discuss all of the risks of breast augmentation with you during your initial consultation to help ensure you are making the best decision for your body.
Should I Wait Until I Am Done Having Children to Have Breast Augmentation?
Pregnancy and nursing can impact the size, shape, symmetry, and lift of the breasts. This is true even in women who have undergone breast augmentation surgery. Having children after breast augmentation can alter your results and may necessitate a follow-up procedure. Waiting, however, is entirely up to you.
Fortunately, when results are impacted by pregnancy – or any other factor – breast implant revision surgery can be used to restore the most pleasing appearance. This procedure can even be included in mommy makeover surgery for women who would like to address all of the ways pregnancy and nursing have impacted their bodies.
Schedule Your Breast Augmentation Consultation Today
Dr. Farrell has more than 20 years of experience helping women achieve greater self-confidence through breast augmentation. He serves Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg, and surrounding areas of Pennsylvania. Call (717) 732-9000 today to schedule a consultation.
