A personal consultation is the first step for every patient considering breast augmentation. During this meeting one of our board-certified plastic surgeons will assess your physical and emotional health and discuss your specific goals for surgery.

During the consultation a breast exam will be performed, the doctor will explain which surgical technique will be best suited for you to give you the most natural result. If your breasts are sagging, the doctor may also recommend a breast lift, which would be explained.

The plastic surgery will be performed in our office based surgical suite. We use a local anesthetic with intravenous sedation (twilight sleep) for patients undergoing breast augmentation. Our medical staff will monitor your physical status throughout the surgery and during your recovery. The procedure generally takes 1-2 hours and then we care for you in the recovery room for at least one hour before you are discharged.

There are three options for incision location:

1.  Periareolar (around the dark skin surrounding the nipple)
2. Inframammary crease (the fold under the breast)
3.  Transaxillary (armpit).

Every effort will be made to assure that the incision is placed so resulting scars will be as inconspicuous as possible. Working through the incision, the surgeon will lift your skin and breast tissue to create a pocket, either directly behind the breast tissue or underneath your chest wall muscle (the pectoral muscle). The implants are then centered beneath your nipples.

Putting the implants behind your chest muscle may reduce the appearance and feel of the implant as well as decrease the potential for capsular contracture. This placement may also interfere less with breast examination by mammogram. Placement behind the muscle however, may be more painful for few days after the surgery than placement directly under the breast tissue.

Be sure to ask about minimal incision breast surgery techniques. You’ll want to discuss the pros and cons of these alternatives with the doctor before surgery to make sure you fully understand the implications of the procedure that he recommends for you.

Dissolvable stitches are used to close the incisions, which may also be taped for greater support. A gauze bandage may be applied over your breasts to help with healing. A surgical bra and sometimes a “Band-O” breast strap will be provided for you.

Using the Keller Funnel™ allows our plastic surgeons to implant silicone gel breast implants via a no-touch technique.

The Keller Funnel™ can insert all silicone gel breast implant sizes up to 800cc, including gummy bear breast implants. There are many advantages to the Keller Funnel, and virtually no disadvantages.

The No-Touch Technique with the Keller Funnel™ allows the breast implant to never be handled. No matter how sterile the surgical suite and the operating room are, it is always possible to get a minute amount of bacteria on the shell of the implant, particularly when the breast implant is being put into the pocket. Because the Keller Funnel™ eliminates this risk, the risk of capsular contracture is lessened.

For breast augmentation patients, you will be cared for in the recovery room for at least one-hour after surgery. You may experience some discomfort, ice packs to the chest and the pain medication prescribed will lessen the discomfort. There will be gauze sponges covering the incisions, a bra and breast strap will be in place. You are to wear the bra and strap night and day for the first week.

The discomfort in your chest will diminish; the 1st 2-3 days are the most uncomfortable. Ice for 24-36 hours and resting with 3-4 pillows behind your back will help.

The recovery period for getting back to work is around 5-7 days, depending on the level of activity required for your job. Please follow our advice on when to begin exercises and normal activities.

Your breasts will probably be sensitive to direct stimulation for two to three weeks, so you should avoid much physical contact. Your scars will be firm and pink for at least six weeks. Vitamin E or silicone scar gel massaged into the healed incision improves the quality of the scar. After several months your scars will begin to fade, although they will never disappear completely .If you ever feel breast pain or discomfort, please contact Illume immediately.

For many women, the result of breast augmentation can be satisfying, even exhilarating, as they learn to appreciate their fuller appearance. Regular examinations by your plastic surgeon and routine mammograms for those in the appropriate age groups at prescribed intervals will help assure that any complications, if they occur, can be detected early and treated.

Modern surgical techniques have minimized complications but they include bleeding, infection, capsular contracture, asymmetry, deflation, and rupture. Implant deflation occurs because of a failure in the valve or a wear wrinkle. Should deflation of a saline implant occur, the saline in the implant will be resorbed harmlessly by your body.

In the event of a deflation of silicone implant, the body will not reabsorb the silicone and you will not be able to detect a leak without a mammogram or MRI. The silicone will need to be removed by your surgeon. The major implant companies guarantee the implant for life and will sometimes cover a portion of the costs of replacement.

Other concerns are nipple/areolar sensitivity. There is less than 2% incidence of permanent change in sensitivity (either increased, decreased or loss of sensation). Nursing after breast augmentation is possible, although there is a 10-18% chance of not being able to breastfeed after augmentation.

A Capsular Contracture is scar tissue that builds around every implant. In some patients, a capsular contracture occurs, in which case the scar tissue thickens and tightens causing visible or painful changes in the breast. The incidence varies roughly between 2-8% with no real definitive cause or prevention.

It is believed that capsular contractures may be triggered by blood, fluid or bacteria. While the majority of women do not experience these complications, you should discuss each of them with your physician to make sure you understand the risks and consequences of breast augmentation.