Dear Doreen,

Thank you for your email. Silicone breast implants have recently been approved for use by the FDA and many patients are choosing to have the Silicone implants because of the more natural feeling after placement of the implant. Boston is a conservative town and many plastic surgeons are still only using the Saline implants. The Silicone gel implants are safe but there are certain precautions and follow up care that are required if you have Silicone gel breast implants.

The results of breast augmentation are usually very pleasing- see below or click on this link:

A successful result oriented breast enlargement can create a beautifully shaped feminine breast.

Experience, artistic sense, and a shared image of your goals for breast augmentation are important factors in achieving a good result.

Most women seeking breast augmentation do so because they feel:

They have always wanted bigger breasts

• Their breasts have become smaller and less full after pregnancy
• Their breasts have sagged
• They do not like the shape of their breasts
• They want to look better in a bathing suit
• They want to look better in clothes
• They just want fuller more voluptuous breasts
• They want a more feminine looking body
• They just want big breasts

Breast augmentation is one of the most frequently performed plastic surgery operations done in the US today. Overall results are excellent and patient satisfaction and happiness with their new breasts is very high.

With the recent FDA approval of Silicone Gel Breast Implants the options and choices available to you are many. There are also many options for placement of the incision and the implant.

The Breast Augmentation Procedure

What bothers my patients most is the lack of breast fullness and cleavage of their breasts. They just want to have fuller breasts and be able to fill out their bathing suit and look good in today’s fashions.

If your breast is small or is normal size but has no sagging, the breast augmentation procedure is very straightforward and requires little modification.

If you have sagging breasts after weight loss or childbirth, depending on how much the breast has sagged, you may need a dermal mastopexy or breast lift in addition to the breast augmentation.

For most women, however, the breast augmentation procedure can correct the post pregnancy or weight loss breast appearance without the need for a breast lift or mastopexy.

The key issue in making this decision is the position of your nipple. Check the crease in the skin below your breast. This is called the inframammary crease. If the nipple is above this crease then chances are a breast augmentation can be done without a breast lift.

Most often I place the breast implant through an incision in the fold beneath the breast, called the inframammary breast augmentation. This scar normally does not show unless the breast is lifted up. The implant can also be placed through an incision in the armpit called a transaxillary breast augmentation.

If you have had children and your breast has sagged only a small amount I often use a technique called the Transareolar Breast Augmentation. Using this technique I make a very small incision in the areola—the round pink part surrounding the nipple. I then modify the breast gland so that it falls nicely over the implant. If you heal well the scar is hard to notice.

The Transareolar approach does push the nipple up and places the volume of the implant under the nipple and which is where the volume of the normal breast was during pregnancy.

The breast implant can be placed either under the breast gland, called the sub glandular breast augmentation, or under the chest muscle, called the sub muscular breast augmentation. There are advantages and disadvantages to each technique which I will explain to you at the time of your consultation.

Today you have a choice between saline breast implants and silicone gel breast implants. The main difference in the result of breast augmentation with saline breast implants from that with silicone gel breast implants is the feel of the implant. If there are no complications such as hardening of the implant, and the result of the surgery is satisfactory, then a silicone gel breast implant will feel more natural than a saline implant-the silicone gel implant often feels more like breast tissue than does a saline implant.

However, this difference is subtle not dramatic, and there are many people who have saline breast implants in whom I cannot tell the difference between a saline and a silicone gel implant.

There are many factors to consider when making your decision about which type of breast implant to chose. I will give you information about both types of implants at the time of your consultation.

Your Consultation

When we meet I will talk with you and ask you to explain to me the specific goals you hope to achieve with breast augmentation. I will examine you and tell you my findings and recommend the breast augmentation procedure which I believe is best for you.

I will discuss the procedure, your recovery, and expectations and answer your questions. Photos of your breasts will be taken. You will be given an estimate or quote of the cost of the procedure. Financing is available.

Pre OP

The pre operative visit is the time when we will sit down and clearly define your goals. We will discuss what you hope to achieve and what I believe I can achieve with the breast augmentation procedure.

You will also undergo a history and physical exam to make certain that you are healthy and have no medication allergies or contraindications to surgery. An EKG (electrocardiogram) may be done if you have a history of heart problems or have reached a certain age. You will also be given prescriptions for post operative medications.

You also will be asked to read and sign surgical consent forms which outline the risks, potential complications, limitations and expectations of breast augmentation surgery.

The Operation

Breast augmentation is done with you asleep under general anesthesia. Very experienced, superb anesthesiologists will be taking care of you. Safety is our first concern. We use modern, very safe anesthesiology techniques, and take precautions to avoid nausea after surgery.

Breast augmentation scars are usually not noticeable. The scar is usually hidden beneath the breast, in the armpit, or within the pink part of the areola. You will not have visible sutures or suture marks following surgery. I use buried sutures to close your incision. Buried sutures produce less noticeable scars and help avoid the old style “railroad track” suture mark seen when interrupted external sutures are used.

Breast augmentation is done as an outpatient or day surgery. You will go home the same day after surgery. The operation takes about an hour.

After you wake up you will be taken to the recovery room where a nurse will be taking care of you. The nurse monitors you, makes certain you are comfortable and checks your vital signs. You will spend 1-2 hours in recovery. After that, as soon as you are comfortable, able to drink and eat a bland food such as crackers or cookies, and able to go to the bathroom, you will be discharged. The nurse will escort you by wheel chair to your car.

We require that someone bring you to the surgery center and take you home, and that you have someone staying with you the first night after your surgery.

Post op- What to expect

In the recovery room you will be given medications to control any discomfort you are experiencing following your surgery. You also will have medications to take for discomfort at home. You will experience discomfort in the breast area for the first 3-4 days after surgery. If the breast implant is placed under the chest muscle, the discomfort is greater than if the implant is placed under the breast gland.

The day after surgery I will have you start implant displacement exercises. I have you use your hand to massage and move the implant. This technique helps avoid hardening of the implant and actually reduces the length of time you will feel discomfort post operatively.

Most patients are quite comfortable by day 5 post op and some are able to return to work. Generally full recovery takes 2 weeks. I ask you to wait 3 weeks before heavy weight lifting or aggressive work outs.

A Consultation with Dr Seckel

I can tell you a great deal more about breast augmentation and how it would work for you if I see you in person. Call me to set up a consultation or contact me by email. If you would like to email me your questions or photos I can email you my thoughts about which procedure I would most likely recommend for you. For more information on breast augmentation read my blogs about breast augmentation.

Be sure to sign up for my new free email newsletter so you will receive information on the newest techniques in plastic surgery.

I look forward to meeting you.

Dr Seckel

978-369-4499

Concord, Massachusetts

Boston, Massachusetts

This entry was posted on Monday, September 10th, 2007 at 3:31 am and is filed under Breast Implants,Breast Enlargement,Breast Augmentation. Both comments and pings are currently closed.