Many women seek breast augmentation to improve their appearance or self confidence. Sometimes they do it simply to become larger. Other times they seek to fill in the volume which has become lost following pregnancy. Among plastic surgery procedures, breast augmentation is currently one of the most popular ? and with a very high rate of patient satisfaction.
A breast implant is a fluid filled sac that is inserted under the breast tissue and is designed to enhance the size of the breast and to change its shape. For appropriate and well-informed candidates, breast augmentation can provide very pleasing results.
There are two different types of breast implants. The first is saline-filled and the second is silicone gel-filled. Some women are of the belief that silicone implants cause illnesses in women, like autoimmune diseases. This is a serious issues, but fortunately this has been shown to not be the case. There can be risks to the procedure, like with any surgery. Local side effects like breast pain, capsular contracture and rupture or deflation of the breast implant are possible. It is also important to remember that breast implants don't last a lifetime and one should be prepared for long-term follow up if adjustments become necessary.
After reading about breast implants, you should give yourself time to make an informed decision about whether or not having breast implants are right for you. You should decide whether or not you want to have breast implants based on what you think your outcome should be. It is important to have realistic expectations. There is no guarantee that what your breast implants will look like those of other women. Think about how healthy you are now, what your chest structure is, your capabilities of healing such as whether you've had surgery, whether you smoke, if you have bleeding tendencies and the skill of the surgical team doing the procedure.
Description of Implant
Breast implants each vary according the surface of the shell (textured versus smooth), the shape of the implant (round versus shaped), profile (how far the implant sticks out), and the volume (size) of the implant. Most implants consist of a shell, a filler and a patch that covers the manufacturer's hole. The bulk of them are single lumen, although some have a lumen inside another lumen (double lumen). Some breast implants have a fixed volume of filler while others are filled during the operation and others allow for adjustments to the volume of the filler.
Saline Implants
There are three types of saline implants. The first is a single lumen implant that is generally filled up during the procedure with saline through a port. After the operation, the size of the implant remains the same. The second type of saline implant is a single lumen implant that is filled during the procedure through a port. The size of the implant can be changed after the operation. The third type of saline implant has a fixed volume of saline in it and has no valves for filling or removing saline.
Silicone Gel-Filled Implants
Silicone implants, unlike saline, come pre-filled by the manufacturer. They thus require a slightly longer incision during the procedure. In many cases, they tend to feel softer and more natural than saline implants.
Risks
Breast implants may not last forever. They may rupture, leaking fluid into the breast fluid. If this happens, you will likely need have the implants replaced. It is safest to assume that you will have reoperations one or more times in your lifetime. If you choose to have your implants removed completely, you might have dimpling, wrinkling, loss of breast tissue or puckering of the breast.
When you have any of the complications of implants, you may need removal of the implant. The various complications include asymmetry, inflammation, breast pain, calcium deposits, contracture of the capsule, chest wall deformity, rupture, deflation, scarring, lumps, unsatisfactory style or size, or infection.
Breast augmentation can offer improvements in appearance and confidence. Many women have great satisfaction from the breast augmentation. But the procedure is not for everyone and it is important to make a fully informed decision prior to going forward.
Breast augmentation is one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures available today for a multitude of good reasons. The surgery is safe, predictable, and can produce significant changes in a woman's appearance almost instantaneously. Most women that receive breast implants are extremely happy with the results due to improved self-confidence, a more aesthetic and proportionate body contour, and better fitting clothing. Every year more and more women elect to undergo this surgery, often after seeing excellent results in friends or relatives.
One common misconception of women considering breast augmentation is that once the implants are placed, they stay in permanently. Although there certainly are women who have had the same implants for many decades, most women will have their implants exchanged within the first ten to fifteen years after surgery for various reasons. This implant exchange procedure is generally much easier and less invasive than the original surgery, since the pocket for the breast implant already exists.
One of the most frequent reasons for implant removal and replacement is the woman's desire to change the size of the implants. The majority of women who have breast augmentation surgery are extremely happy with their new size. Some women, however, decide later on that they would be happier with a change in cup size. In such cases, these women elect to have their implants removed and replaced with larger or smaller implants.
Another reason women choose to exchange their implants is due to the implant material. The most common implants (what people refer to as "saline implants") consist of a silicone shell filled with saline solution. These implants look excellent in most women, however, some patients are concerned that the implants feel firmer or are less "natural" appearing than they would like. Others complain of "ripples" that can be seen and felt along the sides of the breasts.
This can be corrected by changing the saline implants to silicone filled implants, which are typically softer and more natural feeling than saline implants. An exciting new innovation is the cohesive gel silicone implant (sometimes referred to as a "gummy-bear implant"). Cohesive gel implants have the feel of a liquid silicone implant, but if they rupture the silicone maintains its shape much like a gummy bear.
Both saline and silicone implants may experience leaks and ruptures of the external shell, which is another reason that would prompt an implant exchange. This is usually due simply to "wear and tear" of the implant shell over time. When a saline implant leaks, the result is a deflated appearing breast, which requires an implant replacement to resume a normal appearance. Although physically harmless, the emotional aspects of a saline deflation are often worrisome to the patient. Silicone implant ruptures are less obvious physically, but should also be exchanged for optimal emotional and physical results.
Although an eventual breast implant exchange should be anticipated as a part of breast augmentation surgery, the amount of inconvenience is very small relative to the total time that the implants are in place. Sometimes the reason for an exchange is purely elective (as in the case of a size change), whereas other times the exchange is less optional (as in the case of a rupture). Regardless, the vast majority of women with breast implants are extremely pleased and feel that the need for an occasional implant exchange is a small price to pay for the overall benefits of their breast augmentation.
Both Lloyd Krieger & Adrien Brody are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Adrien Brody has sinced written about articles on various topics from Health, Cosmetic Surgery and Breast Enlargements. Adrien Brody is a business writer specializing in health and beauty products and has written authoritative articles on the industry. To learn more about breast enhancement, make sure you visit. Adrien Brody's top article generates over 165000 views. to your Favourites.