BREAST AUGMENTATION

For many women, breast size is an important part of feeling good about themselves, desirable and feminine. Most women compare themselves to a cultural idea of beauty. Having a breast augmentation procedure can greatly improve self-esteem for many women. It can make a women feel more like the ideal by drastically improving the way she feels about herself.

Breast Augmentation is one of the most frequently performed cosmetic procedures in the world today. It can dramatically improve the appearance of women’s breasts. The enhancement procedure is used to enlarge small breast, under-developed breasts, or breast that have decreased in size after a women has had children.

Is Breast Augmentation for you?

During the consultation with Dr. Lovric, please discuss your goals and expectations of the surgery. Dr. Lovric will assess the nature of your breast, your expectations and explain the probable outcome of your procedure.

You will be shown several before and after treatments of photographs of consenting patients having similar breasts, and your surgeon can explain the treatment you can expect to receive. You may also try some different size implants on in your bra to give you an idea as to the look you desire.

A variety of breast implants are now available. Both silicone and saline implants are available and come in different sizes with different side profiles. Today’s implants are extremely safe and meet strict manufacturing requirements.

The Procedure

The Anatomy of the Breast

The breast is made up of fatty, glandular and fibrous tissues. Inside the breast are blood vessels, milk ducts, fat, glands and sensory nerves. Beneath the breast is the pectoral muscle, which is a large muscle that assists in arm movement.

Incision and Placement Choices

After carefully assessing each patient, Dr. Lovric will make a small incision under the armpit, around the nipple or under the breast. A pocket is created and the chosen implant is then placed securely in this pocket. The incision is then closed. This procedure may take one to two hours and can be done under conscious sedation instead of a general anaesthetic.

Incisions

Breast augmentation is normally performed using one of the three common incision sites: around the nipple (periareola), within the breast fold (inframammary) or under the arm (axillary)

Periareola – this incision offers the benefit of being the most concealed. However, it may cause some interference with breastfeeding
Inframammary – this incision is the most popular because it is concealed in the skin fold below the breast
Axillary – this incision is less concealed, but it may be a good option for women who do not want any scars on their breasts.

Dr. Lovric will explain to you, in detail each incision choice and help you make a decision about which is right for you.

Implant Placement

During a breast augmentation procedure, your implants will either be placed under the chest muscle (sub muscular), or on top the muscle and under the breast glands (subglandular).

Sub-muscular placement may reduce the chances of your implants being felt through your skin, and it may help reduce the chances of scar tissue hardening around your implants. It also will make it easier to image your breast during a mammogram. Possible disadvantages of this placement choice could be longer surgery and recovery time.
Sub-glandular placement can make your augmentation surgery shorter and reduce your recovery time. A possible disadvantage could be having your implant edges more visibly noticeable under your skin. Imaging during a mammogram can also be more difficult when your implants are placed sub-glandularly.

Cost of Surgery

This includes the following:

Surgeons fee
Implants
Anaesthetist fee
Clinic Fee
Follow up visits for 3 months after surgery

Recovery after any Breast Procedure

Certain patients will be discharged the same day, while others may need to stay overnight for observation. You will experience discomfort for several days or weeks. Your breasts will be swollen and very tender. It is vital to rest and follow a healthy lifestyle during your recovery, in order for your body to heal quickly. It is imperative to stop smoking, 5 weeks prior to and after surgery, as this will reduce blood and oxygen supply to the surgical area. When the blood supply is reduced, the tissues heal more slowly. You should be able to resume light activities after a week. It is important to wear a post operative/ sports bra for extra support.

To minimize scarring, Dr. Lovric will advise a Scar Therapy Programme