For many women, breast size is an important part of feeling good, desirable and normal. 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 woman feel more like the ideal by drastically improving the way she views herself.
Breast augmentation is a very popular procedure for women and among the most commonly performed cosmetic surgery procedures. A saline-filled implant is inserted under the crease in the breast, around the nipple or through the armpit. The implant can be placed under the breast tissue or beneath the chest wall muscle. After surgery, breasts will appear "fuller" and more shapely in contour. Incision scars will fade or disappear over time.
A breast implant is a silicone shell filled with either silicone gel or a salt-water solution known as saline.
Because of concerns that there is insufficient information demonstrating the safety of silicone gel-filled breast implants, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has determined that new gel-filled implants, at the present time, should be available only to women participating in approved studies. Some women requiring replacement of the implants may also be eligible to participate in the study.
Saline-filled implants continue to be available to breast augmentation patients on an unrestricted basis, pending further FDA review. You should ask your doctor more about the specifics of the FDA decisions
The average cost for breast augmentation in the US is around $3,000; the cost of the augmentation varies from surgeon to surgeon and according to where they practice. In Canada, the cost varies from $5000 to $8,000 CDN. There may be additional costs such as anesthesia, operating room facility, prescription medicines, etc.
A breast augmentation procedure is usually performed in an outpatient surgical center, either operated by your surgeon or a hospital facility, and takes 1-3 hours, but depending on the extent of the procedure, it can take longer. If you are having another cosmetic surgery at the same time as a breast augmentation, overnight hospitalization may be required.
Breast augmentation surgery can be performed under local anesthesia, along with intravenous sedation, or general anesthesia depending on your health, the extent of the procedure and whether you are having other procedures at the same time. The surgery consists of making an incision, lifting the breast tissue, creating a pocket in the chest/breast area, and placing an envelope containing a soft, implant material underneath. The incision can be made in the crease below the breast, around the areola or under the armpit. The breast implants can be placed either under the chest muscle or directly under the breasts based on considerations like the anatomy of your breasts, soreness after surgery, exercise activities and interference with mammograms.
Although several types of breast implants are available, the breast implant that is used nearly universally for breast augmentation purposes, is made of a silicone rubber sack, which is filled with a saline solution. Under certain conditions, silicone gel implants can be used, but these breast implants are only offered on a limited basis, under approved studies, due to questions about silicone implants correlated to autoimmune diseases. There are a variety of implant designs, all of which have advantages and disadvantages. Your surgeon will discuss the choice of the breast augmentation implant, reasons for the selection, safety issues and will review with you the size changes that are possible with the operation.
click here for further information on what you must know before you even think about breast augmentation. Lisa wall has been a medical researcher and writer for over 20 years and has written for leading health journals across the country