According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, breast augmentation was the number one most performed plastic surgery procedures, with over 193,000 procedures performed in 2020. If you are one of the many considering enhancing the shape or size of your breasts with a breast augmentation, here are six facts that you may not know about breast implants!
Natural Breast Width
At the time of your complimentary consultation, your board certified plastic surgeon will take precise and detailed measurements of your body, such as the width of your natural breast, in order to aid in identifying the most aesthetically pleasing breast implant based on the shape and width of your entire frame and body.
The reason for this is because your surgeon is looking for an implant size that will look best on your body – in this case, that is an implant that has the same diameter as your breast width, or even slightly narrower. Otherwise, opting for an implant that is too wide can result in stretched breast tissue, which will result in the stretching of your skin leading to thinning over time. This ultimately leads to the rippling of the implant, a side effect most commonly experienced with saline implants.
Body Type
Undergoing a surgical procedure such as a breast augmentation is a very personal and significant decision for an individual. At Synergy Plastic Surgery, our board-certified plastic surgeons strive to help you achieve your ideal aesthetic while ensuring that the size and shape of the breast implant will conform to your body, producing natural-looking results. To accomplish this, our highly qualified board certified plastic surgeons offer personalized complimentary consultations, where important factors such as your body type are considered.
For example, a petite woman with a smaller frame may support smaller implants, which may appear disproportionate on a patient with a larger body frame -and vice versa. It is important to note that what looks perfect on one individual may look very different on you if you have different body compositions. For this reason, the goal of our board-certified plastic surgeons is to find the best size and shape implant that will provide you with the most pleasing outcome that you are looking for!
Incision Sites
At Synergy Plastic Surgery, our board-certified plastic surgeons most commonly recommend inframammary incisions for a breast augmentation procedure, which are located under the breast. This technique is typically the safest and most reliable way to place a breast implant, allowing the area of incision to be hidden well under the fold of the breast.
However, depending on your anatomy and aesthetic goals, other options are offered as well, such as a periareolar incision, which is located along the lower half of the areola. As always, the best method depends entirely on your unique anatomy and aesthetic goals and concerns, therefore you will always work together with your plastic surgeon to decide on the best option for you at the time of your complimentary consultation.
Different Shapes of Implants
There are different shapes of implants available to choose from, depending on a variety of factors such as your anatomy, type of implant, and aesthetic concerns. Thes shapes include both round implants and tear-dropped shaped implants.
Round implants are the most commonly used shape of implant, being both natural-looking and visually appealing on a variety of body types while providing fullness to the upper portion of the breast. Round breast implants are available in both saline and silicone and various low-to-high projection profiles.
Alternatively, tear-dropped shaped breast implants are shaped like how they sound – a teardrop! This unique shape works to create more fullness at the bottom of the breasts. While this option may sound more appealing due to the impression of a more natural shape, this type of shape also has the potential to amplify the look of sagging breasts over time.
This can be attributed to the added volume and weight to the breast’s lower portion, which can lead to a heavier and more disproportionate appearance to the rest of the body as gravity does its work overtime. For this reason, our board-certified plastic surgeons may tend to recommend round breast implants that add fullness to the upper pole of the breasts, depending on the patient’s anatomy and goals.
Textured vs Smooth Implants
All implant types, shapes and sizes have either a smooth or textured exterior. Round breast implants tend to have a smooth outer shell, allowing the implant to rotate within the breast implant pocket easily whilst not affecting the appearance of the breast.
In contrast, textured implants have an artificial texture on the exterior of the implant, which works to prevent that rotation within the breast implant pocket. This feature is critical for certain shaped breast implants, such as the teardrop implant, in order to make certain that they stay right-side up!
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, some highly textured breast implants have recently been recalled due to their connection to an extremely rare form of lymphoma called breast-implant associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL).
However, it is critical to note that not all textured implants were included in this recall, and almost all implant types have been safely used for several years. Furthermore, our board-certified plastic surgeons take every factor into account when helping you choose an implant. At Synergy Plastic Surgery, your safety is of vital importance, and our practice has 0% history of this implication.
Breast Implant Profiles
When thinking about your breast implant choice, the word “profile” may seem strange or uncommon. The profile of an implant actually determines how far out from the chest your implant will project.
However, implants come in various widths to accommodate a patient’s breast measurements, and there is no direct relationship between an implants size with its profile.
For example, a low-profile implant is ideal for an individual with a wider chest who is slimmer, physically active, and is not seeking a prominent or dramatic look. For this reason, low profile implants can increase fullness with less projection.
Meanwhile, moderate profile breast implant tends to look natural and well-proportioned on many body types as they offer a moderate amount of projection.
Lastly, high profile breast implants are ideal for those who desire larger breasts, more cleavage, and additional fullness in the upper pole of the breast. High profile implants allow the breasts to look rounder while acquiring a good amount of projection.
If you have been considering enhancing the size and shape of your breasts with plastic surgery, schedule a complimentary consultation with one of our board-certified plastic surgeons today! Our advanced plastic surgeons will discuss your breast implant options while considering your unique anatomy and body proportions in order to safely and effectively reach your aesthetic goals. Call (512) 244-1444 or request your complimentary consultation online, and unlock your Synergy Experience today!
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