Newport Beach Breast Augmentation

The feel of a breast implant varies from person to person. Many factors come into play. Some factors include the amount of breast tissue a person already has to cover the implants, whether or not the implants will be on top of the muscle, entirely under the muscle, or partially under the muscle; whether they are saline implants or silicone implants; the quality and thickness of the skin, etc…

In general, silicone implants will feel more “natural” than saline implants. Silicone implants can feel like a thick marshmallow, whereas saline implants can feel like a bag of water. Some patients will do very well with either type of implant if they have thick skin and a fair amount of breast tissue in either the subglandular or submuscular position. In general, woman who are quite thin, have little breast tissue with loose skin, and have nursed children will do better with a silicone implant, preferably a high profile silicone implant to achieve a more natural feel.

Implants can feel hard for several reasons. Some include a saline implant that is way too over-filled. Another reason can be a capsular contracture.

Newport Beach Plastic Surgeon Q & A

There are many options when considering breast augmentation…silicone, saline; smooth, textured; round, anatomical; moderate profile, high profile; on top of the muscle, completely under the muscle, or partially under the muscle; lift, no lift etc.

Generally speaking, if a patient has a somewhat droopy or ptotic breast and would like to avoid additional scars for a breast lift, they will be better served by having their implants placed partially under the muscle (dual plane) or on top of the muscle. Having said this, patients who have lost weight or have had their breast tissue atrophy following nursing will have a much more naturally feeling breast with silicone implants versus saline implants. As you can see, there are many options.

Meet with a few plastic surgeons to get a better understanding of what is best for you. A nice place to find board certified plastic surgeons is at www.surgery.org, the website for The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Orange County Cosmetic Surgeon Q & A

Ask Doctor Grover - Dual Pane Technique Offers Best of Both Breast Implants Techniques

I prefer to use a dual plane, partial retropectoral technique for most of my breast augmenation patients because, in my hands, I feel it offers the nicest, most natural results. I feel it offers benefits of both the submuscular technique and subglandular technique.

Orange County Plastic Surgeon Q & A

It is still possible to use the auxillary approach. This will be a more likely situation if you have saline implants and are planning on staying with saline implants. I prefer to use an endoscope for my transauxillary breast augmentations.

However, I do not prefer to place silicone implants via the auxillary approach. Most often, I will use the periareolar or inframammary approach for primary and secondary cases. Having said this, you should not fear the periareolar approach to your surgery as the scars, many times, heal beautifully.

Newport Beach Plastic Surgeon Q & A

Ask Doctor Grover - How Long Should I Wait Before Re-operation After Breast Implants?

You can change your implants at any time; however, this may not be the wisest thing to do early on. Generally speaking, you should avoid re-operation in the first 3 months unless there is an emergency that is ‘forcing’ you to do so. Your breast will evolve over the first 3-4 months and you will start getting ‘used to’ your new breasts. You likely had a detailed conversation with your plastic surgeon prior to undergoing this procedure and jointly decided on the size you were going for. Correct?

Give it some time. You may be very glad you did not rush into something too hastily. It does not have to do with bleeding.

Newport Beach Plastic Surgeon Q & A

Many factors are involved in deciding the best size for a given patient. First of all there is no one size that only fits a patient. I prefer to use a number of factors in deciding which size is best. First of all, I like to know if my patient is trying to achieve a conservative B cup or a large DD size. Body proportions, chest dimensions, breast dimensions, amount of breast tissue present, ‘looseness’ of the skin etc are all important factors. Have faith in your Board-Certified plastic surgeon. Good luck.

Newport Beach Plastic Surgeon Q & A

The maximum sized available silicone gel implant available is 800 cc. You can get slightly larger with a saline implant. However, you should not choose a certain size without being evaluated by a plastic surgeon to determine if it is the appropriate size for you based on your chest and breast dimensions as well as condition of your skin envelope. You say you feel that your 500 cc implants are smaller than your 375 cc saline implants. One possible reason may be that you have different profile implants. You may have had a lower profile implant before and now have a higher profile implant in which has more projection but is narrower.

Orange County Plastic Surgeon Q & A

It sounds as though your implant is deflating. It is not related to your post-nasal drip however. You should visit a board certified plastic surgeon to have this confirmed and discuss your options. You should be able to exercise; however, sometimes women will notice the implant ‘poking’ them and this may be uncomfortable.

Newport Beach Plastic Surgeon Q & A

Ask Doctor Grover - Adding more saline to Breast Implants after surgery?
Yes, you can add more saline to your current implants; however, it is generally not advised. First of all, each saline implant has a certain fill range that is recommended for each sized implant. If you exceed the recommended volume by too much it will increase your chances for scalloping along the edges and will make your implant and breast much harder.

Additionally, you may void your warranty on your implants as you are potentially damaging the one-way valve.

Realize, surgery is not without potential risk, so consider your options seriously. Another thing to consider is which technique was used to place your implant. If it was placed by the periareolar or inframammary approach, one could fill it up more, but if the implant was placed via the transaxillary (underarm) or transumbilical approach, you will damage the implant.

Orange County Cosmetic Surgeon Q & A

Most breast reductions are performed as outpatient procedures. Pain is usually limited following a breast reduction and well controlled with oral pain medications. There may be rare instances when a patient’s medical condition warrants an overnight hospitalization following breast reduction.

Newport Beach Breast Augmentation and Orange County Breast Implants