Breast Augmentation In Austin, TX

The beauty of breast implants is that the benefits extend well beyond the breasts. For instance, if you are pear-shaped, enhancing the size of your breasts creates a more balanced figure. Your abdomen will look smaller, and you will look like you have lost some weight. Women with “broad” or “strong” shoulders often benefit from larger breasts because their shoulders appear more balanced and less generous. Ample “bootie” is well balanced with some fullness on top. And curves are a great way to enhance those who are thin and narrow. Read my blog post about how the benefits go beyond breasts.

Choosing your breast size by simply requesting an “A, B, C, or D” won’t work for most Austin breast augmentation patients because there is no standard breast cup measurement, and you need to visualize what actual volume implant works best for your body type. This is a shot in the dark. Computer-generated examples of size changes on your figure are just that—computer-generated. If you want to know exactly what you will look like with a breast implant of a specific shape and volume, simply try them on, look in the mirror and give each your rating!

This is not only the critical part of your journey, it’s also the fun part. Most of the consultation time is spent choosing the breast implant size and shape that works with your figure and your personality. Every breast augmentation patient has a preconceived notion of what size and breast shape she thinks she wants. It must be understood that there are limits on implant choice based on the anatomy of your chest wall and your breasts. Engineering principles are involved in the decision. To provide you with an analogy, six people can’t fit at a table built for two. Large implants won’t work with a small chest. My primary goal is to make sure you make the best choice in implant size so that your results are long-lasting and pleasing. Having a large and shapely breast is not common because of the negative impact that a larger (heavier) implant has on the shape of the natural breast tissue over time. Ideal results are achieved when the best size and shape are created using the smallest implant possible. moderate size.

During your consultation you will try on silicone implant sizers and observe, firsthand, what volume works best for you. The A, B, C, D cup size system of breast measurement is imprecise and varies by bra manufacturer. Be aware that complications are directly related to implant size — larger implants are associated with more problems than smaller ones. Whatever implant size you choose, our surgeon typically adjusts the size up a bit because it will look smaller once it’s under your breast. I encourage my patients to be realistic when they choose the size. As you go through life, you will change the way you see yourself and your breasts, so it’s reasonable to assume that what works for you one day may be different the next. There is always worry about going too large or too small. How about getting it just right from the first try? That’s why our surgeon spends so much time determining the size: this is an important decision and it needs to be right on. Relying on your surgeon to choose your size without you trying on sizers often results in breasts that are too large (the logic being that larger breasts will make for a happier patient). Check out this blog post that goes more in depth on considerations when choosing implant size!

Choice of implant pocket location determines soft-tissue coverage for the patient’s lifetime and is the single most important technical decision. I place the vast majority of implants below the muscle. Implants are heavy, and the muscle helps support the weight of the implant (a 350cc implant weighs about 1.2 pounds!). Implants “behave” better below the muscle, and they are less likely to form a contracture. The more tissue covering your implant, the less likely you will experience implant irregularities. Implants placed below the muscle tend to feel more natural and have a more natural “take off,” or gradual transition (slope) between the chest wall and breast, which most women prefer.

Some surgeons have had a very nice experience with subglandular implants. They don’t move as much when placed below the muscle. There is also less pain associated with the procedure. If you prefer the “fake” look, it’s created by using saline implants on top of the muscle and inflating the implant to the maximal recommended fill. My biggest concern is the potential for implant contracture and palpable implant irregularities in thin patients with small breasts. The bottom line is that either location in the right patient will work quite well. It’s my job to help you choose the best location for your breast and skin type, so you enjoy all the benefits of your breast enhancement long into the future.

“Textured” means that the outer shell of the implant is rough, and it feels like very coarse sandpaper. These implants were originally designed to reduce the rate of capsular contracture but have not really produced the theoretical benefits. All shaped implants are textured. Round implants may be smooth or textured. It’s interesting that in the US most breast implants are smooth walled and in Europe most are textured. Obviously, the benefits, if any, of these implants when used for cosmetic breast augmentation is not obvious or we would all choose the same breast implant type. As mentioned above, textured implants are currently not popular and infrequently recommended until the association between textured implants and breast lymphoma is clarified. We recommend smooth walled, non-textured implants for breast augmentation.

Why consider silicone or saline breast implants if we could use the extra body fat that many of us have and would love to donate for a good cause? Since 2010 the use of fat grafting in plastic surgery has been popular in the mainstream media. Stories of using your own body fat to inject into the face, sculpt a heart shaped buttock or enhance the smaller breast were not uncommon. But does it work? The jury is finally out in 2019, and the verdict is that fat can be used when combined with breast implants to enhance the result but fat alone to augment the breast simply doesn’t work. In the best of hands it may make the breast slightly larger but the results have proven disappointing.

You still can’t beat the results from the breast implants currently on the market. I know this is disappointing to all of you seeking a natural breast augmentation with your own fat. We don’t know what the future holds. It’s entirely possible that we will come up with the “holy grail” of fat preservation that will allow us to take fat from anywhere on the body and fill up the breast to whatever size we choose – but we are not there yet. The good news is that a breast augmentation with the current saline and silicone implants works very well with high rates of patient satisfaction.

Currently, there are three breast implant manufacturers that sell FDA approved implants in the US market. They are Allergan, Mentor, and Sientra. Both silicone implants and saline implants are widely popular. About 90 percent of implants sold in America are the silicone variety. As you can probably determine after visiting our website, the majority of implants chosen in our practice are silicone. This is a patient’s decision, which is only made after appropriate education regarding the pros and cons of the two implant types. Like the saline implant, the filler is only saline, which some women like for peace of mind in case of a rupture or deflation. Like the silicone implant, it has a natural feel and doesn’t have a risk of silent rupture and FDA-recommended MRI scans.

Women can just look in the mirror and see that their implant is smaller and deflated. In November of 2006, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of silicone implants after having removed them from the American market 14 years prior. Their reintroduction to the market was due to the lack of any scientific evidence that silicone is associated with disease conditions or adverse effects to your health (there was no evidence). The most convincing argument that favors silicone breast implants over saline comes from patients who have had experience with both. They almost unanimously recommend the silicone implants — they feel softer and more comfortable, as if a part of their breast rather than separate from their breast. The breast implant and the natural breast behave as one.

The inframammary incision is the gold standard of incisions, and is the location most frequently used by experienced surgeons. Not only does it provide the ultimate visualization and control for the surgeon, but it also involves the least soft-tissue trauma, the fewest potential nuisances and the lowest chance for postoperative complications. In the majority of patients, it’s the best incision. The reasons why this incision is so common and preferred are simply that it is efficient and the scars heal very well, often becoming almost invisible after a year or two. The saline incision is so small that it’s hard to justify any other incision. The breast silicone implant incision is larger, so this is often the best place to hide it. The axillary, or “armpit” incision is used to place the breast implant through the armpit. It is generally well hidden and there is no scar on the breast. There is a higher incidence of implant malposition with this technique. Additionally, if you require an adjustment of your implant, it’s not uncommon to need a second incision in a different location to correct the problem. Only the smallest silicone implants can be placed using the axillary incision. The potential for postoperative issues is also greater with the axillary approach, and operative and anesthesia times are also longer. This incision is used in our practice only when a patient demands that her incision be in that location.

The periareolar incision (incision around the of your areola) is not as common as it should be. It’s a wonderful approach if you have a large enough areola to accommodate the implant. There is no evidence that this incision, closer to the nipple, affects breast sensitivity compared to other incisions. Since there is a greater amount of dissection through the breast with this approach, it can, at times, lead to excessive scarring and a visible contour irregularity. This incision may also be associated with a greater inability to breastfeed, by some reports, although this is rare. For the right patient, this is a great incision as it is so discreet. The umbilicus or “belly button” is an option for the placement of saline implants. Thi,s is called the TUBA procedure (Trans-Umbilical Breast Augmentation). Read this blog post to learn why our surgeon doesn’t recommend this approach. Patients who have excellent outcomes, without complications or reoperations, rarely complain about any incisions. A skilled surgeon usually delivers excellent scar results.

A “shaped implant” refers to an implant that looks like a “teardrop.” They have less fullness at the top and more at the bottom of the breast — this resembles a natural breast more so than a round implant of the same size. These implants are typically referred to as “gummy bear implants” or “anatomic” implants as they are the firmest implants. They have to be firm so they don’t lose their shape, unlike a round implant. They are designed to be placed in a tight pocket beneath the breast and NOT to move. All these implants are textured and not smooth-walled. These implants were introduced to the general market in 2012, and there was a lot of anticipation that they would one day be very popular. This hasn’t quite turned out that way, and in 2017 these implants command a small segment of the market. The biggest issues with these implants are that they can rotate after placement, they don’t move and can be a bit unnatural, and there are studies that show neither the patient nor surgeon can tell which breast implants were used.

For these reasons and others, these implants are not popular at all and the current “thinking” amongst reputable plastic surgeons is that they simply don’t have a role in cosmetic breast enhancement. If your surgeon is comfortable using these implants and feels that he/she is getting superb results that can’t be achieved with standard round implants, you might want to consider them. Our surgeon recommends that you consider round implants before the anatomic variety. What we thought would be a good thing simply didn’t prove itself in the marketplace. In 2018, there were reported cases of a specific type of lymphoma seen very rarely with the use of textured breast implants. Research is underway to determine the nature of this condition, its frequency and its relationship to breast implants. Because all the cases involved the use of textured breast implants, they currently are not commonly recommended as surgeons are hesitant to use a product whose safety is not 100% assured.

An “implant profile” refers to how narrow or wide the implant is. Low profile implants are flat and high profile implants are narrow. The difference can be very significant in the final appearance of the breast. Currently, my patients overwhelmingly prefer the higher profile implants as they look perkier, more youthful and less matronly. You can often calculate an appropriate implant profile depending on your anatomy and the size of the implant that you are considering. Smaller implants often necessitate lower or moderate profile implants while larger breast implants benefit from the high profile shape. With higher profile implants, there is less side cleavage and less underarm fullness. During your consultation, we will often change the profile so you can see in the mirror how things look different depending on the implant profile.

A breast lift is considered when the breast is saggy, the nipple-areola complex is low on the face of the breast, and if the skin of the breast is quite lax. Experience is needed to know when to lift and when not to. Some patients will realize a beautiful result with an implant alone, while others may need an implant and a breast lift at the same time. It’s always possible to lift the breast as a secondary procedure if you think it is needed. An experienced surgeon can really help here as they know what will work best for you. Read my blog “How do I know if I need a breast lift?” Although a breast implant alone can provide some “lift” to a breast and take up some of the lax skin, we have seen many patients who wanted to place an enormous implant for the lift, but the result was overly large breasts that sit low and are not attractive.

Another common error is to perform a breast augmentation and a lift only around the areola simultaneously (Benelli procedure). This often results in funky-looking breasts with really big (stretched) areolas and poor scars. Women have concerns about a lift because it means breast scars. However, a beautifully shaped breast with a scar looks better than one that lacks fullness but has no scar. This has been proven to experienced surgeons time and time again. Women are concerned about how their partners will react to the scars, but this issue is often overblown. Men generally do not have a problem with a scar on the breast if the breast is shaped beautifully. They tend to see the “big picture” and not the details: a deflated breast with nipples pointing down is not ideal, while a breast that is full with nipples pointing to the sky reveals youth, vitality, and beauty.