What To Ask Before Undergoing a Breast Augmentation
The process of deciding whether to undergo a breast augmentation surgery is an exciting yet daunting experience, particularly when we have questions that we might not be comfortable asking.
If you opt to research your procedure online, you may find that information you read is outdated, irrelevant, or simply untrue. The best way to get the answers to your questions is to ask your qualified surgeon, even if it feels embarrassing to ask.
Listed below are five commonly asked questions.
What happens if I get pregnant straight after my breast augmentation?
While it is not recommended that you try to fall pregnant within a few weeks following a breast augmentation procedure, surprises can occur. Falling pregnant soon after your surgery should not affect the results of your procedure, however you should consult your surgeon for more information.
What if my breasts start to droop with age?
Drooping or sagging breasts occur naturally with age, regardless of whether you have implants or not. Your surgeon understands this and may offer reshaping through surgical means. This may mean a fat tissue transfer, breast lift, or another breast augmentation surgery.
Do breast implants require maintenance?
Breast implants are easy to take care of, however do require a little maintenance. Following your surgery, you should be provided with information on what you need to do to take care of your new implants. This often involves self-examination to check for irregularities, and screening for health risks such as breast cancer. It is important that you consult a GP if any issues arise and be sure to tell them that you have breast implants.
Will my nipples hurt?
After a breast augmentation, some women experience nipple pain or burning. This is commonly due to the stretching of the nerves as the implant has been placed. In more severe cases, numbness, bruising, or tingling may occur as the as the nerves repair. Most women find that BOTOX can relieve these symptoms, however they often go away soon after the surgery.
What is the most common surgical complication you (your surgeon) deal with in your practice?
Whether we mind it or not, undergoing any type of medical procedure comes with risks. Your surgeon is required by law to inform you of these risks before undergoing the procedure. Asking what situations they’ve most commonly dealt with, and what steps they take should they encounter a post-op complication will ensure your needs are being met.
Before heading in to your consultation, be sure to write down any questions you may have beforehand to make sure you’re getting the answers you need. Remember, your surgeon has a responsibility to put you first.
- Published in Breast Surgery, General
Plastic Surgery Recovery Times
One of the most frequently asked questions about plastic surgery concerns the time it takes to recover from cosmetic procedures.
Many people think that cosmetic surgery will require them to take extended time off from work, or leave them recovering in bed for quite a while. In fact, you may be surprised to find the recovery times of many common cosmetic surgeries are much lower than you think.
For example, did you know that the general recovery time for breast augmentation or liposuction is just one week? If you’ve been considering improving your appearance through a cosmetic procedure, you may be pleased to hear this.
Today we’ll look at some of the most common types of plastic surgery and their recovery times.
Recommended Time Off for Plastic Surgery Procedures
All cosmetic procedures are different, as are all bodies. So your recovery will obviously be a very individual experience, depending on your age, fitness levels and overall health.
However, here are the average times patients take off from work to recover from plastic surgery procedures – both facial and body surgeries.
Facial Cosmetic Surgery
- Brow Lift – 1-2 weeks
- Facelift – 2 weeks
- Eyelid Surgery – 2 weeks
Cosmetic Surgery for the Body
- Brachioplasty (arm lift) – 1 week
- Liposuction – 1 week
- Tummy Tuck – 3-4 weeks
- Mommy Makeover – 3-4 weeks
- Body Lift – 3-4 weeks
Breast Plastic Surgery Procedures
- Breast Augmentation – 1 week
- Breast Lift – 1 week
- Breast Reduction – 1 week
- Gynecomastia (male chest reduction) – 1 week
Factors to Consider in Your Recovery
In addition to these estimated timeframes, we consider factoring in extra recovery time for facial plastic surgeries if you are someone who bruises easily.
Also, if you work a physically strenuous job, consider taking more time off to recover before returning to work, to ensure the best possible result.
The best approach to take to your recover is to allow more than enough time – if you do heal faster, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. However, if your body takes a little longer to recover from its procedure, you’ll have extra time off up your sleeve.
Feeling stressed out or worried about having to return to work or an active social life will not be beneficial for your recovery. Always talk to your cosmetic surgeon honestly about the time you’ve planned for your recovery. Your cosmetic clinic will be able to assist you throughout this period of time also.
Australia’s Leading Plastic Surgery Practice
If you’re interested in finding out more about common plastic surgery procedures, or would like to talk to a professional about expected recovery times, consider contacting the team at Australia Cosmetic Clinics.
Providing a holistic approach to cosmetic surgery, the friendly team of cosmetic surgeons and expert registered nurses are committed to quality and safety in every aspect of the customised treatment program we provide to our patients.
With Australia Cosmetic Clinics in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, ACC specialise in breast augmentation (breast implants), tummy tuck and mommy makeover surgery, buttock augmentation, rhinoplasty (nose job), breast lifts, breast reduction, liposuction, face lifts, eyelid surgery and more.
Call ACC on 1300 559 848 or contact the team online to book your surgical consultation session.
- Published in Body Surgery, Breast Surgery, Cosmetic Surgery, Face Surgery, Liposuction, Vaginal Surgery
Breast Implants: Silicone vs Saline – What You Need To Know
If you’ve recently decided to go ahead with breast augmentation surgery, congratulations – you’ve already made the biggest decision.
Breast augmentation is a very popular and effective way to increase your bust size, reduce sagging, improve firmness and correct any issues with asymmetrical or disproportionately sized breasts.
However, you’ll still need to consider which implant material is best for you. Breast implants can be made up of 2 types of different fillers – either silicone gel or saline solution.
Each implant material has its own pros and cons, so there is no clear way to say which type of implant is best is best. You must decide based largely on your own personal goals and preferences and the expert advice provided by your cosmetic surgeon.
To help you start thinking about your decision, we’ve put together some information on the silicone and saline filler materials that are used for implants in breast augmentation, as well as the pros and cons of each.
Silicone Breast Implants
In Australia, approximately 99% of breast augmentation procedures use silicone, however saline is still an option.
Silicone breast implants are filled with silicone gel, chosen as a filler material because of its excellent cohesion, durability and robustness. This means silicone implants are long lasting, soft and light.
Another big advantage of silicone implants is that the gel feels slightly more like natural breast tissue than saline, resulting in very natural looking and feeling breasts. There is less “rippling” and silicone provides a very normal slope to the upper part of the breast.
The main drawback of silicone implants is that if the implant leaks, the gel may remain within the implant shell, or may escape into the breast implant pocket. A leaking implant filled with silicone gel will not collapse. Therefore, if you choose silicone implants, you may need to visit your plastic surgeon regularly to make sure the implants are functioning properly.
Saline Breast Implants
With saline breast implants, the implant is filled with sterile salt water. Saline breast implants provide a uniform shape, firmness and feel.
The biggest advantage of saline implants is that if the implant shell ever leaked, a saline implant will simply collapse, with the saline being absorbed and naturally expelled by the body. Many people see this as a very safe and risk-free option.
There are also variations in the placements of incisions, during breast augmentation procedures, and these will largely depend on which implant material is used. With saline implants, you’ll have more options as to where the incisions in the breast can be made, providing greater choice for patients in terms of where their scars are located.
Because saline implants are only inflated after insertion, they also require smaller incisions, which helps reduce scarring.
However, saline implants are more likely to become ruptured or deformed, so you will have to consider these trade-offs when making your decision.
Australia’s Leading Plastic Surgery Practice
Still wondering whether saline or silicone implants are the right option for you?
Talk to a professional cosmetic surgeon about the differences between saline and silicone breast implants, to find the best personalised solution for you.
Contact the team at Australia Cosmetic Clinics, Australia’s leading plastic surgery practice with clinics in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
Providing a holistic approach to cosmetic surgery, the friendly team of cosmetic surgeons and expert registered nurses are committed to quality and safety in every aspect of the customised treatment program we provide to our patients.
ACC specialise in breast augmentation (breast implants), tummy tuck and mommy makeover surgery, buttock augmentation, rhinoplasty (nose job), breast lifts, breast reduction, liposuction, face lifts, eyelid surgery and more.
Call ACC on 1300 559 848 or contact the team online to book your surgical consultation session.
- Published in Breast Surgery, Cosmetic Surgery
Breast Augmentation: How Big is too Big?
Breast augmentation is the world’s most popular cosmetic procedure, and needless to say, most surgeons have gotten extremely good at them. These days a whopping 98% of breast implant patients report that the results met or exceeded their expectations. Despite this, one of the biggest sticking points has always been the question of breast size. How big is too big?
This is an important question because about 1 in 10 women who undergo breast augmentation end up wishing that they went bigger, while about 1 in 50 feel like they went too big. Size is the hardest thing to get exactly right, and it’s always better to be more cautious and go for too small instead of too big. It’s easier to do further augmentation than reduction, and too-small breasts don’t have the risk of back pain or other health issues the way too-big breasts do.
So how big is too big? In short, in all depends. Your height, build, shoulder width, natural breast size, lifestyle, skin elasticity, normal posture, desired results and much, much more all have to be taken into account. There are no one-size-fits-all implants out there, so the only way to get a really good idea of your ideal breast implant size is to speak with an experienced cosmetic surgeon who can give you personalised advice. But even then, it still pays to be careful.
How Not to Get Breast Implants
Consider the case of one of our patients, a 32 year old woman named Carol. Like many others, she came to see us because her implants were just too big. They were inconvenient, uncomfortable, painful at times and seemed to get in the way of everything. She had wanted bigger breasts, but the mammoth implants she’d been fitted with felt like, in her words, a cautionary “be careful what you wish for” story. During Carol’s consultation session, it became apparent that her circumstances were far from unique.
Choosing the Wrong Location
Firstly, she’d gone for a budget overseas cosmetic surgery holiday in Thailand, figuring she had a good idea of what she wanted and could count on the surgeon’s expertise for guidance. Instead, he simply advised her that bigger was better, and pushed her towards the larger (and slightly more expensive) options.
Getting the Wrong Information
From there, her only decision-making assistance was a set of ‘sizing bras’. These are padded bras which are meant to simulate breast implants, but just can’t accurately capture the shape, size and feel of actual implants. These sizing bras are great for getting a quick idea of how your new silhouette will look, or how larger breasts might affect clothing options, but at the end of the day it’s just a padded bra, not a miracle device. As it turned out, Carol’s breast augmentation results were nothing like the sizing bra led her to believe and she was understandably wary of this when seeing us. Fortunately, we prefer to use the Vectra 3D imaging system instead, for these exact reasons. After her experience with sizing bras, Carol was relieved to hear that there was a better way.
Picking the Wrong Surgeon
However, the biggest difference according to Carol, was how informative we were. “The surgeon in Thailand was a shopkeeper, not a doctor.” She said. “He was selling breasts and I was just another customer. I should have walked away the moment I realised, but thought I’d come too far to quit.” By contrast, our main focus has always been making sure every single patient is very well informed and knows absolutely everything they need. Usually, the best way to do this is with individual surgical consultation sessions. This is what lets us give properly tailored advice, rather than general information. Because everyone’s bodies are so different, this is a really crucial part of being a cosmetic surgeon. And naturally, it’s also the key to answering the age old question of ideal bust size.
Making the Right Breast Enhancement Choices
So how big is too big for breast implants? It all depends. The only real way to get an actual, concrete answer is in a surgical consultation session with a doctor you can trust. If you’re having trouble finding one, just remember that good surgeons will always err on the side of too-small. If they’re insistent that you should go bigger, or don’t try to talk you out of it when you ask for a giant beach ball sized chest, then they probably don’t have your best interests at heart.
As for Carol, it’s now been about 3 months since her breast reduction operation, almost 10 months since her initial breast augmentation, and everything went perfectly. A big congratulations to Carol on her engagement from everyone here at ACC, and a big thank you for letting us tell your story.
Wondering what breast augmentation size is right for you? Call ACC at 1300 559 848 or reach us online to get a surgical consultation session.
- Published in Breast Surgery