Breast Implants


Breast augmentation, AKA augmentation mammoplasty, is when the size and shape of the breasts are enhanced by placing implants behind breast tissue or under the chest muscle. An implant is filled with either sterile salt water (saline) or silicone. After the implant has been placed, the incision is carefully sutured. Most women receive general anesthesia for this surgery. Breast augmentation is generally performed for cosmetic purposes to add volume to disproportionately small breasts, restore balance to asymmetrical breasts or simply create a more voluptuous figure.

In order to undergo breast augmentation, the patient should be in good overall health. The ideal candidate should be a non-smoker or at least willing to quit smoking in the weeks leading up to, and following, the breast augmentation. A candidate should be free of bleeding tendencies and infections, be willing to reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption during the healing period and free from cancerous and pre-cancerous tissues. The procedure is not ideal for pregnant or breastfeeding women. The patient must be 22 years of age or older but saline breast implants can be placed in women beginning at the age of 18.

The cost of breast implants ranges from $3000 to $6000 with saline breast implants and $4500 to $9000 for silicone breast implants. However, these ranges only account for fees charged by the doctor and the cost of the implants. The final cost varies depending on hospital or surgical facility fees, any necessary medical tests, the surgeon’s level of expertise, the geographic location of the procedure and if any other procedures are performed at the same time.

It is common to experience breast pain and fatigue for a few days after surgery. The gauze dressings applied to the breasts following surgery will be removed after a few days and replaced with a special surgical bra. Surgeons typically advise their patients to limit their movement and get plenty of rest following surgery. The patient should avoid bending, lifting or straining as these can all delay healing and increase pain. On average, recent FDA reports indicate that the majority of implants last 10-20 years without complications.

Gummy Bear Implants

Gummy Bear Implants

submitted on   Fri Sep, 11, 2015 by Tracy Pfeifer, MD     
One of the more popular breast implant choices is gummy bear implants. The phrase “gummy bear implants” pertains to Sientra brand implants. Most patients are not aware of that and think gummy bear implants refer to any teardrop-shaped implants. Gummy bear implants are also known as cohesive gel...