Has the aging process, pregnancy, or losing a large amount of weight left you feeling unhappy with your bust? Maybe you’ve just always been a little dissatisfied with your breasts and have been wanting to do something about it. At Athena Plastic Surgery in Stuart, FL, we understand your situation and want you to know that there is hope in the form of breast augmentation. If your breasts are too small, sag, or have become misshapen due to pregnancy, we can help.
What Is Breast Augmentation?
Also known as augmentation mammoplasty, breast augmentation is the procedure by which breast implants or your own body fat are added to create a larger, fuller bust. It is a completely voluntary cosmetic surgery procedure that is intended to enlarge your breasts and/or to bring a greater sense of symmetry between them.
Why Should You Consider Breast Augmentation? 7 Top Reasons
1. You Want Larger Breasts
The reason you’re thinking about enlarging your breasts doesn’t necessarily require any physical or mental hardship. It’s perfectly fine to simply want a larger, fuller bosom. As a matter of fact, one of the most commonly encountered reasons a client inquires about the procedure is to make her breasts larger, shapelier, and more youthful-looking.
2. You Want a Greater Degree of Symmetry
If you’re embarrassed about your asymmetrical breasts, don’t be. More than 50% of women have one breast that is larger than the other, though the degree of difference varies from person-to-person. There’s nothing wrong with having one breast larger than the other, but it’s known to cause distress among women who have noticeably different sized breasts.
3. You Want Your Breasts to Look Younger
Your breasts are just as susceptible to the effects of aging as the rest of your body is. Aging typically causes your breasts to lose volume and the tissues can deflate and sag, overall leading to smaller, sagging breasts. Augmentation can help restore a more youthful appearance to your bust.
4. You Want Pre-Pregnancy Breasts
Pregnancy can cause similar effects to your breasts that aging can. Many women who end up uncomfortable with the way their breasts sag or look after pregnancy also look to the procedure to regain their youthful perkiness, size, and shape. All of these issues – and more – can be addressed.
5. You Want Bigger, Post-Mastectomy Breasts
Undergoing a mastectomy happens sometimes for women who suffer from breast cancer. It’s also something some women who have breast cancer in their family choose to do to reduce their chances of breast cancer. If you’re one of these women, breast augmentation can restore your bust to your pre-mastectomy size and shape. Or, if you prefer, you can have smaller or larger implants put in.
6. You’ve Lost a Significant Amount of Weight
The breasts are the first place in which a woman tends to notice weight loss. When the weight loss becomes significant, the effects on your breasts can be pretty dramatic. Sometimes significant weight loss will leave your breasts saggy, limp, and shapeless.
After losing a lot of weight, the last thing you want is to experience unhappiness about the shape of other parts of your body – particularly your breasts. Many clients seek us out looking to enhance the size and shape of their bust through breast implants.
7. Improve Your Self-Esteem and Confidence
Women who are unhappy with the shape of their breasts, whether they’re too small, too saggy, too deflated, or any other reason, often struggle with self-confidence issues. The breasts are largely associated with a woman’s femininity, and women who are unhappy with their breasts can sometimes suffer from a lack of self-esteem, affecting relationships, job performance, and overall happiness.
Breast Augmentation FAQ
How Long Do Implants Last?
Breast implants have the potential to last a lifetime, though they aren’t technically considered “lifetime devices” by the manufacturers. For the most part, implants can last anywhere from 10 to 20 years or longer.
What’s the Difference Between Teardrop Shaped Implants and Round Ones?
Today, you have two options for breast implants: teardrop shape and round. The teardrop shape was developed to provide a more natural-looking appearance. If these get turned around or otherwise displaced, the shape of your breast can change significantly.
Round implants, when placed beneath the muscle, can provide a similar look. You’ll be able to discuss the shape of the implant you want with your provider. Together you can decide which is the right implant for you.
How Old Must You Be?
The most common clients are women in their 30s who have been contemplating the procedure for quite some time. However, clients in their 40s and 50s aren’t shy about getting the procedure done either. Neither are women in their 20s, though they’re less common than older women.
It doesn’t really matter where you are on your life’s journey, provided you’re 18 or older. As long as your breasts are fully-formed, you have the desire to augment your breasts, and you’re healthy enough to undergo the procedure, you should make an excellent candidate for surgery.
Do You Need to Wait Until You’re Done Having Kids?
Pregnancy is notorious for changing the size and shape of a woman’s breasts. The changes can easily adversely affect the appearance of your breasts, and leave yours looking droopy and deflated. That being the case, it’s generally a good idea to wait until you’re done having children to undergo the procedure. Pregnancy will cause a change in your breasts whether you have implants or not.
How Do You Choose the Right Size?
One of the most important decisions you’ll make is deciding on the size of your implants. Your surgeon will work with you to determine the size and shape of the implant that will work best for you. However, if you want to go bigger or smaller than your surgeon recommends, it’s ultimately your choice.
No patient wants to wake up from surgery and be unsatisfied with their results. As such, remember to devote as much time and energy you need to decide on the right size breasts for you.
When Can You Start Exercising?
Providers typically recommend that their clients begin walking after surgery. The walking should be at a slow-to-moderate pace so as not to jostle your bust overmuch. The speed you walk at will depend on how you feel and what’s comfortable.
What you should not do is engage in any form of vigorous exercise. Weight lifting, jogging, hiking, sprinting, and others should be avoided to keep your breasts in the right position. Shortly after surgery, before your body has had a chance to heal, vigorous exercise may change the shape of your breasts or cause your implants to shift their position.
When Can You Go Back to Work?
When you can return to work will depend a lot on the job you have and how physically demanding it is on your body. You should refrain from any upper arm movements for at least one to two weeks following surgery. These are movements like raising your arms above your head or reaching for something in a high cupboard.
If your job isn’t all that physically demanding and doesn’t require major upper arm movements, you can probably return to work once you start feeling better. However, before you start anything, make sure you speak to your provider. Once you’ve explained to them your physical state and desire to return to work, they will give you suggestions and recommendations of how and when to return.
When Can You Start Driving Again?
Driving involves upper arm movements and should be undertaken with caution. Women can begin driving in as little as one week after surgery as long as they aren’t on any pain medications or other medications that could impair their ability to do so.
Can You Breast Feed After Implants?
When the implant is placed below the breast tissue, it will not interfere with your ability to produce milk or breastfeed. Additionally, when the implant is placed below the muscle preserves proper breast functioning. If you plan on breastfeeding at some point in the future, make sure to bring this fact up with your provider so that they can recommend the proper placement.
Can You Combine This With Other Procedures?
Absolutely! As a matter of fact, many of our clients inquire about additional procedures that can be done in conjunction with breast augmentation. Below are some of the most commonly-requested procedures.
Breast Lift
A breast lift is one of the easier procedures to undergo at the same time as your augmentation because it deals with the same part of the body. If your breasts sag significantly, a breast lift is an excellent option to pair with your augmentation.
Liposuction
Liposuction is another commonly-requested procedure to combine with augmentation. Some women actually choose not to have implants, but instead to move fat from one part of their body to their breasts via autologous fat transfer.
Doing so is much less invasive than a traditional breast implant surgery, but if you want larger breasts than liposuction and fat transfer can provide, you’ll probably want implants too.
Tummy Tuck
A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is a procedure designed to address loose skin, muscles, and excess fat in the abdominal region. During the procedure, an incision will be made near your waist through which excess fat and skin will be removed. Also, the abdominal walls are sutured to create a tighter, flatter, attractive contour to your abdomen.
Breast augmentation and tummy tucks are often performed together as a “mommy makeover.” A “mommy makeover” is a set of cosmetic procedures designed specifically to restore a woman’s pre-pregnancy shape. It can include breast implants, a breast lift, tummy tuck, liposuction, and more. If you’re looking for a dramatic change to the way your body looks post-pregnancy, this is the procedure for you.
Reach Out to Learn More
Breast augmentation is designed to enlarge a woman’s breasts via implants or liposuction. The reasons for choosing the surgery are many, though most women do so because they’re dissatisfied with their breasts – especially after pregnancy or weight loss.
There are a number of reasons to consider before undergoing the procedure, but the most important is how you feel about you. If you’ve been wanting to alter the shape of your breasts for some time, but you have additional questions or concerns about the procedure, call Athena Plastic Surgery in Stuart, FL today.