Breast Augmentation

Breast enlargement or augmentation is a widely requested procedure designed to increase the size of the breasts. There are many reasons for choosing to have the procedure. Many women simply have an underdeveloped bust, others may have lost breast volume following pregnancy and breast feeding, some may have a deformity of one or both breasts (constricted or tuberous breasts) while still others may have significant asymmetry of their breasts with one being much smaller than the other.

The procedure involves the insertion of an implant beneath the breast or pectoral muscle depending upon the individual characteristics of the breast itself and the chest wall, amongst other considerations.

The aim of a breast augmentation procedure is to give a woman's body better balance and proportion and improve self esteem. It aims to not only give better overall proportion to the body by enlarging the breasts but to give a better balance and contour to the breasts themselves. It is a procedure with a very high satisfaction rate, but is one which must be carefully tailored to the individuals wishes as well as their breast and body type, skin quality and age amongst other factors.

Implants can be placed using a number of different incision sites - in the fold beneath the breast, around the areola of the nipple or via the axilla (under the arm). The pocket in which the implant sits can be beneath the breast tissue alone (subglandular), beneath the pectoral muscle (submuscular) or a combination of both (dual plane). The type of implant used can either be saline or silicone filled and may be round or tear drop shaped (biodimensional/anatomical/form stable).

The correct combination of incision site, implant pocket and type of implant needs to be carefully considered and selected for the individual patient taking into account their wishes as well as other factors including their body and breast shape, skin quality and age.

The size of the implant likewise is dependent upon a number of factors, most important of these is the patient's wishes. Again, however, the key to the procedure is to have a natural and not an "operated" look. It is important to recognise that cup size is not a standardised measurement, as any woman who has purchased a bra will realise. Different manufacturers have differing sizing standards. Because of these, amongst other factors, post operative breast size is necessarily a close approximation rather than an exact prediction.

Implants should not interfere with breast feeding or pregnancy. The degree to which the presence of an implant interferes with mammographic monitoring of the breast varies and may mean that other imaging techniques are on occasion required. These include ultrasound, CT scan and rarely MRI scan.