Breast Augmentation

The size and contour of the female breast can be effectively increased through breast enlargement, or breast augmentation, surgery. Aesthetic breast augmentation (mammaplasty) typically is performed to enlarge small, underdeveloped breasts or breasts that have decreased in size after childbearing. If you would like to see before and after photos of patients that have received breast enlargement surgery, click here. For patients with marked sagging of the breasts, Dr. Placik may recommend a breast surgery procedure to reshape and lift the breasts in addition to breast augmentation.

Breast augmentation (mammaplasty) is performed under a general, intravenous, or local anesthetic depending upon the surgical technique and your anesthesia preference. This will be decided by you and Dr. Placik.

A small incision about two inches in length is made either in the fold beneath the breast, around the lower half of the areola (dark skin around the nipple), or in the underarm area. Next, Dr. Placik creates a pocket either directly under the breast tissue or underneath the chest wall muscle, depending on the surgeon's technique and the patient's anatomy. Then a breast implant or prosthesis is inserted into this pocket. As your body heals, it forms a membrane of scar tissue around the device to hold it in place. Several sutures are necessary to close the incisions. The procedure may take from one to two hours.

Questions about the technique and the type of breast implant to be used, as well as any concerns about the safety and present status of breast implants will be thoroughly discussed during consultation with Dr. Placik.

Following breast enlargement surgery, a dressing and elastic bandage is applied for about one week. You can be up and about within a day, but strenuous activity and heavy lifting should be avoided for approximately four to six weeks. Your breasts may be discolored or swollen after the operation. Bruising will disappear within a few weeks and swelling after a few months. You also may experience some degree of firmness in the breasts for a few weeks following breast enlargement surgery. This, too, should diminish with time. Additional surgery may be required to soften breasts that become too firm due to excessively tight scar formation, a process called capsular contracture.