Breast Augmentation

Overview

Breast augmentation, often combined with a breast lift, is a highly individualized procedure, which you should do for yourself, not to fulfill anyone else’s desires or to fit a certain type of ideal image. It is the most commonly performed cosmetic surgical procedure in the United States and experts at Cleveland Clinic Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery Center have perfected techniques for the ultimate results.

Why choose us?

When considering breast augmentation, always look for a board-certified cosmetic surgeon with specialized training and significant experience. For the best results, choose a cosmetic surgeon who is affiliated with a major medical center, such as Cleveland Clinic.

Make sure to ask your cosmetic surgeon about his or her credentials, training and how many procedures he or she has performed.

• Learn more about Cleveland Clinic Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery Center.

Before & After Photos

Breast Augmentation Photo Gallery

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• This is a woman in her early twenties who desired to increased the size and improve the shape of her breasts. She is shown before surgery (left) and less than 2 months after surgery (right).

• This is a woman in her early twenties who desired to increased the size and improve the shape of her breasts. She is shown before surgery (left) and less than 2 months after surgery (right).

• This is a woman in her early twenties who desired to increased the size and improve the shape of her breasts. She is shown before surgery (left) and less than 2 months after surgery (right).

• This is a woman in her early twenties who desired to increased the size and improve the shape of her breasts. She is shown before surgery (left) and less than 2 months after surgery (right).

• This is a woman in her late twenties that wished to increase the size of her breasts. She is shown before breast augmentation (left) and 2 months after (right).

• This is a woman in her late twenties that wished to increase the size of her breasts. She is shown before breast augmentation (left) and 2 months after (right).

• Woman in her early twenties interested in increasing her breast size. Patient underwent breast augmentation surgery with 180mL silicone implants, increasing her breast size from an A to a B cup. Patient is shown before breast augmentation surgery (left), and two months after breast augmentation surgery (right).

• Woman in her early twenties interested in increasing her breast size. Patient underwent breast augmentation surgery with 180mL silicone implants, increasing her breast size from an A to a B cup. Patient is shown before breast augmentation surgery (left), and two months after breast augmentation surgery (right).

How to Prepare

Am I a candidate for breast augmentation?

If you aren’t satisfied with the shape, size or contour of your breasts, you may wish to consider breast augmentation. Also known as augmentation mammoplasty, the procedure involves using implants to enlarge the breasts.

Breast augmentation may also help after pregnancy or weight loss if you are unhappy with the size or droopiness of your breasts. Implants can also correct asymmetry or unevenness in breast size caused by developmental problems or breast cancer surgery performed in the opposite breast.

One or more of the following feelings or conditions may indicate that you are a good candidate for breast augmentation:

• You are worried by the feeling that your breasts are too small.
• Clothes that fit well around your hips are often too large at the bustline.
• You feel self-conscious wearing a swimsuit or form-fitting top.
• Your breasts have become smaller and lost their firmness after childbirth.
• Weight loss has changed the size and shape of your breasts.
• One of your breasts is noticeably smaller than the other.

How do I prepare for breast augmentation?

To help prepare for your procedure, plastic surgeons at Cleveland Clinic Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery Center may recommend a baseline mammogram before surgery if you are over 35 years old. This will help to detect any future changes in your breast tissue. Following augmentation mammoplasty, you will still be able to perform breast self-examination.

If you are a smoker, you will be asked to stop smoking well in advance of surgery. You should avoid aspirin and certain anti-inflammatory drugs that can cause increased bleeding for a period of time before surgery. Your plastic surgeon will provide you with additional preoperative instructions.

Breast enlargement is performed with either saline or silicone implants that are placed either under the chest muscle (sub pectoral) or over the chest muscle (sub glandular). Cleveland Clinic Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery Center plastic surgeons evaluate individual factors and personal preferences to determine your appropriate breast size, the location of incisions and whether the implants will be placed on top of or underneath the chest muscle.

What to Expect

How is breast augmentation performed?

Usually performed under general anesthesia, incisions are made in inconspicuous areas of the breast to minimize visible scarring. There are a variety of incisions used to perform the procedure:

• In the lower crease of the breast (inframammary incision).
• Around the lower portion of the areola, or dark-colored skin around the nipple (periareolar incision).
• In the armpit (transaxillary incision).
• Under the breast fold (sub-mammary incision).

Through these incisions, the plastic surgeon creates a pocket to place the implant. To maximize the accuracy of future mammograms, implants are generally placed under the muscle (subpectorally).

Some breast enlargements can be performed in a minimally invasive manner using endoscopes and small incisions made in the armpit, with the major benefit being less scarring for the patient. The procedure, which takes about two hours, is typically performed on an outpatient basis.

Are there different options for breast augmentation?

Breast implants are made up of a silicone shell filled with either saline (a salt water solution) or silicone gel. Silicone gel has a thick, sticky fluid consistency that closely mimics human fat, offering a more ‘natural’ look and feel if capsule contracture (shrinking and tightening of the scar tissue around a breast implant) does not occur. Saline implants have the disadvantage of sometimes feeling like a water balloon to touch, especially in patients with thin, soft tissue.

The FDA recommends silicone gel-filled implants be available to women age 22 and older for breast augmentation, or women of any age for breast reconstruction. Saline-filled breast implants are available to those women age 18 and older, and women of any age for breast reconstruction.

With the many concerns that arose from reports that leaking from silicone-filled breast implants may have caused health problems, the FDA limited the use of silicone implants in the early 1990s. Since then, numerous scientific studies have failed to produce evidence that silicone implants actually harm women’s health.

Results

What results can I expect?

Breast augmentation will make your breasts fuller and enhance their shape. Like many women who have had the procedure, you may have a boost in self-confidence. Generally, the results of breast enlargement surgery are long-lasting. Augmentation mammoplasty cannot, however, stop the natural effects of aging that eventually alters the size and shape of virtually every woman’s breasts. Long-term follow-up with your plastic surgeon is strongly recommended. View our breast augmentation before and after photos to see results from actual patients.

What is involved in recovery?

Breast enlargement surgery is usually performed as an outpatient procedure. If this is the case, be certain to plan for someone to drive you home after surgery and stay with you at least the first night following surgery.

You will be given medication to take at home. Stiffness and soreness in the chest for the first two to five days is normal. These side effects, along with some swelling and bruising will subside over two to three weeks. Any surgical dressings will be removed within several days and you may be instructed to wear a support bra.

Physical activity is limited for the first several weeks, with most patients able to return to work and their normal activities within two to three weeks. Each year, thousands of women undergo successful breast augmentation surgery. Yet, all surgical procedures involve some risk

Is breast augmentation safe?

Both saline-filled and silicone gel-filled breast implants present potential risks, including:

• Implant rupture.
• Need for additional breast surgery.
• Breast pain.
• Scar tissue that hardens around and distorts the breast implant (capsular contracture).
• Potential for decreased nipple or breast sensation.
• Infection.

Insurance & Financing

Insurance rarely covers the cost of elective cosmetic surgery and procedures.

Please call 216.444.4004 and ask to speak with one of our financial representatives who can explain payment options including CareCredit financing.