Many women think for a long time about having breast augmentation performed. They think, the results could be dramatic and confirming, but what are the risks and the disadvantages? They wonder how to start the process. If you have been thinking about getting breast implants, here is a list of common questions and answers that can help you decide if you are ready for the procedure.

How can you find a good breast augmentation surgeon?

This is the first and a very essential step in having enhancement surgery performed. You should check out several different plastic surgeons and ask particularly about their schooling, certification, and experience.

You should look for a plastic surgeon that has been board certified. This will ensure that at least the surgeon has had the proper training. You can also ask for referrals from friends who have undergone augmentation. If they had a good experience with that plastic surgeon, it is likely that you will too.

How much will it cost?

Your surgery will probably cost you a pretty penny, somewhere between $3000 and $4000. You may need to wait and save up for your procedure, but in some cases financing options may be available.

What types of implants are available?

The most common implants available are saline-filled and silicone-filled implants. A newer product called cohesive gel implants, or gummy bear implants can also be an option in some places. All of these come in different breast implant sizes and each offers different pros and cons.

Which type if right for you?

Saline implants are filled with a saltwater solution and are easy to implant through many different places, including your belly button, armpit, under the breast and through the outside of the areola. The incisions are smallest with this type because the implant are inserted without any saline. Once properly positioned in the breast pocket, fluid is pumped into them allowing for many different implant sizing options.

Silicone implants often provide a more natural look and feel, but they require longer incisions and scars. Gummy bear implants are not yet widely available nut the advantages include that the implants always hold their shape, there is less chance of capsular contracture, and they will not leak if there is a rupture.

What size implants should you choose?

Implant sizing is an important issue and one your surgeon can help you decide. There are all sorts of implant sizes, but ultimately your breast augmentation size choice will be a matter of your preferences.

Are you looking to just round out your chest to have more of an hour glass figure?

If so, your implant sizing may be small than those who are really hoping to create a very voluptuous bosom with large breast implant sizes. Surgeons usually have some model implants to help you decide what size implants are the right fit for you.

How much pain will there be?

Breast enhancement is a major surgery, so you can expect some pain in the recovery process. However, your plastic surgeon will prescribe strong painkillers to help you get through the worst of it. You will probably need to rest in bed or at least at home for several days and you will not be able to lift your arms very high for awhile as well. The pain will subside over a period of weeks and you will be able to fully resume your normal lifestyle.

What type of results can I expect?

You can expect to have a larger, fuller cleavage with a more proportional chest that better compliments your figure and provides a nice balance. Your breast augmentation can be a source of lasting satisfaction and increased confidence for you over the course of your life.

There are many aspects you may want to consider when deciding what breast implant size is best for you. Not every size will be right for every woman, shape, and build, so it is important that you take these issues into consideration when weighing your sizing options.

Consider Your Personality

If you have never had large breasts before, you may want to think hard before you choose a large breast implant size. It is most definitely a different world when your breasts are center stage. You may find that you are treated differently by many people. Men may react more to you, which you may or may not be comfortable with, and some women may even react more toward you.

You need to consider if you have the type of personality that will accept the change in attitudes and attention you will receive. A good idea may be to talk to other women who have enlarged their breasts with breast implants and see what their opinion is on how they were treated before vs. how they are treated now.

Consider Your Shape

Women who are bigger framed may have bodies that are more equipped to carry larger breasts. The larger your breasts are, the heavier they will be. Some women with very large breasts suffer from back problems because of it and even consider breast reductions to relieve the stress on their backs.

The smaller your frame is, the less weight upfront you may be able to carry. Additionally, the same breast implant size will not look comparable on women of different builds. A woman who is thin around the middle will stand out with a C cup; however, on a woman who carries more weight around the middle, a C cup may be barely noticeable. Smaller women may want to consider a cup size or two larger than they are now, while larger women may want to consider a fuller size, like D or DD cups. If you are honest about yourself and what will be most flattering on you, you will have a better chance of being thrilled with your choice after you see the end result.

Consider Your Age

Age may also be a factor for some women. Over the course of your life your breasts will change in different ways. For example, when you have a child, your breast may grow a size or two and then shrink back up, they may grow and stay bigger, and they may even sag a little afterward. Even with implants your breasts may not look exactly the same.

If you are younger, you may want to wait until after you have children to get the best results with your implants. You may grow a bit naturally and require smaller implants to get to your preferred size, and you won’t have to risk needing maintenance after delivering the baby in order to make them look as amazing as they did before. Also, if you plan to breastfeed in the future, you will need to select an implant position that is more better for that function.

These are simply suggested issues that you might want to consider when choosing your breast implant size. In the end, the only thing that is important is that you are happy and comfortable with the way your implants look and the choices you made.

Since silicone gel breast implants are now being used again, they have rapidly become the breast implant chosen by most women for their breast augmentation.The soft supple feel of a silicone breast implant is desired by women and men alike.

I have seen many women come in for breast augmentation consults that are initially dead set against silicone breast implants and want saline implants, only to change their minds once they have accurate information. In talking to patients over the past two years, here are some of the most common myths surrounding silicone gel breast implants.

1) SILICONE BREAST IMPLANTS CAN CAUSE HEALTH PROBLEMS AND MAKE ME SICK. Large numbers of breast implant women have been studied and it has been concluded that they do not cause autoimmune disease. This potential cause and effect has been thoroughly evaluated and been dispelled. It is the primary reason that silicone breast implants were allowed back on the market by the FDA. Silicone breast implants are one of the most extensively studied medical devices in the history of mankind. Yes it is true that there have been a very small number of women with silicone breast implants that developed autoimmune diseases but the actual rate of this occurrence is no greater than that of women who have never had breast implants. Women of the ages 20 to 45, which is the primary age for breast augmentation surgery, have the highest rates of autoimmune diseases.(ages 20 -45) So it would not be unexpected that the two will occasionally occur in the same patient. But silicone breast implants do NOT cause autoimmune diseases.

2) SILCONE BREAST IMPLANTS MAKE LEAK OUT AND SPREAD THROUGHOUT MY BODY. Today’s silicone gel implants are much more like jello than any liquid. The silicone particles are gelled together so that they move as sticky mass, not flowing like a liquid. As a result, if the implant suffered a large tear, the mass of silicone simply sits there. If you squeeze on a silicone implant that has been cut with scissors, you will see that it comes bulging out of the tear only to be retracted back into the implant when the pressure is removed. Checmiaclly, we all have silicone particles throughout our bodies in microscopic amounts due to a lifetime of exposure to that element. But women with silicone breast implants today have not been shown to have substantially higher levels than those who don’t have implants.

3) SILICONE BREAST IMPLANTS BECOME HARD OVER TIME. When a breast with an indwelling implant becomes hard, it is known as capsular contracture. While not well understood, the natural scar tissue around a breast implant may thicken and get hard over time. In days gone by with old-style silicone implants, which were placed above the chest muscle, capsular contracture was common. When the body is exposed to small amounts of free silicone particles (known as bleeding through the implant) it will react by forming more scar tissue. In today’s breast augmentation surgery, the combination of newer silicone implants which have very negligible amounts of bleeding and the implant being typically placed under the muscle, have reduced the lifelong risk of capsular contracture significantly. While that risk always exists, and it is higher when placed above the chest muscle, the occurrence of capsular contracture is not common.