Cosmetic breast surgery

Injury	Diseases	Nutrition	Poison
Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Overview

Risks

Recovery

Prevention

Definition

Breast augmentation is a procedure to change the size or shape of the breasts.

See also:

Alternative Names

Breast augmentation; Breast implants; Implants - breast; Mammaplasty

Description

Cosmetic breast surgery may be done at an outpatient surgery clinic or in a hospital.

Most women receive general anesthesia for this surgery. You will be asleep and pain-free.
You may also be given medicine to relax you and local anesthesia. You will be awake and will receive medicine to numb your breast area to block pain.

There are many different ways to place breast implants:

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In the most common technique, the surgeon will make surgical cut on the underside of your breast, in the natural skin fold. Your surgeon will place the implant through this opening. Your scar may be a little more visible if you are younger, thin, and have not yet had children.
The implant may be placed through a surgical cut under your arm. Your surgeon may perform this surgery using an endoscope (a tool with a camera and surgical instruments at the end that is inserted through a vein). There will be no scar around your breast, but you may have a visible scar on the underside of your arm.
The surgeon may make a cut around the edge of your areola, the darkened area around your nipple. The implant is placed through this opening. You may have more problems with breastfeeding and loss of sensation around your nipple with this method.
A newer technique involves placing a saline implant through a surgical cut near your belly button. An endoscope is used to move the implant up to the breast area. Once in place, the implant is filled with saline.

Breast implants may be placed either directly behind the breast tissue (subglandular) or behind the outer layer of chest wall muscles (submuscular). The type of implant and implant surgery can affect: