For a variety of personal reasons all their own, women may want to change the size, shape, or feel of their breasts. At Pure Cosmetic Center, our surgical goal is to provide those women with safe, natural-looking, and aesthetically beautiful results in a warm and comfortable environment.
Your Body. Your Decision.
Your privacy and confidentiality are of the utmost importance to us at PURE Cosmetic Center.
Many of our high-profile patients prefer to be private with their cosmetic procedures and prefer that their photographs not be placed online. At your consultation, you will be shown photographs of patients who have given us permission to display their before and after pictures.
WHAT IS BREAST AUGMENTATION?
Also known as augmentation mammoplasty, breast augmentation is any surgical procedure designed to increase the size of a woman’s breasts.
For our patients in Bedford breast augmentation may utilize synthetic breast implants or a woman’s own body fat to enhance breast size. Depending on the surgical technique chosen by you and your doctor, implants may be positioned underneath your chest muscles or on top of them.
Breast Augmentation with Implants
Breast augmentation can be performed using artificial implants filled with either saline solution or a synthetic substance known as silicone. Each type of implant has particular characteristics and benefits, which we will describe in detail.
Breast Augmentation Using Fat Grafting
Some women may not want artificial implants but still would like to have additional breast volume. This can often be achieved using a technique known as fat grafting or fat transfer. The procedure uses liposuction to take fat from other parts of your body, often from your abdomen or thighs. The harvested fat is then injected into your breasts. Fat transfer can be an excellent option for women seeking a modest and natural-looking increase in breast size.
What is Breast Lift Surgery?
Breast lift surgery is not to be confused with breast augmentation. A breast lift raises your breasts by reshaping and tightening breast tissue. But breast lift surgery does not change the size of your breasts. It is possible to combine breast augmentation with a breast lift.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BREAST AUGMENTATION?
- Increased breast size
- Increased breast projection
- Restoration of breast perkiness
- Improved body proportionality
- Correction of breast asymmetry
- A better-fitting wardrobe
- Enhancement of self-confidence and self-esteem
- Customized implant sizes and shapes
- Implants can later be removed or replaced as you wish
- Can be combined with other procedures such as breast lift
- Can correct a loss of breast volume following pregnancy
Are you a candidate for breast augmentation?
You must be at least 18 years old to receive saline implants and at least 22 years of age to get silicone implants.
Breast augmentation in Bedford should never be performed until a candidate’s breasts are fully developed. While there is no maximum age, women most commonly seek breast augmentation in their 20s and 30s.
CONSULTATION AND PREPARATION
Communication between doctor and patient is vital in achieving safe and optimal results from breast augmentation surgery. Decisions must be made regarding the surgical technique chosen and the size, type, texture, shape, and projection of the implants selected.
Be candid and forthcoming about your goals and preferences. And never forget that you are doing this for yourself. Ask lots of questions and expect straight and precise answers.
Dr. Lee will thoroughly review your medical history and will take the time to explain all of your options. If you decide to proceed with breast augmentation in Bedford, Dr. Lee will develop a customized surgical plan to address your objectives. You will likely need some pre-surgical lab work and a mammogram. For a specified period before and after your procedure, Dr. Lee will direct you to suspend the use of any supplement or medication — such as aspirin-based analgesics — that might elevate surgical bleeding levels.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT IMPLANT SIZE
Remember that the idea is to enhance your overall appearance and happiness. Dr. Lee will make a series of measurements and take multiple photographs to give you a preview of how you might look with the size of the implants you select.
Types of Implants and Options to Discuss With Your Surgeon
Silicone vs. Saline
Silicone implants are filled with a synthetic plastic gel, while saline implants contain sterilized salt water.
Some women say silicone implants look and feel more natural than saline implants. However, a silicone implant rupture or leak can cause complications. If a saline implant ruptures, the saltwater is harmlessly absorbed by your body.
Since saline implants are inflated only after they are placed in your chest, they generally require smaller incisions than silicone implants.
Over the past decade, silicone implants have become more widely used in breast augmentation surgery.
Teardrop vs. Round
Round implants create more fullness at the tops of your breasts. Teardrop implants have more slope at the top, mimicking the shape of natural breasts.
Smooth vs. Textured
Smooth implants feel soft and can move around within the breast implant pocket created in your chest by your surgeon. Textured implants generate scar tissue that sticks to the implant, providing additional stability. So-called “gummy bear” implants are form-stable implants that retain their shape even if the implant’s shell is broken.
High, Low, and Moderate Profiles
High-profile breast implants provide the most breast projection. They have narrow base widths, which give implants a fuller and rounder appearance. Conversely, low-profile implants have the widest base width, resulting in the least projection. As the term implies, moderate profiles split the difference.
Your Procedure
Breast augmentation surgery is performed using general anesthesia and typically takes 1-2 hours. After your implants have been properly placed and aligned, your surgeon will close your incisions with either sutures, surgical tape, or both. Gauze dressings will be applied to your breasts, and you may have post-surgical drainage tubes.
While breast augmentation is most often performed as an outpatient procedure — meaning you can go home the same day of your surgery — in some cases, your doctor may require you to stay overnight in the hospital.
Types of Breast Implant Incisions
Depending on your body type, your choice of implants, and the extent of augmentation you desire, your plastic surgeon will select one of four incision techniques.
- Transaxillary incisions create a channel from your armpits to your breasts, resulting in no visible scars on your breasts or areolae.
- Inframammary incisions are made below your breasts, allowing your surgeon to place your implants underneath your chest muscles or over them.
- Areolar incisions are made around the nipples or areolae and facilitate the insertion of saline implants.
- Trans-umbilical breast augmentation (TUBA) incisions are made in the folds of your navel and are virtually scarless. This option can lower the risk of surgical infection and may shorten recovery time.
Recovery, Aftercare, and Results
Just rest for a few days and make sure you have someone to help you around the house. Your post-surgical swelling will subside in accordance with a timeline provided to you by your doctor. You will need to wear a surgical support bra for up to several weeks, and you and your surgeon will schedule an appointment to remove any sutures or tubes.
It is vitally important that you adhere strictly to the detailed recovery instructions provided by your medical team with respect to subjects including:
- Medication
- Diet
- Bathing and hygiene
- Sleep
- Support garments
- Swelling
- Care of incision sites
- Scar minimization
- Activity and exercise
- Driving
- Sexual activity
Absent complications, full recovery from breast augmentation surgery typically takes 6-8 weeks.
While you will notice immediate results, it may be weeks or months before the full benefits of your procedure are achieved.
Why select Dr. Dave Lee at Pure Cosmetic Center?
Dr. Dave Lee is a Stanford-educated and board-certified physician who has earned a reputation as one of the country’s leading plastic surgeons. Highly skilled, trained, and experienced, he also possesses an eye for human aesthetic beauty. Artist and scientist Dr. Lee is a concert pianist whose hands produce surgical results worthy of a standing ovation!
SCHEDULE YOUR BEDFORD, NH BREAST AUGMENTATION CONSULTATION WITH DR. LEE TODAY
Please call us today to book an appointment for your breast augmentation in Bedford.
REQUEST YOUR CONSULTATION
Your beauty is a symphony. Don’t trust it to anyone less than a true performer and a master at his craft. Chelmsford plastic surgeon, Dr. Dave Lee brings the virtuosity of a concert pianist and the artistry of a renowned plastic surgeon to each procedure. Schedule a consultation today to discover why patients across New England are singing the praises of Dr. Lee and his staff at PURE Cosmetic Center.
(978) 800-1680
15 Village Square Chelmsford, MA 01824