At Real Cosmetic Plastic Surgery in Moonee Ponds, VIC, conveniently located just 6.9 km from Melbourne, Mr. Salerno offers many procedures designed to help his clients improve their self-confidence. Among these procedures is breast augmentation, otherwise known as augmentation mammoplasty. Today, we’re answering some of the most frequently asked questions about this procedure, including how it works.
How Does a Breast Augmentation Work?
Breast augmentation can work in many ways. If your goal is to correct breast asymmetry or slightly volumize both breasts, fat grafting may be the ideal technique. Fat grafting involves the excision of a small amount of excess fat from one region of your body so it can be cleaned and injected into strategic locations within the breast. If you’re looking for a greater increase in volume, you may benefit more from saline or silicone implants.
This may improve both the shape and lift of your breasts. During your initial consultation, Mr. Salerno will evaluate your current aesthetic, including the size of your ribs and chest wall and your waist and hip circumference. With this information combined with your aesthetic vision, Mr. Salerno will advise you on how large your implants can be. Your chest wall and ribs can only support so much extra weight.
Where Are the Incisions Placed?
Numerous factors affect where the incisions are placed, including your skin health, aesthetic goals, and personal preference. Commonly, inframammary incisions are placed along the inframammary fold because it is known to allow for the very precise placement of implants.
However, some women prefer for a trans axillary incision to be made in the underarm region. Implants may also be placed very precisely when they are inserted through the underarm. Finally, a periareolar incision can be made around the lower half of the areola.
How Does the Implant Placement Work?
Implants may be placed under your pectoral muscle or between your pectoral muscle and glandular tissue depending on the look you want, your family planning goals, and your lifestyle. Subglandular implantation tends to be a better choice for women with enough natural breast tissue to hide implant wrinkling. Implant wrinkling doesn’t always occur, but if it does, it won’t be visible through the skin if there is sufficient existing breast tissue.
If you have very little natural breast tissue, you may benefit more from submuscular implantation. Irrespective of the type of implant you choose, no implant rippling can be seen or felt if you opt for submuscular implantation.
What Happens During the Procedure?
Women often opt to be asleep during their procedure. This can be achieved through general anesthesia or a combination of intravenous sedation and local anesthesia. Regardless of whether sedation and local anesthesia or general anesthesia are chosen, you will be asleep and comfortable throughout the entire procedure.
If you’re not healthy enough to be asleep during your procedure, you shouldn’t expect to feel any pain or discomfort during your procedure. You can still be numbed completely by local anesthesia. If you’re not healthy enough to sleep through your procedure, but you feel a little anxious, ask your primary care physician about taking a mild anti-anxiety drug to keep you calm during the procedure.
How the Procedure Is Performed
Before the administration of anesthesia, the incision locations will be sanitized thoroughly with an alcohol-based antiseptic. This is to mitigate the risk of pollutants, dirt, or other contaminants entering your skin through the incisions. Also, you will receive a script for a full course of antibiotics to mitigate the risk of infection after your procedure.
The entire course of antibiotics should be taken as directed regardless of how well you feel or how frequently you clean your incision sites. Also, you should keep in mind that your aesthetic goals play a role in determining where the incisions will be made and where the implants will be placed. Mr. Salerno will give you a better idea of what to expect during the procedure once you have determined the two aforementioned factors.
What Should I Expect During the Recovery Process?
Typically, breast enhancement takes one to two hours to complete and is followed by a few hours of observation as the effects of the anesthetic wear off.
After that, there isn’t usually a long recovery period following breast implantation.
Typically, women who opt for saline implantation have a recovery that lasts around five days. On the other hand, women who opt for silicone implantation have a recovery that lasts around seven days. Keep in mind, one of the most important factors affecting the length of your recovery is how diligently you adhere to your post-operative guidelines.
What You Should Wear After Your Procedure
During the first two weeks following your procedure, you may be asked to wear a compression band or front-clasp compression bra. The compression garment you are asked to wear depends on the size of your implants. If you only receive a modest increase in volume, a compression bra should be worn. If you opted for a more significant volume increase, you should protect your incisions with a compression band.
You should wear your compression garment for two weeks after your procedure unless you are taking a shower. Therefore, we recommend having multiple compression garments so you don’t have to worry about laundry when your body is telling you it needs to rest. To facilitate adequate rest, we recommend that you practice sleeping with a soft compression bra for a couple of weeks before your procedure if you’re not used to sleeping with a bra.
What Else You Should Do Following Your Procedure
You should rest as much as you can after your procedure. It is highly advisable to sleep on your back for at least nine hours nightly and nap whenever you feel particularly tired. To facilitate adequate rest, spend the last hour before bed minimizing exposure to blue light and minimize the amount of sound and light you’re exposed to while you’re sleeping. Earplugs and blackout curtains are great techniques to accomplish this.
We recommend sleeping without setting an alarm for the first 14 days following your procedure. This lets your brain wake you up after it has had adequate rest. If you can’t go two weeks without setting your alarm, take off five days from work and wake up without an alarm for at least seven days. The more rest you get, the better your recovery should be.
What To Avoid Following Your Breast Enhancement
Once your procedure is over, you may be tempted to do too much too soon. You may want to clean your baseboards, vacuum, and pick up your kid or pet. Resist these urges. During the first six weeks following your procedure, do not lift anything weighing 10 pounds or more. Straining your muscles will be bad for the sutures closing your incisions.
Also, you should avoid changing your blood pressure too much. To keep your blood pressure high enough, consume enough sodium daily and stay hydrated. To prevent your blood pressure from elevating too much, don’t engage in strenuous exercise and do your best to regulate your stress levels. You may resume strenuous exercise, including resistance exercise, six weeks after your procedure.
How Long You Should Expect Your Results To Last
Women often believe that implants should be changed every decade. There have been anecdotal reports of implants that should be changed every decade or two. Nevertheless, the TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) views breast implants as medical devices.
This branch of Australia’s Department of Health does not say anything about breast implants expiring. Your implants may last for the rest of your life. However, if you choose silicone implants, it is advisable to have imaging tests conducted every three years.
Another Common Misconception: Breast Implants and Nursing
Another common misconception is women with breast implants can’t nurse. However, it is possible to place implants in a manner such that future nursing is not affected.
Learn Today How To Achieve Your Ideal Physique
Breast augmentation may be ideal for you if you are self-conscious about the size or shape of your breasts. If you’d like to learn more about how this procedure works, we invite you to contact us today at Real Cosmetic Plastic Surgery in Moonee Ponds, VIC to schedule your initial consultation. Mr. Salerno would love to meet you and tailor a treatment plan that may improve your physique significantly. Also, you will be sent home with sample implants to help you determine which size, shape, and type may be best for you.
