Naples Plastic Surgeons Answer Your Breast Augmentation FAQs

According to statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, breast augmentation consistently ranks among the top five most performed cosmetic surgeries for women. The procedure is also among the most frequently performed at Southwest Florida’s Naples Plastic Surgery, which has earned a stellar reputation in the state for its surgical skills and artistry.

Given the procedure’s popularity and the practice’s reputation, Florida women interested in breast enhancement often request a consultation with Dr. Paul M. Gardner or Dr. Leo M. Baccaro. With enhanced training and extensive experience, our surgeons review the aesthetic goals of prospective patients and address all of their concerns. No questions are left unanswered, which helps our patients make a confident, informed decision about their cosmetic surgery.

If you’ve thought about enhancing the aesthetics of your physique with breast augmentation, you probably have some questions. To help you make an informed decision about your breast augmentation options, we’ve compiled answers to some of the most frequently asked breast augmentation FAQs below.

Who Makes a Good Candidate for Breast Augmentation?

While most women believe that age is a crucial factor, the most important characteristics determining a woman’s suitability for breast augmentation are overall health and weight. Many women in their 40s and 50s have successfully augmented their breasts with good aesthetic and healthy results. No matter what the age, women who have maintained a healthy lifestyle and are close in range to their ideal weight tend to experience the optimum results with breast augmentation surgery.

Having overall good health improves the success of any surgical procedure and subsequent recovery. Poor health and some medical conditions can compromise both the surgery itself and successful recovery. Smokers do not make good candidates, and our surgeons strongly recommend quitting before undergoing breast augmentation surgery.

Maintaining one’s ideal weight remains essential after the surgery. Weight changes can impact the augmented breasts’ size, shape, and proportion. Because pregnancy usually changes the size and shape of breasts, it may affect the cosmetic appearance of augmented breasts. To help reduce the extent of such impacts, women should avoid pregnancy for at least six months after their surgery.

Women with sagging breasts, called “breast ptosis”, are not ideal candidates for breast augmentation, though they can achieve a better appearance when combined with breast lift surgery.

How to Determine Which Augmentation Type is Right for You

Cosmetic surgeons use different breast augmentation techniques depending upon the patient’s anatomy, existing breast tissue, eventual size of breasts, and desired aesthetic results. In general, you and your surgeon will have to decide whether to insert the implants through incisions made at the inframammary crease (under the breast) or around the nipple (peri-areolar). You will also need to decide whether the implants should be inserted under (submuscular) or over (subglandular) the breast muscles. Fat grafting to augment breasts may also be a recommendation to enhance shape and cleavage. The benefits and potential drawbacks of these techniques should be thoroughly reviewed with your plastic surgeon.

Should I Use Saline or Silicone Implants?

The filling material inside implants can be silicone gel, or saline (saltwater). Both implants give a similar appearance, but silicone implants have a more natural feel. Saline implants can also feel natural, but may ripple and can sometimes feel firmer.

What Shape Implant Should You Choose?

Women can choose between round or teardrop-shaped implants. Teardop-shaped implants, most often used for breast reconstruction, may give a more natural appearance, though submuscular-placed round implants can provide natural-looking results as well. Your choice will largely depend upon the existing shape of your breasts and your desired aesthetic outcome. Naples Plastic Surgery uses a Vectra 3D breast augmentation simulator to help women visualize how different implants might appear with their breast augmentation.

How Long Does Recovery Take?

Breast augmentation surgery at Naples Plastic Surgery is an outpatient procedure. There will be downtime of about one to two weeks before resuming many normal day-to-day activities. Recovery times are longer for submuscular surgeries than they are for subglandular surgeries. Women who undergo subglandular surgery may be able to engage in light exercise after three weeks. Those who have had submuscular surgery typically need to avoid strenuous activity for at least six weeks.

Will There Be Noticeable Scarring?

Most surgeries result in scarring, and breast augmentation is no exception. That said, breast augmentation conducted through peri-areolar incisions hides the scar within the darker color of the areola. Breast augmentation scars from small incisions below the breast in the inframammary crease typically fade within a year and are mostly hidden within the fold of the breast.

Consult with Naples Plastic Surgery

While these FAQs are the ones we hear most frequently, you will undoubtedly have other questions if you are considering breast augmentation surgery. Whatever your breast augmentation questions, Dr. Gardner or Dr. Baccaro would be happy to answer them in person. To learn more about breast augmentation at Naples Plastic Surgery, contact us today at 239.566.2611 to schedule your initial consultation.