Dr. Samson has performed thousands of successful Breast Augmentation surgeries over his lengthy 18 year career as a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon.
If you’re looking to change your chest, whether that means increasing the general size of your breasts, balancing the symmetry of differently shaped breasts or restoring the size and shape of breasts after pregnancy or weight loss, surgical breast augmentation can offers women a long-term solution.
Whether you’re still on the fence about breast augmentation, or are ready to start the process, here are a few talking points to discuss with Dr. Samson during your one on one consultation.
Augmentation techniques
Depending on your body, goals and medical history, the two most common breast augmentation methods involve either the placement of a physical breast implant or the use of fat transfer from one part of a patient’s body to the breasts.
Fat transfer is seen as a more natural option, as it doesn’t involve inserting any foreign objects into a patient’s body, and has the added benefit of involving liposuction to harvest the fat in the first place. However, it is limiting in terms of how much size can be added to the breast and also not always as predictable in terms of final size and shape of augmented breasts.
Physical breast implants are the best augmentation option for patients who want a significant increase in breast size or change in overall breast shape, and today’s implants come in a variety of sizes, shapes and materials. During your one on one consultation with Dr. Samson, you and he will decide together on which type will yield the results you’re looking for and what insertion technique and placement will make you the most happy.
Implants
Though the basic idea of a breast implant is the same across the board, not all implants are created equal. Patients have a variety to choose from depending on their specific augmentation goals, body type and medical history. In the United States, the two most common types are saline-filled or silicone gel-filled.
Saline-filled implants are silicone shells that can either be completely filled with a sterile solution or can contain a silicone gel structure that’s surrounded by a saline solution. Saline breast implants generally require a smaller incision to be inserted because they can be inserted empty and filled once they’ve been place. They also usually yield a more full and rounded breast shape. Disadvantages of saline implants include aesthetic issues like rippling, especially in patients that don’t have much breast tissue. They are also generally heavier and feel less like natural breasts.
Today’s silicone-gel implants are available in a range of size and shapes and are either filled with a soft silicone gel or a more molded cohesive silicone gel, similar to a gummy bear. Silicone gel is generally softer but cohesive gel implants hold their shape better. Both types are typically more expensive than saline-filled implants and also require larger incisions to insert as they are completely filled before insertion.
While both types of implants are regarded as stable and safe by the FDA, it’s important to realize that neither is seen as being completely permanent and both should be monitored after insertion.
Procedure
For augmentation using fat transfer, fat is first harvested through liposuction, processed and then injected into the breast area. Fat can be harvested from anywhere, but Dr. Samson will help you decide on the best place to undergo liposuction. Once it’s harvested, fat is processed and then injected into your breasts in order to subtly increase size — usually about a cup size — or shape.
More commonly, Augmentations involving implants involve Dr. Samson first making a pocket in a patient’s breast area and then inserting the implant into the pocket. Many factors go into exactly how and where the implant is inserted, and the pocket for the implant can either be made underneath the pectoral muscle or on top of the pectoral muscle. Depending on the type and size, implants are usually inserted through an incision underneath the breast in the crease or around the lower edge of the areola.
Recovery
It’s important to be very aware of the recovery process and make sure it fits in with your lifestyle. While the surgery itself often only takes a few hours and is usually considered an outpatient operation, depending on the specifics of your health and augmentation, the complete recovery time frame could be several months long.
While immediately post-procedure is typically when patients experience the most amount of pain, some stiffness and soreness can last for weeks after, especially when implants are placed beneath the chest muscle. While most bruising will resolve fairly quickly, swelling can last longer, with a month being typical.
Risks
While breast augmentation is certainly a common plastic surgery procedure, it is still surgery and should not be considered to be one completely without risks. Dr. Samson will go over the surgery process in its entirety when you meet with him so you will feel comfortable and at ease with your decision making.
To see Dr. Samson’s Breast Augmentation before and after photos, follow this link: https://www.samsonaesthetics.com/photos/
No matter what your aesthetic, Samson Aesthetics offers a full range of cosmetic surgery services to clients in the Port Orange, Ormond Beach, Daytona Beach area and a long and successful track record in satisfying women who wish to enhance or restore balance to their breasts. Visit us online at samsonaesthetics.com or call us at 386-756-9400 to set up an appointment.
