Breast Augmentation: Questions to Ask your Plastic Surgeon

Breast augmentation in New York City is one of the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures. It was the topmost plastic surgery performed in the year 2016 in the U.S. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), breast augmentation ranked as the top cosmetic surgical procedure, with almost 290,000 procedures performed last year. Seeing the surge in demand for this procedure, many women started planning for this procedure, but chances are the information they have gathered may or may not be applicable to them. The best way of deciding whether one is a candidate for breast enhancement is consulting a qualified plastic surgeon who has experience in performing breast augmentation. This will help you learn everything about the procedure and clear your doubts regarding it. Some of the questions you can ask your plastic surgeon regarding breast enhancement surgery are:
Breast Augmentation

  • Is the surgeon qualified and experienced enough to perform breast augmentation procedures?
    You can only trust a reputable, experienced and skilled plastic surgeon for cosmetic procedures. The surgeon should have extensive training with the most current aesthetic techniques. There are different methods involved in breast augmentation surgery and only a breast augmentation specialist can achieve consistently good results for patients. Go for an in-patient examination and discuss your aesthetic goals.
  • What are the risks and complications assisted with this procedure?
    It’s important to consider both the benefits and risks associated with the procedure and ask your surgeon about it. Most importantly, how the surgeon would handle those risks is significant. Anesthesia risks, bleeding, infection, and scarring can be expected. But we can reduce these risks by selecting a surgeon with excellent expertise in this procedure. One of the risks, capsular contracture (hard and painful scar tissue that forms around the breast implant) is a frequent post-op complication. You can ask your surgeon how often he/she deals with these issues. They can provide you with good post operative tips that will help minimize complications.
  • Are you a good candidate for this procedure, if yes, what type of implant size works for you?
    Your surgeon would discuss details with you such as medical history, aesthetic desires, and many other to determine the candidature. Be examining those, an expert can determine if you are a candidate for the procedure. If you have a health problem that might make it unsafe for you to undergo the procedure, the surgeon may not advise the same. In that case, your surgeon would explain that the risks outweigh the benefits of surgery. If you are found to be a candidate, then the next thing is to decide which implant size would be best for you.
  • Which implant and technique suits you, where will the implant be placed, and what would be the expected scarring?
    Normally four types of implants are available – saline, silicone, gummy bear and IDEAL implants. Depending on each individual, implants can vary. The implant size that works for you may not work for your friend. Your surgeon would obtain information on your overall build, chest circumference, shoulder width, height, weight, and current breast size as well to decide what type of implant suits you. Implants can be placed above or below the chest muscle. The best placement will depend on the implant type and the amount of natural breast tissue present. Scarring after a breast augmentation is generally mild, although it will remain visible, so discuss with your surgeon about the scars you should expect.
  • What is the recovery time expected and how long implants remain safely?
    Most women return to work and light activity within one week after this procedure. You will be given specific postoperative instructions and a follow-up appointment by your plastic surgeon. There’s no such thing called expiration date for an implant, but if a saline implant breaks, then breast size would decrease and women may opt to restore that volume for aesthetic reasons. You may be asked to take an MRI scan every few years just to ensure the implant is right in position. The FDA recommends medical imaging to verify the implant’s integrity beginning at three years and every two years after that.

By asking such questions to your plastic surgeon, you would be more informed about the procedure. In NYC, breast augmentation can be performed at an AAAASF-accredited plastic surgery center with plastic surgeons skilled and trained in this procedure. They can provide customized treatment and ensure optimal outcome.