What are my goals of surgery?

What are the benefits and risks?

There are several important considerations before deciding to undergo breast implant surgery.

When considering breast implant surgery, it is important to understand your goals of surgery. For example, are you looking for a larger breast size, more proportioned breasts, or simply just to turn back the clock. In addition, it is important for you to select a surgeon who you can communicate with, who understands your goals and expectations and who gives you a feeling of confidence. Your relationship with your doctor will be important as you move forward together to decide the appropriate surgical approach and implant design that is right for you.

But this is only a start. There are many other things to consider before you decide on whether breast implant surgery is right for you:

• Are you eligible for breast implant surgery?
• Are your goals for surgery consistent with your body type?
• What implant can best deliver the result that is right for you?
• What size implant is best for you?
• What shape, profile and texture implant is right for you?
• Is silicone the right filler or would saline be a better choice?
• Where should the incision be?
• Does your surgeon have the necessary experience to deliver the result you are looking for?
• Is preoperative planning and measurement a part of your surgeon's surgical routine?
• How many breast augmentation or reconstruction procedures has your surgeon performed?
• Is your surgeon board certified?
• What is your surgeon's reoperation rate with breast implantation?
• What is the most common complication your surgeon encounters with breast augmentation?

  Additional factors to consider when deciding to have breast implant surgery:

• Breast implantation may not be a one time surgery. You are likely to need additional surgery and surgeon visits over the course of your life.
• Breast implants are not lifetime devices. You will likely undergo implant removal with or without replacement over the course of your life.
• Many of the changes to your breast after implantation are irreversible. If you later choose to have your implants removed, you may experience unacceptable dimpling, puckering, wrinkling or other cosmetic changes of the breast.
• While studies show that breastfeeding with silicone gel-filled breast implants is not harmful to your baby, they may affect your ability to breastfeed, potentially reducing milk production.
• Breast implants will not prevent your breast from sagging after pregnancy.
• With breast implants, routine screening mammography will be more difficult, and you will need to have additional views.
• For patients who have undergone breast implantation, health insurance premiums may increase, coverage may be dropped and future coverage may be denied. Treatment and complications may not be covered as well.