Breast Augmentation - What Is It?

Breast Augmentation Before And After If you look up the word "augment" in any dictionary, you'll find that it means "to enlarge" or "to increase". So it should come as no surprise that breast augmentation when dealing with plastic surgery simply means breast enlargement. It is one of the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures being performed by plastic surgeons today. Breast augmentation surgeries have increased at a rate unmatched by any type of cosmetic procedures.

Breast augmentation is achieve via the use of a breast implant which is placed underneath the breast tissue. There are a few types of incisions used during the breast augmentation surgery. They are :-

Transaxillary - Transaxillary incisions are incisions performed on the armpit. The advantages of transaxillary incisions are the lack of scarring on the breast itself.

Inframammary - This is the most common type of incision performed during breast augmentation surgery. The incision is performed underneath the breast. It allows for very easy access and the most precise placement of the breast implant.

Periareolar - Periareolar incisions are placed on the areolar border. The Areolar is the darkened skin area surrounding the nipple. While breast implants may be slightly difficult to place via this incision, it provides better accuracy especially when performing breast lift surgeries.

The breast augmentation procedure is normally a straightforward surgery that takes no longer than one to two hours. All incisions are made with minimal scarring in mind. Once the incision is made, the plastic surgeon will then cut a path to the area where the breast implant will rest. Once the path is created, it is widened for breast implant placement. Sometimes the plastic surgeon may choose to make use of "sizers" as a means of testing placement and breast implant sizes. The sizer is connected to a tube and a syringe containing saline. Once the sizer is in place, the surgeon will then test various enlargements by inserting saline into the temporary implant.

Costs vary depending on the surgeon, consultation is always necessary. As with all types of cosmetic surgery, there are always risks (see Breast Surgery Risks). It is also important to ensure you pick a size that you personally want. You should never let another party other than yourself determine the size of the breast implant. You are undergoing breast augmentation for your own personal happiness. Should you be looking for the opposite of breast augmentation, please read our article on breast reduction.