Breast Enhancement
Breast surgery can enhance the look, fullness, and form of your breasts. At Faith Regional Physician Services in Norfolk, Nebraska, we offer personalized consultation and specialized breast augmentation surgery by a board-certified plastic surgeon.
If you’re thinking about breast enhancement, you can talk with a skilled surgeon who has advanced expertise in plastic and reconstructive surgery. You’ll learn more about your surgical options including breast implants and fat transfer. We’ll help you find solutions that suit your own body, lifestyle, and vision.
Breast Augmentation Surgery Consultation
At Faith Regional, we understand that choosing breast surgery is a big step. Reasons for this surgery are highly personal and varied. You may want to correct uneven breasts or improve your body’s proportion and shape.
You can meet with a plastic surgeon at Faith Regional free of charge for a customized consultation. Listening to your concerns and discussing your goals will guide your physician in recommending your best treatment options. You’ll have good choices with a helpful physician guide on your side.
In addition to breast enhancement to add fullness, your surgeon might recommend a breast lift to treat concerns such as sagging breasts. You can schedule a breast lift as part of your breast enhancement surgery or as a separate surgery.
Deciding on Breast Enhancement Options
When it comes to breast shape, size, body type, and personal preferences, no two people are alike. Finding the best fit for each individual goes beyond thinking about bra sizes. Your experienced plastic surgeon guides you through important considerations, from your height and frame to the proportions of your figure.
You’ll want to think about things like lifestyle and social perceptions at work or leisure. Some people prefer a subtle change. Naturally proportioned breasts can help you look and feel better in clothes without feeling out of place. Competitive athletes might find that a smaller, lighter, and low-profile implant fits in with a rigorous lifestyle.
Together, you and your physician will discuss these and other preferences. The conversation will include questions about your hopes and expectations. You’ll also discuss types of procedures, what to expect and what the procedure can accomplish.
Guiding Your Choices
Your physician will explain various breast enhancement options. These include implants of varied shapes, sizes, and materials, or fat transfer, using fat from your belly or other parts of your body to add volume and shape to your breasts.
Although some scarring is normal, you can choose the nature and location of incisions. Faith Regional offers hidden scar surgery. Your doctor can do most breast procedures with barely noticeable incisions in discreet locations such as beneath the breast or under the arm for less visible scars.
At Faith Regional, we offer you personalized assistance, including visual aids. Discussions with your plastic surgeon may include:
- Before-and-after images – Your physician may share pictures or illustrations that closely match what you have in mind.
- Personalized 3D imaging – Practitioners use an imaging device that photographs you from all angles. Our computer software translates this into a realistic simulated model of your body. You and your doctor can discuss examples of how selected implants and other changes would look on you.
You’ll have plenty of time to think about and fully understand your choices. We want you to be well informed and pleased with your results.
Breast Implants and Options
Breast enhancement surgery either uses a breast implant or fat transfer where fat is taken from another part of the body and moved to the breast.
Breast implants are either silicone or saline implants. Saline implants are filled with a sterile salt solution in a silicone outer shell. Silicone implants are filled with silicone, which includes a silicone outer shell.
Implant Shapes and Styles
FDA-approved implants are available in low, medium, and high profile styles, with varying degrees of width and projection. Implants come in varied shapes, including round, contoured, and teardrop. Smooth, medium-profile implants are a popular choice. Textured styles are available, although they have a rare association with the development of large-cell lymphoma.
Fat Transfer Breast Enhancement
Your surgeon will consider your condition, body frame, form and features, and the size of the breast increase when discussing this or other procedures. Fat transfer is done under general anesthesia. Your doctor uses liposuction to remove fat from another part of your body, such as the belly, buttocks, or thighs. The doctor liquefies the fat and injects it into the breast area to add fullness.
Breast Surgery Risks
Your physician will help you weigh the individualized potential benefits and risks of your procedure. All surgeries carry some risk such as bleeding, infection, and reaction to anesthesia. Implant surgery risks include scarring that can affect breast shape. Other risks include ruptures, leakage, and results that are not as expected. Some implants, such as textured styles, have a very small risk of lymphoma.
Fat transfer procedure risks can range from bruising, swelling, and changes in skin condition or sensation to clotting and other risks which your doctor will review with you. If complications occur, additional treatments or revision procedures may be needed.
Other Considerations
Today’s implants have improved strength and stability, but they won’t last indefinitely. Over time implants can grow hard or break and leak. If a saline implant ruptures, the breast becomes noticeably deflated.
Potential complications with silicone implants are less noticeable. Changes aren’t always detectable during a physical exam. For peace of mind, doctors recommended an MRI scan of silicone implants every two years to be sure they’re intact.
Preparing for Surgery
Before breast augmentation surgery, you’ll schedule an appointment with your surgeon to evaluate your health and condition. This office visit may include:
- Physical exam and lab work
- Health evaluation, including medical history
- Review of any medications and supplements you take
- Guidance about any medications before and after surgery
- Review of any prior surgeries, scarring, or skin conditions
Assessment of breasts and other areas being considered for tissue transfer
Breast Enhancement Surgery
Before surgery, you’ll have a chance to ask the surgeon about any last-minute questions or concerns.
- Your doctor may prescribe medication to take before surgery, including something to help you feel comfortable. Just before surgery, you’ll receive IV sedation or general anesthesia, delivered through a mask over your mouth and nose.
- The plastic surgeon makes one or more incisions using hidden scar techniques. The implant-placement method and type of incisions depend on the procedure, how much your breast size will increase, and earlier discussions with your doctor about incision locations, such as:
- Around the areola (areolar edge)
- Just below the breast (inframammary fold)
- In the armpit (axillary)
- Other options, such as a belly button approach
- The doctor places the breast implant into a pocket in one of two places:
- Under the pectoral muscle, which extends from the front of the chest to the arm and shoulder area
- Behind the breast tissue above the pectoral muscle
- If you have fat transfer, your doctor will use liposuction fat from another part of your body, such as the belly, thighs, or buttocks.
- Your surgeon closes incisions using surgical adhesive or other suturing methods. You’re monitored in the recovery room as you awaken before being moved to a hospital room.
After Breast Enhancement Surgery
After surgery, you’ll have a short hospital stay. Your doctor will visit with you, evaluate your condition and discuss follow-up care and next steps.
You will have some swelling, discomfort, and scarring, but the surgical incision lines gradually fade. You should notice immediate results, including:
- Increased fullness in your breasts
- Improved placement, balance, and form
- Improved visual balance between hips and breasts
- Enhanced self-image and confidence
Over time, changes in your skin, body weight, or hormones can affect the appearance of your breasts. However, with healthy lifestyle choices, your results should last for years to come.
Your Plastic Surgery Team
At Faith Regional, your plastic surgeon, a specialized nurse and other healthcare professionals such as an advanced care practitioner and aesthetician may be involved in your care.
Schedule a Consultation
You can reach us at 402-844-8167 or email frpsclinics@frhs.org to schedule an appointment.