Breast Augmentation Boston | Breast Implants Chestnut Hill, MA

Dr. Doherty has extensive experience in breast surgery. His aim for his Boston area patients is to deliver a completely natural and rejuvenated looking breast. — Dr. Sean Doherty has extensive experience in breast surgery.

Changing the size and shape of your breasts with a breast augmentation is a fantastic way to transform the look of your entire torso. Furthermore, an appropriate-sized breast implant may allow you to feel more comfortable in your skin, boosting self-confidence and promoting a greater sense of youthful vitality. However, it is surgery, and it is not for everyone. This is why it is so important to book an in-person consultation, as any exemplary breast augmentation result will always come down to matching the right procedure to your individual anatomy, lifestyle, and needs.

Table of Contents

Breast Implant Consultation in Boston
Managing Expectations with Breast Implant Surgery
Are Breast Implants Safe?
Breast Implant Illness (BII)
Breast Augmentation Procedure
Recovery from Breast Implant Surgery
Breast Augmentation Cost
Why choose Dr. Doherty?
Breast Augmentation FAQs

Breast Augmentation / Breast Implant Before & After Photos

Breast Lift with Implants Before and After Photos in Boston, MA, Patient 2445

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*Each patient is unique and individual results may vary

Breast Implant Consultation in Boston

Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon Dr. Sean Doherty has extensive experience in all areas of breast surgery, including breast augmentation. His goal with every Boston area breast implant patient is to deliver a safe, completely natural-looking, and long-lasting result. This always begins with an in-person consultation. During your meeting, Dr. Doherty will listen closely to what bothers you about your body contour. Together, you will review photos of breasts that you admire in order to ensure that the two of you are in synch in terms of your desired aesthetic. Then, he will perform a thorough physical exam, taking precise measurements, in order to assess your:

Skin tone & texture
Volume of native breast tissue
Laxity of skin, if any
Nipple position in relation to the inframammary fold or crease beneath your breasts

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Sean Doherty interviews a breast augmentation patient.

Based on this information, Dr. Doherty will present a treatment plan of breast implant options that suit your anatomy, lifestyle, and desired outcome. Depending on your needs, this may or may not include other procedures such as a breast lift, liposculpture, and/or fat grating.

Managing Expectations with Breast Implant Surgery

The purpose of your breast augmentation consultation is not just to devise an appropriate treatment plan but also to discuss what you can expect, both short-term and long-term, from your procedure. Many patients do not realize that no breast implant is perfect, nor do they last forever. Every choice is going to have pros and cons that you will need to weigh carefully. These include:

Type of breast implant: silicone or saline
Implant placement: above or below the pectoralis muscle
Size
Shape
Projection or how far the implant extends from your chest wall
Breast lift to address severe sagging, if necessary
Fat grafting to improve shape, if needed

Dr. Doherty Explains How to Carefully Choose Your Breast Implants.

It is important to understand that breast augmentation is not a one-and-done procedure for anyone. Your implants will need to be monitored and replaced at some point. Adjustments to your remaining breast tissue, also known as your breast envelope, may need to occur as well. How fast this happens may depend on:

Weight gain/loss exceeding 10 lbs.
Pregnancy
Breastfeeding
Age
Hormone changes such as menopause
Changes in aesthetics

Are Breast Implants Safe?

Breast implants are very safe medical devices, but they do require oversight. Both breast surgeons and the FDA strongly recommend that you follow a monitoring pathway once your implants are placed in order to confirm the continued health of your implant. Yearly or bi-yearly visits with your surgeon are recommended. For patients that have silicone gel implants, it is also advisable to get an MRI 5 years after implantation and then every 2-3 years until the 12-15 year anniversary of your initial surgery. At this point, it is advisable that your implants be exchanged for a new set.

How To Get A Natural-Looking Breast Enhancement!

Breast Implant Illness (BII)

A breast implant is the most studied medical device in the world. The safety of breast augmentation has been proven time and time again in multiple scientific studies. However, there is a small subset of women who appear to develop an adverse reaction to their implants. This may manifest as capsular contracture, which is a hardening of the scar tissue that forms around any implant, including breast implants, but the condition known as Breast Implant Illness (BII) may also include a wide range of auto-immune like symptoms such as:

Joint pain
Brain fog
Chronic fatigue
Headaches
Rash
Depression
Mood swings

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is devoting extensive resources towards understanding BII and why certain patients may be at risk. For now, the underlying causes are unknown, but it is not understood to be an allergic reaction or an auto-immune reaction. Every breast augmentation patient is given a product-specific Patient Decision Checklist with every breast implant device. This will include all up-to-date information on known or reported risks. Dr. Doherty and his team take safety seriously and will spend as much time as you need going through this list in detail, answering any and all questions.

Breast Augmentation / implant Real Patient Testimonial in Boston

I found Dr. Doherty to be so warm and calming at my consult in his boston office with him. His knowledge and easy explanatory demeanor was so comforting. He took great care that I understood everything about the type of breast augmentation that he would do for me. After the surgery, he was equally as available to talk with me whenever I needed. The breast augmentation was a major success, I could not be happier with the result. My breasts are exactly what I had envisioned and what he and I discussed. I can't say enough about the perfect surgical work - I feel so natural and beautiful by the work he did for me. I will definitely be having future surgeries with Dr. Doherty.

5 stars
lisasecondino

Breast Augmentation Procedure

Dr. Doherty performs all of his breast implant procedures under general anesthesia in an accredited surgery center. He typically uses a smooth, round silicone gel breast implant because he feels that it delivers the most natural-looking result. Saline implants are also an excellent, safe, and reliable option. The decision of silicone versus saline is something that will be discussed in detail during your initial consultation. For the majority of patients, the implant is placed beneath the pectoralis muscle through an incision in the inframammary fold. Incisions on the breast heal extremely well, but a benefit of this placement is that if there is any residual scar, it will be hidden within the crease beneath your breast. This incision also has a lower risk of capsular contracture.

Breast Augmentation Before and After Photos in Boston, MA, Patient 4670

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*Each patient is unique and individual results may vary

Recovery from Breast Implant Surgery

Due to the popularity of the breast augmentation procedure, patients sometimes forget that this is a surgical procedure that is going to require some downtime in terms of recovery. One of the key components of a happy result is making sure that your expectations are realistic. This is one of the reasons why Dr. Doherty spends so much time discussing all the ins and outs of the procedure, including the critical time period after surgery. Most patients describe the recovery as uncomfortable but tolerable. Oftentimes, this discomfort can be managed with over-the-counter pain medications. However, it is not uncommon for a patient to require something stronger for the first few postoperative days. Dr. Doherty and his team will discuss the safest and most appropriate options before prescribing your pain medications.

You can expect to be sore, especially for the first 48 hours following your procedure. Dr. Doherty asks that you refrain from picking up anything over 10 lbs. for the first two weeks post-op. If you have young children, you will need to ensure that you have a plan in place in terms of childcare. The same goes for pets and other adults. While you may return to light cardio, such as walking, within 48-72 hours of surgery, he asks his breast augmentation patients to wait at least 4-6 weeks before doing any upper body exercises. It may take up to 3-6 months for all of your swelling to resolve, but you can expect to see a change in your body contour immediately and will achieve about 75% of your end result by 3 months.

Breast Augmentation Cost

How expensive your breast augmentation procedure is going to be will depend on the type of implant that you choose, as well as whether or not you will need any additional procedures, such as fat grafting, in order to achieve your ideal size and shape. In general, you can expect to spend anywhere from $10,000 and $12,000 for a breast augmentation alone with Dr. Doherty in one of his Boston area surgery centers. The cost of your breast implant procedure is something that he takes seriously, and he will always be upfront in terms of exactly what you can expect to spend in order to achieve your ideal size and shape breasts.

So, if the look of your breasts is not making you feel good in your skin, schedule an appointment to discuss how a breast augmentation may help. To find out more about a breast augmentation procedure with Dr. Sean Doherty at his Boston or Chestnut Hill office, contact us today or call (617) 450.0070 to schedule a consultation.

Why choose Dr. Doherty?

Dr. Doherty is a distinguished plastic surgeon with a solid educational background and extensive experience in the field. Graduating as Salutatorian from Dedham High School in 1989, he later earned a Bachelor’s degree in Art History with a Pre-Med focus from Columbia College, Columbia University. Dr. Doherty then pursued his medical degree at Tufts University School of Medicine and became a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon in 2010.

With a focus on facial aesthetics, Dr. Doherty offers a wide range of procedures, including Botox, Juvederm, Voluma, Volbella, Restylane, Sculptra, and Kybella injections, as well as breast augmentation, liposuction, and facelift surgery. He has also contributed significantly to the field by serving as Medical Director and Principal Investigator at Cynosure, Inc., and as a Trainer and Educator for Allergan, Inc., and Galderma. With his expertise, dedication, and board certification, Dr. Doherty is a compelling choice for those seeking exceptional results and personalized care in plastic surgery.

Breast Augmentation FAQs

Is a breast augmentation painful?

I perform all of my breast surgery procedures under general anesthesia, so you will not feel anything during your procedure. Since I usually place the implants underneath the muscle, you can expect to be sore afterward, and the tissues of your chest will feel tight. I typically prescribe a postoperative regime of ibuprofen, muscle relaxants, and possibly narcotic pain medications for the first 48-72 hours following surgery.

Will I have a scar after my breast augmentation?

The defining characteristic of surgery is that the skin is cut. Any time there is an incision, there will be a scar. Having said that, to the best of my ability, I practice exemplary surgical techniques in order to minimize any pull on the incision line, which is what leads to a heavier scar. Furthermore, incision lines on the breasts tend to heal very well. However, some patients are genetically inclined to scar heavier than others. I will spend time during your initial consultation asking about any prior procedures and how you healed in order to establish a baseline. I typically place the incision within the fold beneath your breast where any potential scar is well camouflaged. I also offer my patients a wide range of effective scar treatments, if needed, that include massage, topical silicone treatments, microneedling, and laser skin resurfacing.

Can a breast implant lift my sagging breasts?

This is an area of confusion for many of my breast surgery patients. An implant will provide more volume. If you have a mild degree of skin laxity, this uptick in volume may also induce a slight lift. However, no breast implant can lift seriously sagging breasts. The latter will require a breast lift either on its own or with a breast implant. Generally, if your nipple position is below the inframammary fold or crease beneath your breasts, you are probably going to require a breast lift. This can typically be done at the same time as your breast augmentation, so you only have one recovery.

How do I prevent capsular contracture?

All of the underlying causes of capsular contracture are still not known, but we do know that a surgical technique that I employ, called the “No Touch Technique,” utilizing the Keller Funnel, radically reduces the risk of capsular contracture as well as other post-operative complications. Also, smokers are at much higher risk, which is why I require all of my surgical patients to be nicotine-free for at least 6 weeks prior to their procedure.

What is the best time to schedule my breast augmentation?

While this is a procedure that I perform year-round, many patients like the idea of showing off
their improved body contour in summer clothes and/or for a big event. It is, therefore, important that you give yourself enough time between when you want to reveal your new breasts in an evening dress or bathing suit and surgery for recovery. While it can take anywhere from 3-6 months for your final results, most of your swelling should subside by 8 weeks.

Can a breast implant cause cancer?

Safety is my primary concern with any procedure which is why I spend considerable time during your consultation going through any risk factors. Breast cancer has never been associated with implants. However, there are currently three types of non-breast cancer that have been linked to breast implants. Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) is a very rare form of lymphoma that is currently a risk more often associated with textured implants. I do not use a textured implant for this reason. If you have or have had textured implants, this does not mean that you must necessarily have them removed, but you do want to keep a close watch for any changes in the size, shape, and feel of your implants. The other two cancers are also rare. Lymphoma and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) develop in the capsule that surrounds the silicone shell of both saline and silicone implants, not the implant itself. As I’ve mentioned, the best way to stay on top of your breast health is to be informed up-front, self-examine, get a yearly check-up from your plastic surgeon, and start with monitoring MRIs at 5 years post-op.

Can I have a breast augmentation with fat grafting alone?

Some patients do not like the idea of placing a foreign device into the body yet they still would like more volume. Fat grafting is a procedure in which I remove excess fat via liposuction from an area where you have too much and place it into the breasts. I typically use this as an addendum to a breast implant in order to improve shape, particularly upper pole fullness, and/or camouflage the edges of a breast implant in very thin patients. However, if you are someone who only requires a small bump in volume, you may be a candidate for breast augmentation with fat grafting alone. The results from this procedure are not as predictable as those with a breast implant, as not all of the fat cells that are transferred will survive. For this reason, it may also take more than one fat grafting session in order to achieve your desired outcome.

Will a breast augmentation give me more cleavage?

This is another area of confusion for many potential patients. Despite what you may see on TikTok, increasing breast volume will not necessarily increase cleavage. This is due to the fact that any implant must be centered behind your nipple. So, if your nipples are far apart, you will get bigger boobs but not more cleavage.