Breast augmentation is a cosmetic surgery aimed at enhancing breast size. It can also be used to restore lost volume or improve the shape of the breasts after weight loss or pregnancy. During the procedure, either saline implants (filled with saltwater) or silicone implants (filled with a thick gel-like material) are placed beneath the breast tissue and pectoral muscle. The size and type of implant chosen will depend on your desired results and anatomy. The procedure can be performed at any age, but it’s usually most successful in women who have fully developed breasts.
A board-certified plastic surgeon will assess your medical history and body type to determine if you are a good candidate for breast augmentation surgery. Depending on your individual goals, they may recommend additional procedures such as a breast lift to help create larger breasts that look natural and proportionate to your body frame. Your plastic surgeon will also explain all potential risks associated with the surgery so that you can make an informed decision about whether breast augmentation is right for you.
Breast Augmentation / Breast Implant Before & After Photos
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*Each patient is unique and individual results may vary
Benefits of Breast Augmentation
Breast augmentation offers many potential benefits that make it an attractive option for women looking to enhance their appearance. The procedure is a relatively simple cosmetic procedure, with minimal pain and downtime associated with it. It can help create more harmonious body proportions, as well as increase cup size and improve the overall look of your breasts. Your surgeon will carefully place breast implants in specially created breast pockets so that you can maintain a natural look even after surgery. Additionally, there are few visible scars associated with this type of plastic surgery, making it a great choice for those who want to minimize the appearance of any surgical modifications.
Another benefit of opting for breast augmentation is that implants come in different sizes and shapes to meet your individual needs. You can choose from smooth or textured implants depending on the desired results, and your surgeon will be able to recommend the best implant shape and size based on your anatomy. Fat transfer techniques may also be used during breast augmentation to provide a more natural-looking result with minimal scarring. In addition, implants are designed to be lifetime devices, meaning they do not need to be replaced unless there is an issue due to age or trauma. Your plastic surgeon will create a personalized treatment plan for optimal safety and quality care before, during, and after surgery.
Breast Augmentation Consultation
A breast augmentation consultation is the first step towards achieving larger, fuller breasts. During this period of time, your plastic surgeon will discuss your preoperative plan to ensure that you are fully informed about the procedure and any potential risks involved. They will also evaluate your natural volume and bra size, as well as take into account your body image goals. By taking all these factors into consideration, they can determine which options for breast augmentation are best suited to provide you with natural-looking results.
Dr. Doherty may use a combination of techniques, such as fat transfer or implants, to increase the size of your breasts while maintaining a natural look and feel. During the consultation, they will assess the fatty tissue in your chest wall to determine how much additional volume should be added to achieve fuller breasts. The technique used for implant placement is important since it has an impact on what type of outcome you can expect from surgery. Your plastic surgeon will also consider whether you require breast reconstruction following a mastectomy or lumpectomy before creating a customized plan that meets all safety standards and offers realistic expectations for results.
Types of Breast Implant
There are several types of breast implants available to patients considering breast augmentation. Silicone and saline are the two most common implant types used in plastic surgery procedures for breast augmentation. Sterile salt water solution fills saline breast implants, whereas silicone breast implants consist of a dense, gel-like material that closely replicates the natural texture of breast tissue. Both provide excellent results when it comes to increasing volume, creating a more shapely profile, and enhancing overall cleavage. Additionally, the implant size can be adjusted by your plastic surgeon to give you the desired look.
In addition to silicone and saline implants, there is also the option of using smooth or textured implants, depending on the desired outcome. Smooth implant surfaces provide greater flexibility when it comes to adjusting cup size or shape in order to achieve symmetrical breasts. On the other hand, textured surfaces offer additional stability, which helps them remain in place over time and maintain their original position even after physical activity or weight gain/loss.
Finally, fat transfer techniques may also be used during breast augmentation procedures instead of traditional implants. This method involves taking excess fat from one area of your body and injecting it into your breasts in order to increase volume and enhance their shape without needing any foreign materials such as silicone or saline. In addition, there are special “gummy bear” shaped implants available that provide an even more natural look and feel than traditional round implants by filling out all three dimensions of your breasts: length, width, and projection. Thanks to these advances in technology, it is now possible for many breast augmentation patients to achieve a lift without needing any additional surgery such as incisions or liposuction.
Breast Augmentation Procedure
A breast augmentation procedure typically involves making incisions in the patient’s natural crease where the breast connects with the chest and inserting implants behind the pectoralis muscle. This placement allows for a more natural look and feel by keeping the implant away from any natural breast tissues. The size of the implant is then determined by using implant sizers that can be placed under the skin during a consultation process to ensure that you are happy with your choice of volume.
The most common methods used for making incisions include periareolar incisions, transaxillary incisions, and inframammary incisions. Your plastic surgeon will choose one based on the type of implant you have chosen as well as your body type in order to create a customized surgical plan tailored to meet your aesthetic goals. During surgery, your chest muscles must also be moved aside in order to make room for the implant before being reattached once it has been inserted into its position beneath your upper body tissue. Following this, your surgeon will close all incision sites and bandage them in order to promote proper healing.
Breast Augmentation / implant Real Patient Testimonial in Boston
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Breast Augmentation Cost
The cost of breast augmentation will vary depending on the desired outcome, surgical options available to you, and patient safety. Generally speaking, a consultation visit with your plastic surgeon is the first step and typically includes a private consultation to discuss all of your questions and concerns. During this time, your surgeon will explain the different surgical options available to you as well as go over the outcome of breast augmentation surgery so that you can make an informed decision about your treatment. Compassionate care and follow-up visits are also part of the overall cost associated with undergoing a breast augmentation procedure. The actual surgical procedure itself may range in price depending on where you live and the complexity of the case but generally includes everything from anesthesia fees to post-op healing process costs.
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*Each patient is unique and individual results may vary
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
Since I perform a breast augmentation under general anesthesia, you will not feel any pain during surgery. I do, however, generally place breast implants under the muscle which requires a bit more healing. So, after surgery, you can expect to feel some discomfort and tightness in the chest. I typically prescribe a post-operative regime of anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants, and narcotic pain medication for the first 24 to 48 hours. If a patient still needs some pain relief, it can generally be managed with an over-the-counter option such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
Any surgical procedure requires an incision. And anytime that the skin is cut, your body’s response is to heal in the form of a scar. Having said that, I employ meticulous surgical techniques to limit the size and shape of any resultant scar. Furthermore, I place the incisions in areas of the body where any visible incision line will be hidden such as the crease beneath your breast. Some patients, however, do tend to scar more easily than others. If you fall into this category, there are a number of techniques that we can discuss for reducing the appearance of your incision lines such as topical silicone treatments like Silagen or BioCorneum, microneedling, and laser skin resurfacing.
A breast augmentation in one of by Boston area surgical centers will cost anywhere between $9,000 and $11,000. The total will depend on the type of implant that we choose, and whether or not we add fat grafting in order to improve the appearance of the upper portion of the breast and/or camouflage the edges of an implant in patients without a lot of body fat. We will go over all of these options in detail during your initial consultation so there will be no last-minute surprises.
This is a question that I hear a lot. A breast implant can deliver more volume. It cannot, however, lift seriously drooping skin. Generally, if your nipple is above the inframammary fold, or crease beneath your breasts, you could be fine with an implant alone. However, if it drops below the crease and you want more volume, you’ll probably be a better candidate for a breast lift with a breast implant. To find out more about a breast lift with Dr. Sean Doherty in Boston, click here.
The underlying causes of Capsular Contracture are not completely known. However, one of the best steps for preventing it is with a surgical technique that I employ using the Keller Funnel. It is a no-touch technique that helps to prevent the transfer of any bacteria to the implant. We know that this radically reduces the incidence of capsular contracture as well as other post-operative complications. Since smokers are at a much higher risk of developing post-operative complications in general, I require that all of my breast augmentation patients be nicotine free for at least 6 weeks prior to surgery.
I perform breast surgery all year round. However, since many women want to show off their new physique in a bathing suit, they will often schedule a breast augmentation during the winter and/or spring in order to be ready for spring break and summer. If you have an upcoming event for which you’d like new breasts, it is important to schedule your surgery so that you have enough recovery time. While your final results can take 3-6 months, most of your swelling should subside in about 8 weeks.
If you live in the state of Massachusetts, Dr. Sean Doherty specializes in breast augmentation surgery and offers the service at two convenient locations: Boston and Brookline.
The safety of my patients is my number one concern. This is why I spend considerable time during your initial consultation going through all risk factors. There are currently three types of cancer that have been linked to breast implants. The first, Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL), is an extremely rare form of lymphoma that, currently, is only a risk with textured implants. This doesn’t mean that if you currently have or have had textured implants that you must have them removed. But you do need to keep a close watch for any changes in the size, shape or feel of your implants. The other two cancers, lymphoma and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), though also rare, develop in the silicone shell that surrounds all breast implants, not the implant itself.
Most breast surgeons, including myself, offer our patients an annual exam. Take advantage of this. Having your breasts assessed every year is the single greatest thing that you can do to stay on top of the health of your breast implants. I also encourage my breast augmentation patients to have an MRI 5 years after their initial surgery, and then every 2-3 years for maintenance. You should also consider having a breast implant exchange at around the 10 year mark.
With all of the media attention on the risk factors associated with breast implants, more and more patients are inquiring about whether or not they can use fat grafting to the breasts instead of an implant. If you only desire a very small bump in volume, you may be a candidate for fat grafting to the breast only. Without seeing you in person, it’s impossible to say for certain. The thing to keep in mind with fat grafting is that the end result is much less predictable than what you can expect with a breast implant. This is because not all of the fat cells that are transferred will survive. Generally, I use fat grafting as an addendum to breast implants to improve shape by either adding more fullness to the upper pole or camouflaging the edges of an implant in patients without a lot of chest or body fat.
Cleavage and breast implants is a source of considerable confusion for my patients. The internet does not help. Despite what you may have seen on TikTok, a larger implant will not necessarily deliver cleavage because your cleavage is literally dictated by your anatomy. A breast implant must be centered behind your nipple. So, if your nipples are far apart, you will get more volume with a breast implant, but not more cleavage.