During your comprehensive breast augmentation consultation, one of our board-certified plastic surgeons will walk you through all of the options, discussing the best choice based on your goals and anatomy. But until then, some breast augmentation options include the following:
Breast Augmentation in Washington D.C.
Many women have an ideal image in mind of how they’d like their breasts to look and feel. Breast augmentation, or breast enhancement, is a plastic surgery procedure that increases the patient’s breast size through implants or autologous fat transfer. This procedure has been performed safely and has had very high patient satisfaction for more than 50 years.
The board-certified plastic surgeons at Center for Plastic Surgery perform breast augmentation to help women who would like to change and enhance small breasts, uneven breasts, or breasts that have become smaller after pregnancy or weight loss.
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What Are the Benefits of Breast Augmentation?
While primarily and accurately thought of as a procedure to increase breast size, breast augmentation (augmentation mammoplasty) can do more. A breast augmentation can:
- Fix asymmetrical breasts
- Alter the shape of the breasts
- Restore lost volume after weight loss or pregnancy
- Give the breasts a more youthful appearance
Aside from these functional and aesthetic benefits, breast augmentation can also greatly increase a patient’s self-confidence. Many women who were once unhappy with the size or shape of their breasts marvel at the boost in self-esteem they feel after their breast augmentation.
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Am I a Candidate for Breast Augmentation?
If you want to increase the size of your breasts, restore lost volume, improve breast symmetry, or create a more balanced figure overall, you may be a candidate for breast augmentation. Ideal breast augmentation candidates should also:
- Be generally in good health
- Not smoke or be willing to quit
- Have realistic expectations for results
Some patients, especially those who are interested in breast enhancement after weight loss or pregnancy, require both an increase in breast size and shape as well as a rejuvenating lift. In these cases, our surgeons may recommend a combination procedure for breast augmentation with lift. During this procedure, your surgeon can remove excess skin and reposition the breast higher on the chest, along with enhancing the size of the breasts with an implant.
The best way to determine whether breast augmentation is right for you is to schedule a consultation with one of our board-certified plastic surgeons and work closely with them to discuss which options will best suit your needs.
What Are My Breast Augmentation Options?
If you’ve decided breast augmentation is right for you, there are still a number of decisions to be made, including the material, shape, and texture of your breast implants.
Breast Implant Types
Breast implant material is one of the first considerations for breast augmentation patients. Center for Plastic Surgery offers the following implants for your personalized breast augmentation.
Saline
Saline breast implants consist of a silicone outer shell that is filled with a saline solution. Saline breast implants can be filled with the solution after they are inserted into the breast pocket, allowing the surgeon to use smaller incisions than other implant types. If a saline breast implant ruptures, the body easily absorbs the solution. Saline implants are usually more cost-effective than other options, but they do run a higher risk of visible rippling and feel less like natural breast tissue.
Silicone
Silicone breast implants consist of a silicone outer shell that is pre-filled with a cohesive, medical-grade silicone. Because these are already filled, silicone implants require a larger incision than saline implants. Silicone implants are incredibly popular, as they feel and move more naturally, closely mimicking real breast tissue.
In addition to implant material, you will also need to choose the size of your implants, how far they extend from your chest or projection, and whether you want round or anatomically shaped breast implants. For more detailed information on your breast implant choices, you can review our breast implant option page here.
Breast Implant Placement
There are two placement options for breast implants: behind the breast gland or, more commonly, behind the pectoralis muscle under the breast. Your desired aesthetic, the amount of natural breast tissue you have, and your body type will all play a role in which placement option works best for you.
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Over the Muscle Placement (Subglandular): Sublglandular placement is ideal for patients with a decent amount of natural breast tissue, as patients with little tissue or who are very thin may experience implant visibility. This placement option allows for less implant movement during physical exercise and quicker recovery, as fewer tissues are manipulated during surgery.
Under the Muscle Placement (Submuscular): When implants are placed under the muscle, they are typically covered better, reducing the risk of implant rippling or palpability (seeing or feeling the implant through the skin). This option also helps keep your glandular tissue fully visible during a mammogram, and the capsular contracture rate is lower as well. This option does require a slightly longer recovery, as your implants must settle over the course of multiple weeks up to a few months.
Breast Augmentation Incision Options
Incision placement is determined by your natural anatomy, where you would like your scars, the size and shape of your implants, and the recommendations of your surgeon. Center for Plastic Surgery offers the following options:
Inframammary: This incision runs horizontally across the natural fold of your breast, where the breast tissue meets the chest. The inframammary incision allows for larger implant sizes and is nearly undetectable after recovery.
Periareolar: This incision is made around the lower edge of the areola, where it is concealed by the darker pigmentation of the skin. This is suitable for patients who are most concerned with visible scarring, but it limits the size and material of implants.
What Is a Fat Transfer Breast Augmentation?
Using a patient’s own fat for breast enhancement is a technique that is sometimes called fat transfer breast augmentation and also minimally invasive or no-incision breast augmentation. While this technique is done in the operating room under anesthesia, it greatly reduces the surgical scar over breast augmentation with implants, it does involve extracting excess fat from another area of the body using liposuction, which is a surgical procedure.
The concept of using a patient’s own fat for cosmetic purposes (called autologous fat transfer) isn’t new. Fat has been used for years as an alternative to synthetic facial fillers and is part of the Brazilian Butt Lift procedure. The fat transfer breast augmentation technique can be performed with or without implants, depending on the patient’s goals.
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Candidates for Fat Transfer Breast Augmentation
Ideal candidates for fat transfer breast augmentation:
- Want only a modest increase in the size of their breasts (slightly more than one cup size)
- Have enough fat in another area of the body
- Have good skin elasticity
Other candidates may be interested in a breast augmentation that is more “natural,” as some patients dislike the idea of a foreign object in their bodies or fear a reaction to the materials in breast implants.
The Fat Transfer Breast Enhancement Procedure
The fat transfer technique involves three steps:
Liposuction: Common donor areas are the abdomen, thighs, or buttocks.
Purification: The fatty tissue is processed to separate the fat cells from impurities.
Re-injection: Surgeons use special syringes called cannulas to carefully place the fat in the breasts, creating a pleasing contour.
Hybrid Breast Augmentation
Patients who want a larger breast size may benefit from a combination breast enlargement, where the fat transfer technique is used if they have thin breast skin or decide to have their implants placed above the muscle. The fat creates a more natural-looking result by camouflaging the breast implants’ edges.
How Is a Breast Augmentation Performed?
Your Breast Augmentation Consultation
At Center for Plastic Surgery, a crucial step of any cosmetic procedure is a comprehensive consultation. When you meet with one of our board-certified plastic surgeons, you will be able to ask any questions you may have, discuss the risks and benefits of breast augmentation, and get a strong sense of what you can realistically expect from the procedure and its results.
Our top breast surgeons are highly trained and have decades of experience performing successful breast augmentations. All of the customizations and options you have to choose from may seem overwhelming, but rest assured that your plastic surgeon will walk you through the whole process and help you decide what works best for your goals and body type.
The pre-surgical meetings at CPS also focus on preparing you for your surgery; our physicians, nurses, and support staff advocate for our patients and assist them through the process. Our team strives to ensure the highest level of service and medical guidance in order to provide a safe surgical journey and deliver exceptional aesthetic results.
The Breast Augmentation Procedure
At CPS, each breast augmentation procedure is curated exactly to each patient and their needs. Your breast augmentation will look slightly different from someone else’s, but generally, you can expect the procedure to go as follows:
Breast augmentation with implants is usually performed as an outpatient procedure under general anesthesia for your comfort and safety. On the day of surgery, your surgeon will mark the incision location that you have chosen. Once the board-certified anesthesiologist has administered the anesthesia, your surgeon will make careful incisions over the markings.
Depending on the nature of your surgical plan, your surgeon will create a space in the breasts for the breast implants, called a breast pocket. They will then place your implants into this space, ensuring they are positioned appropriately. Once your surgeon is satisfied with the results, they will carefully close the incisions, and you will be monitored as you wake up from anesthesia.
Once you are cleared to do so, you will be given aftercare instructions and sent home with a responsible driver.
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What Can I Expect From Rapid Recovery Breast Augmentation?
The Center for Plastic Surgery proudly offers patients rapid recovery breast augmentation. This means we use the latest surgical techniques, anesthesia, implant massage, and postoperative pain protocols in order to minimize recovery times and optimize results. We want patients to move their arms and shoulders lightly starting the day of surgery, soon after the procedure.
Immediately following your breast augmentation, expect some swelling, bruising, and possible discomfort. You will be sent home with a soft compression dressing and post-op instructions that are specific to your surgical procedure. To minimize swelling, keep yourself elevated or propped up with pillows when you sleep.
Each patient is different, so be sure to follow your aftercare instructions closely. They will include information about how to care for your incisions, implant massages, and walking to avoid blood clots.
You will also need a post-op surgical bra, which helps to support your healing breasts and minimize swelling. This should be worn day and night, except while showering, for three weeks. After the surgical bra, you can transition to a supportive sports bra and, finally, the bra of your choice.
Throughout your healing process, be sure to monitor your incisions and reach out to your surgeon if you have any questions or concerns. Your incisions should heal enough to swim and bathe after about three to four weeks and should be fully healed after about two to three months. The ultimate outcome of your scarring, characterized by slender, faint, and level incisions, might require six months to a year to fully heal
Rapid Recovery Breast Augmentation Timeline
There is always some variation in breast augmentation recovery, as each patient and surgical plan is different, but a general rapid recovery timeline is as follows:
Week One
- Discomfort and bruising peak
- Implant massage
- Arm and shoulder exercises
- Suture and dressing removal
- Take a shower
Week Two
- Return to work, school, and nonstrenuous activities
Weeks Three & Four
- Bruising and swelling fade
- Resume low-impact exercise
Month Two
- Resume strenuous exercise
- Ready to sleep on your side
- Implants settle (drop and fluff)
Month Three and Beyond
- Final results
- Scars fade
How Much Does Breast Augmentation Cost?
The cost of breast augmentation in Washington, D.C., depends on the surgical techniques used, the details of the treatment plan, variations in the cost of implants, and other factors.
Center for Plastic Surgery breast augmentation price range starting at $7,500 all-in, including office visits before and after the procedure, anesthesia, operating room costs, implant costs and compression garments.
Breast Augmentation Frequently Asked Questions
Is breast augmentation safe?
When performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon on a carefully screened patient, breast augmentation is considered a safe elective procedure.
How long do breast implants last?
There is no set expiration date for breast implants. However, they are not designed to last a lifetime. At some point, you will most likely need to replace them, although they usually last between 10-15 years. In the years following your initial breast augmentation surgery, you should continue to have routine mammograms and annual check-ins with your plastic surgeon to monitor the implants.
Is it normal to have nipple pain after breast augmentation?
In addition to breast soreness, many patients experience unusual sensations in one or both nipples after breast augmentation, such as tenderness, shooting pain, and increased or decreased sensitivity. These side effects are normal and typically temporary, caused by impact to nerves during the surgery. Contact our office if you have concerns about nipple sensations.
Can I breastfeed with implants?
It is perfectly safe to breastfeed with breast implants. However, the size and placement of your implants may impact your ability to do so. If you hope to breastfeed in the future, be sure to let your surgeon know so they can avoid affecting the milk ducts when performing your surgery and can advise you on the optimal implant choices.
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Interested in Breast Augmentation in Washington, D.C.?
If you want to learn more about how breast augmentation can boost your confidence, restore symmetry, and create a more pleasing profile, fill out our online contact form or call Center for Plastic Surgery today at (301) 652-7700.