Important Things to Ask and Know When Considering Breast Augmentation Surgery

CINCINNATI -- Breast augmentation is one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures, as well as the top procedure for women age 19 to 34, according to The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. But like any other plastic surgery procedure, breast augmentation is real surgery with potential for risks and complications. According to Michael Columbus M.D., a plastic surgeon with The Plastic Surgery Group in Cincinnati, Ohio, following is a list of important things you need to know when considering breast augmentation:

- The first and most important thing is to make sure your physician is a board-certified plastic surgeon. Research your physician's credentials by checking on the doctor's own Web site or the American Society of Plastic Surgeons' Web site to check that the physician you are planning to see is a board-certified plastic surgeon and a member of the ASPS. This will ensure that you have a surgeon who has been trained in total body plastic surgical procedures. Avoid breast augmentation by surgeons whose training may be limited to the head and neck area.

- During your consultation with the physician, you should feel very comfortable with the surgeon before entering into any surgical contract with him or her. If you have any misgivings during the consultation, seek another opinion and another surgeon.

- Patients need to consider the different types of approaches that are made for augmentation, such as those that involve incisions either under the breasts, under the armpit, or around the areola on the breast. Consider where those scars will ultimately be located, where visibility might be the most and where it might be the least.

- Consider the different types of implants that are now available. All of the implants done for augmentation, for the most part, are saline-filled devices. There are a few surgeons around the country involved in ongoing clinical trials of silicone gel implants who have the ability to place them for augmentation. Saline implants may either be smooth, textured, round or shaped. Your specific needs, based on the experience of the operating surgeon, will determine what type of implant is best for you.

- Whether they are placed underneath the gland of the breast or the muscle, the position of the implants will determine the likelihood of possible rippling or palpability later after surgery. The majority of surgeons in the country today place the implants in a submuscular position when they are saline-filled.

- The surgery itself is usually an hour to two hours long and done on an outpatient basis under general anesthesia. The incisions tend to be smaller with saline implants as the implants can be placed through smaller incisions and then filled in the breast pocket rather than having to be filled before placement.

- Generally, the recovery process is fairly quick. Patients are sore for the first several days after surgery; then their discomfort level improves rapidly. They can usually return to normal activities within two to three weeks.

- The biggest long-term concern for patients is the possibility of their implants deflating. The risk of such deflations is one percent for each year that the implants have been implanted. Manufacturers do warrant their implants against deflations and these warranties vary somewhat from manufacturer to manufacturer. You should discuss this with your surgeon so you have a clear understanding of what the long-term implant warranty involves.

With offices in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Crestview Hills, Ky., The Plastic Surgery Group is one of the largest non-academic cosmetic surgery practices in the nation.

Source: The Plastic Surgery Group