Breast Augmentation: Pros and Cons

A push-up bra can only do so much. At some point, if you want bigger or more shapely breasts, you might consider breast augmentation. Breast augmentation with breast implants isn’t only for women who were born with smaller breasts. Women who have seen their breasts change in size after pregnancy or weight loss can also benefit from the surgery.

Since breast enhancement is a type of surgery, it’s not exactly something you want to rush into. Reviewing a list of the procedure’s pros and cons, before you schedule a consultation with a plastic surgeon, can help you determine if you’re ready to take the next step or if you’re better off visiting the mall to buy another push-up bra.

Pro: Breast Augmentation Can Improve Your Figure and Shape

Some women naturally have smaller or undeveloped breasts, which may make them feel self-conscious or make it difficult to fit into certain styles of dresses or shirts. Some women naturally have larger breasts but then they have a child and breastfeed, only to see their breasts deflate. Some women successfully lose a significant amount of weight but also lose a fair amount of volume from their breasts.

Implants can help improve a woman’s figure and shape, allowing clothes to fit better and giving a more youthful appearance. Breast augmentation can also make the breasts more proportional in relation to other areas of the body.

Picking the right size and shape of implants is critical when it comes to making sure the surgery actually enhances a woman’s figure. Fortunately, implants come in a variety of shapes and sizes, making it easier for a woman and her surgeon to select the one that’s just right.

Pro: Results Can Look Natural

Some women are rightfully concerned about how their breasts will look after augmentation. Fortunately, an experienced surgeon is easily able to produce a natural-looking and natural-feeling result after surgery. Getting a natural look depends on a variety of factors, including the size of the implants, where they are positioned and the type of material used.

Silicone implants typically produce better, more natural-looking and feeling breasts than saline implants, for example. Saline implants have the potential to create a rippled effect beneath the skin and also feel harder to the touch. Placing the implants under the chest muscle makes them less visible and less likely to be felt, as well.

Pro: Breast Implants Last a Long Time

The trouble with a push-up bra is that its results only last for as long as you wear it. Once you take the bra off for the evening, the effect is done. But, implants can last for years. Many women find that they enjoy the results of their breast augmentation surgery for a decade, if not longer.

Con: Breast Augmentation Requires Surgery

The big elephant in the room when it comes to breast augmentation is that it is surgery and brings with it all the risks and considerations of surgery. First off, there’s the fact that it’s only recommended for people who are in good health. If you have a medical condition or smoke, your surgeon is most likely going to advise against breast augmentation, at least for the time being.

Second, although the risks of surgery are greatly reduced if you’re in good health and if you work with one of the best breast augmentation surgeons in the country, there are still risks when it comes to surgery, ranging from bleeding to infection and having your results not be quite what you expected.

Finally, the cost of surgery can be a deterrent to plenty of women. Although financing is available, the cost of breast augmentation typically starts at $5,000. The exact cost of your procedure will depend on the type of implants you choose, the anesthesia you receive, and the cost of medication afterwards.

Con: Implants Can Leak or Burst

Implants breaking is a rare thing, but it can happen. Usually, it takes a considerable amount of force to pop or rupture an implant, such as being punched in the chest or falling over and landing on your chest. In the case of saline implants, you’ll notice the rupture right away, since the saline will leak out and be reabsorbed by your body. Ruptures in silicone implants are more difficult to notice, since the gel is thick and remains inside the implant.

Con: You Might Grow Tired Of Your Implants

Although implants aren’t meant to be lifetime devices and the expectation is that you’ll have them replaced or removed at some point in time, it is still a bit of a hassle to have them removed. Whether you simply grow tired of having your implants or want a different size, changing them will require additional surgery, first to remove the first implants, then to replace them with a new pair. If you don’t want to get new implants at that point, you might decide to have a breast lift instead to improve the shape of the breasts.

Breast augmentation isn’t a surgery you decide to have on a whim. If, after reading the pros and cons, you’re interested in learning more about your implant options and the surgery itself, schedule a consultation with Dr. Paul Vitenas. Dr. Vitenas is one of the top doctors in the Houston area and one of the best breast augmentation surgeons in the US. To make your appointment, call 281-484-0088 today.

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