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Breast Implant
Breast implant surgery (breast augmentation) is
the only method of making breasts larger. It is obviously essential
that the surgeon is reputable. Talk to your GP about it. It is very
unlikely that you can have the operation on the NHS - this is normally
possible only if the breast is being reconstructed after breast
cancer surgery, or if one breast is very underdeveloped compared
with the other. If it is to be done privately, check that the surgeon
is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and a member of the
British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons. Ask the surgeon
to explain all the possible risks, and if you do not understand
the explanation, ask for a clearer explanation. After your discussion
with the surgeon, go home and consider the information for a few
days. In fact, the official recommendation is that there should
be a 'cooling-off' period of several days between seeing the surgeon
and having the operation, to give you sufficient time in which to
change your mind.
Problems with breast enlargement
surgery
After the operation there will be some discomfort
on moving your arms, but this wears off after a week or two. Occasionally
blood collects around the implant in the first 24 hours after surgery,
and the surgeon may have to re-open the incision to remove the blood.
In some cases, infections can occur and most surgeons
would prescribe antibiotics. But if severe the implant may need
to be removed and replaced a couple of months later. The nipple
may feel sore, or there may be loss of feeling in the nipple area.
This is only temporary. The scarred skin may become red and thick,
and may stay like this for a year or two before starting to fade
slowly.
Tissue may tighten round the implant, squeezing
it and making it feel much firmer. This used to be a common problem,
but occurs less often with modern implants, which have a textured
surface. If this happens, you may need another operation.
| Expert
Commentary |
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 Just
let you all know that breast implant will not last forever.
The average silicone implant lasts about 15 years, so
it might need to be replaced in the future. Most of
the implant is placed behind the breast tissue, between
it and the chest wall muscle (although very occasionally,
it is placed behind the chest wall muscle, between the
muscle and the ribcage). It is never placed in the breast
tissue, so it does not interfere with the function of
the breast and you can breastfeed later on if you wish.
The implants come in a great variety of sizes, so a
correct-sized implant can be used make your breasts
look similar.
There will
be a scar in the crease line under the breast. This
will be red at first, but will gradually fade over 12
months. If a saline implant is used, some surgeons will
be able to insert the bag of the implant by keyhole
surgery (endoscopically) through an incision in the
armpit. The bag is gradually filled with saline afterwards,
and this technique means there is no scar on the actual
breast.
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