HERLIFE COSMETIC SURGERY

NATHAN A. KLUDT, MD • Board Certified Plastic Surgeon • UC Davis Trained

Breast Augmentation Surgery

Q. I am a professional woman in my early 30s and have been consider- are confident in their implants and offer lifetime warranties on their products ing breast augmentation for years. I want natural-looking full breasts, but that will often cover the cost of replacement implants and financial assis- am afraid of having them look “fake” after surgery. tance toward a future surgery if needed. A. You are not alone! When it comes to the most popular procedure, Younger patients should understand and expect that they will have their breast augmentation, there have been significant trend changes in the past implants exchanged at least once during their lifetime. Eventually a breast five to ten years. Most women are opting for smaller, more natural-appearing implant will fail, often resulting in a subtle change in shape of the breast that’s breast augmentations than they were 10 to 20 years ago. noticed by the patient. When this occurs, the implant will need to be replaced. The majority of women whose breasts appear fake have had breast aug- This is usually a very simple procedure, with less down time and discomfort mentation with an implant that is too large for their frame. This often causes than the original surgery. the breasts to appear unnaturally wide and full. Although individual preferenc- es differ, the vast majority of women prefer a more natural-appearing breast. Q. My breasts are really different. One is very small and the other is In our practice, we spend a considerable amount of time getting to un- much larger and quite droopy. It is almost impossible to find clothes that fit derstand our patients’ desired look and striving to tailor a surgical plan to fit properly. How can this be corrected? their needs. During the consultation our patients spend time trying on “sizer A. Breast asymmetry, or unevenness between the breasts, is actually implants.” These can be tried on with a variety of tops, bathing suits, etc., quite common. Of course, in most cases it is minimal and of little signifi- which will give you an idea of what your final results will be in a variety of cance. But sometimes it can be very marked, with striking differences be- clothing. Based on the look you wish to achieve and precise measurements tween the size or shape of the breasts and/or the size, shape and location of your breast dimensions, we will help you to choose the most appropriate of the nipples. breast implant for the look you desire. The management of breast asymmetry is determined entirely by the na- With improved technologies and greater options, you have the ability to ture of the problem(s). The ultimate goal is to make the breasts as even as work closely with your surgeon to focus on specific target areas of the body possible. Thus, in your case, we would most likely recommend an augmen- and achieve the look you desire. tation procedure to the smaller breast with the placement of an implant to provide the very best shape and size possible. Once we were satisfied that Q. I had breast augmentation eight years ago and have been extreme- the smaller of the two breasts was as good as it could be, we would focus on ly happy with the results. But I was wondering how long the implants last making the other breast match it. Since the other breast is much larger and and will I need to have them replaced? also droopy, it would need to be reduced in size and lifted so that its size and A. In general, breast implants do very well over time, but have a life shape, as well as the position of the nipple, will match the other side. Patient expectancy of about 15 years. All patients considering breast augmentation satisfaction is extremely high and recovery is rapid, with most patients return- surgery should be aware of this fact going into the surgery. Implant companies ing to work within seven to ten days. HLM

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