Houston Breast Augmentation
In Houston, as well as across the nation, breast augmentation was the most popular cosmetic procedure in 2009, as confirmed by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
Both silicone and saline implants can be used and surgeons can place them either above or below the pectoral muscle. One advantage of saline implants is that they cost less, but the silicone versions have the advantage of being softer and more natural feeling. For patients whose breasts differ in size, there are saline implants that allow the surgeon to slightly alter the volume of the implant to comensate for the difference.
Modern silicone implants are sealed so they are quite safe from leakage and feel more natural. Unfortunately, since the silicone implants are permanently sealed when they are made, no volume adjustment can be made like they can with saline implants. The silicone implants have become the most common and, since they are filled with a silicone gel, they feel the most natural to the touch.
These days leakage from an implant is extremely rare but, if leakage should occur, the saline would pose much less health risk. In order to make sure there are no long term problems the FDA, when approving silicone in 2006, required the manufacturers to start a ten year study on about 40,000 women who had received the implants. During the surgery the implants are placed through a small incision made in the crease under the breast, so no scar will be visible later.
So that the implants will not interfere with future mammograms, most
Houston breast augmentation surgeons favor placing implants below the chest wall muscle. Women who have implants may have some difficulties in nursing, but they should be able to breastfeed and are encouraged to do so. But, before having the procedure, anyone who anticipates having children should make sure they discuss breastfeeding with their surgeon.
Regarding insurance, almost all breast augmentation procedures are considered cosmetic and optional, so the insurance companies will not cover them. The exception is in the case of reconstruction after having a mastectomy. Typically,
Houston breast augmentation clinics use general anesthetic for these procedures and recommend at least a one night hospital stay. Dressings are applied after the surgery and kept in place until a later appointment where the sutures are removed. Recovery is usually sufficient after one week for the patient to return to work.
For those women who have had their implants placed underneath the muscle (submuscular placement), the recovery time will generally be longer and there will be slightly more pain since the muscle was cut during surgery. Though many activites can be done after one week, especially strenuous activities should be avoided for up to 6 weeks. Although scars will be visible when the dressings are removed, they will fade during the few months following surgery.
While some think that the bigger implants the better, this could cause potential problems and these should be thought over before surgery. Larger breasts can lead to back pain, stretching of the skin and premature sagging, so the long term effects must be reviewed before the ultimate decision on size is made. If the patient is older they may already have a problem with sagging and stretch marks, which could make a breast lift procedure necessary along with the augmentation, and this can increase the overall cost of the surgery.
Before you talk to any potential surgeon, create a list of all the questions you have, so that you will be sure to get them all answered.
