Breast Augmentation

When small, uneven or slack breasts are causing you discomfort or embarrassment, breast augmentation offers a way to bring balance and contours to your body. Breast augmentation is the surgical enhancement or enlargement of the breast, and it is one of the most popular cosmetic surgeries in the world. The procedure is designed to increase the fullness or projection of the breast and is most commonly done with the use of an implant, but can also be done with a patient’s own fat.

The procedure is designed for several purposes: to it increase the size of a naturally occurring small breast, to restore lost volume after pregnancy or breastfeeding, or help achieve improved symmetry.

What is Breast Augmentation?

Breast augmentation is a surgical procedure that increases the size and projection of your breasts while reshaping the breast and improving physical symmetry. It can also reverse a deflated appearance in the breast that may have been caused by pregnancy, age, or weight loss. Breast augmentation can recreate the body’s natural appearance for patients who have recently undergone mastectomies, or breast cancer removal.

The intentions of a breast augmentation procedure are simple. One, it can increase the projection and fullness of the breasts. In most cases, this can increase self-confidence and self-image, therefore increasing the comfort the patient feel in their own skin. Additionally, a breast augmentation can create an even more attractive silhouette by balancing the body’s natural contours and increasing its visual symmetry.

With two offices — one in New York City, the other in Englewood, NJ — Dr. David L. Abramson is well-known to the residents of our community. His extensive skills have made him a surgeon of choice for breast augmentation in Manhattan and surrounding areas.

Before and After Photos

View More Photos

Reasons to Get A Breast Augmentation

While the reasons why someone may want a breast augmentation may vary, they are all valid reasons to desire personal improvement. The most common reasons for a patient to undergo a breast augmentation surgery are:

• Size: The number one reason women undergo breast augmentation surgery is an increase in breast size and physical projection which will in turn to enhance the body’s natural balance and proportions.
• Shape: Breast augmentation can achieve fuller, rounder, and more voluminous breasts. Breast augmentation can be performed with a breast lift if sagging is a concern as well.
• Asymmetry: Perhaps a woman’s breasts are asymmetrical in size or shape, or did not naturally develop equally. Breast augmentation can increase the attractiveness of the breasts by creating a balanced, more symmetrical silhouette.
• Age: Over the course of a lifetime, the breasts may appear to deflate and lose volume. A breast augmentation surgery can help to turn back the hands of time, providing more voluminous breasts.
• Weight loss: A loss in weight may cause a decrease in breast size or create a deflated appearance. Breast augmentation surgery can address the loss of breast volume caused by significant weight loss.
• Breast cancer: If a woman will have, or has recently had, a mastectomy, breast augmentation can recreate their figure and restore natural proportion.
• Post-Pregnancy: Pregnancy causes a lot of changes to a woman’s body, including changes to the breasts—a breast augmentation can be part of a “Mommy Makeover” to help mother’s bodies bounce back to their youthful silhouette.

While able to increase the volume and projection of the breast, breast augmentation cannot correct the appearance of drooping or sagging breasts. In such a case, a breast lift (also called a mastopexy) may be required along with a breast augmentation procedure for drooping breasts to look fuller and more youthful. The doctor can assist in making a decision that is best suited for the patient’s desired result and determine the best course of action.

Good Candidates

You may be a good candidate for breast augmentation if:

• You are in good health.
• You are not currently pregnant.
• You are not currently breastfeeding.
• Your breasts have developed fully.
• Your breasts are of a personally undesirable size or volume.
• Your breasts are of a personally undesirable shape or projection.
• Your breasts are asymmetrical.
• Your body contour appears unbalanced.
• You want breasts that you find to be more attractive.
• You have realistic expectations of a breast augmentation surgery.
• You are making the choice to have a breast augmentation procedure for yourself and within your own comforts.

Most women who seek breast augmentation are unhappy with the small size of their breasts. This is often a result of genetics; however, there are other reasons patients are disappointed in the appearance of their bust. Sometimes a woman has asymmetrical breasts, where one is much smaller than the other. Other breast augmentation patients complain about a lack of volume due to breastfeeding, weight loss, or aging. Prior to undertaking a breast augmentation, patients, particularly those with a family history of breast cancer, need to be evaluated possibly with mammography to determine that there is not any pathology in the breast prior to a cosmetic augmentation.

Please remember that breast augmentation surgery is a personal choice. Therefore, it is extremely important that breast augmentation patients are undergoing the procedure for themselves. Breast augmentation is intended to increase your own happiness and your own self-image, rather than please somebody else. Patient satisfaction is incredibly high with breast augmentations, specifically when they want the procedure done for themselves and it is performed within their own comfort levels.

For years Dr. Abramson has listened carefully to the concerns of women throughout Manhattan and further afield. He and his professional staff welcome you to schedule an appointment at our New York City, Franklin Lakes, or Englewood office to discuss your breast augmentation options.

Choosing the Right Implants

When considering which implants will be the most beneficial, the implant size, profile, material, and texture are all options to take into consideration. When making the decision for what enhances the natural you, make sure to consider both your body and your desired result. While the influx of information related to your implant may seem daunting, Dr. Abramson can assist you in making the best decision for your personal needs.

Remember: harmony and balance found within the end result are the most important effects in obtaining the greatest amount of personal appeal and general attractiveness of your new silhouette.

The types of implants vary, as well as their advantages and disadvantages in use. Implants range in size and profile, may be filled with saline or silicone, and may be smooth or textured. Both silicone and saline implants are encased in a silicone shell, developed to resist punctures and ruptures.

Implant Composition

Saline Implants

Saline implants are filled with a solution of sterile salt water, encased in silicone. One of the main advantages of saline implants is that it can be filled with a range of cc’s, a liquid measurement. Because of this liquid measurement, the surgeon can customize the size and volume of the implant to best suit the patient’s individual needs. A second main advantage of a saline implant is its cost efficiency. Saline implants cost less than silicone implants. Many patients who chose saline implants over silicone implants consider the saline solution to be a third advantage.

Silicone Implants

Silicone implants have a silicone shell, filled with a thick silicone gel. Silicone implants have several advantages over saline implants. One advantage is the fact that silicone implants have much less chance of rippling than saline implants. A second advantage of silicone implants is the natural feel of the implant. The thick silicone inside the implant’s silicone shell resembles the feel of a natural breast much more than the saline solution found in saline implants.

“Gummy Bear” Silicone Implants

Shaped, cohesive gel implants are commonly referred to as “gummy bear” implants, or “form-stable” implants. These silicone implants are made of a silicone shell, filled with a thicker and more cohesive medical grade silicone than the average silicone implant. It is referred to as “shaped” because the outer shell has a teardrop shape built into it, where thinner at the top and fuller at the bottom, to create the most natural, anatomically natural breast shape possible.

These form-stable implants have a few advantages over the average silicone implant or the saline implant options. With a form-stable implant, there is a natural shape built into the device. There is also a decreased risk of rippling due to its thicker silicone gel. There is a greater number of options for shape and size than available with the common silicone implant.

Implant Size, Projection, and Profile

Implants come in a variety of sizes and profiles, with each designed to create a different type of result when used. The implant profiles are referred to as: a low profile, a moderate plus profile, and a high profile. Low profile implants create a wider and rounder breast, with a small amount of extra projection.

The moderate plus profile, on the other hand, is the most common implant used in breast augmentation. This is because the moderate plus implant creates what is considered to be a more natural-looking result. The third option, a high profile implant, provides a very round and full shape to the augmented breast. This is a good implant size for someone who wants the greatest size, projection, and roundness. Different cc’s are available to create the desired projection and roundness.

Implant Shape

Both silicone and saline implants can be manufactured in one of two shapes: round and teardrop. Many women choose round implants because they provide the greatest amount of fullness, projection, and cleavage. Despite the appearance, the greatest benefit of inserting round implants over teardrop, or anatomical, implants are in case of implant movement. If a round implant becomes turned, it is still round and does not require additional surgery, unlike its shaped counterpart.

As the name implies, a teardrop breast implant—also known as an anatomical, shaped, or contoured breast implant—is in the shape of a teardrop, where it is fuller at the bottom. Augmented breasts will obtain a more gently sloping, natural shape with teardrop breast implants. For patients seeking a more naturally shaped result, these implants may be the ideal choice for augmentation.

Implant Texture

Smooth silicone implants are smooth to the touch. On the other hand, textured implants have a surface with a coarser shell, similar to a velvety feel. These implants have tiny, microscopic bumps on the surface which give it a texture.

These implants were created to reduce the chance of capsular contracture, a hardening of the scar around the implant. Textured implants are much less likely to turn or rotate after insertion, as scar tissue holds onto the implant through its microscopically textured shell and can assist in keeping the implant in its intended position.

Incision Options

• Inframammary – Near the natural crease under the breast
• Axillary – In the underarm area
• Periareolar – At the edge of the areola

The Procedure

Breast augmentation can be performed through a variety incisions. The most commonly chosen is the inframammary incision. This is a small incision on the underside of the breast within the natural crease. Other common incisions including periareolar and transaxillary incision. The implants can be placed either above or below the pectoralis muscle and most commonly silicone gel implants are used. However saline implants are used in patients less than 22 years of age. At the start of a breast augmentation, the patient will be placed under general anesthesia or intravenous sedation.

 Once the incision is made, the implants will be inserted into a pocket created by Dr. Abramson. This pocket will either be made subglandularly (directly behind the breast gland) or sub-muscularly (beneath the pectoral muscle below the breast gland and above the chest wall).

Dr. Abramson will then work to obtain the desired shape and size of the bust. After this has been achieved, he will close the incisions using sutures and place a surgical bra around the breasts to reduce swelling and bruising during the recovery stage.


Recovery

The recovery after breast augmentation is relatively short with most patients returning to work within 4-5 days. The patient should massage the breast as instructed by their surgeon and limit physical activity for the first several weeks after the procedure. Finally, results tend to be optimal about 3 to 4 months after the surgical procedure. Patients who choose to have silicone gel implants should be monitored based on FDA guidelines which will include an MRI after three years.

Dr. Abramson has helped hundreds of women from New York and New Jersey achieve the breasts they have always wanted. If you live in New York City, Manhattan, Englewood or anywhere else in the area, then you will want to choose the best board-certified surgeon for your breast augmentation. Please contact Dr. Abramson today to book a preliminary consultation and discover why he has a reputation for thorough, top-notch care.

Breast Augmentation Cost