Breast augmentation is simply the enhancement of the size or shape of your breasts to create your desired figure and profile. It may be combined with additional procedures, such as a breast lift, for even more ideal results. Breast augmentation can provide an added boost of confidence in your body by improving the fit of your clothes, creating a more youthful shape, and helping you feel happier and more comfortable in your skin.
Dr. Tim R. Love is a nationally renowned plastic surgeon with more than 30 years of experience in innovative and proven breast implant and augmentation procedures. He combines a compassionate, caring approach with exceptional skill and a thoughtful, aesthetic eye to deliver stunning breast augmentation results that look natural and make you feel your very best.
Reasons People Choose Breast Augmentation
Breast augmentation is a highly personal and individualized procedure, and the reasons for seeking it are wide and varied. Symmetrical, appropriately-sized breasts add the natural shape and femininity you want to feel beautiful and confident while looking and feeling completely natural.
Some of the most common reasons for breast augmentation are:
- Reconstructing one or both breasts after a mastectomy
- Enlarging breasts you feel are too small
- Making your breasts more symmetrical in size or shape
- Restoring volume after nursing or weight loss
Types of Breast Augmentation Procedures
Breast augmentation can be accomplished through one of two types of procedures: fat transfer (or fat grafting) or implants (either saline or silicone gel).
Fat transfer, or fat grafting, uses your own fat from other parts of your body to increase the size of your breasts or change their shape. Fat is harvested from your thighs, buttocks, or stomach via liposuction and injected into the breasts with a fine needle, eliminating the need for large incisions and resulting in minimal scarring. Because it does not use pre-formed implants to enhance your breasts, fat transfer allows Dr. Love to shape and sculpt the breasts more easily and subtly. Fat transfer results can potentially produce results that last longer but may be more susceptible to future changes in weight gain or loss. Additionally, fat grafting will not result in the same full result as an implant.
Implant procedures consist of inserting saline- or silicone-filled medical-grade implant devices into the breasts via one of three types of incisions: the inframammary fold, where the bottom of the breast meets the chest wall; the peri areolar, around the areola; or a trans axillary, or armpit, incision. Breast implants are inserted under the breast tissue and, in most cases, under the muscle (sub muscularly) as well. The additional tissue to cover the implants allows for a more natural look and feel, while the added support from the muscles reduces the weight impact of the implant and minimizes stretch marks over time. This separated placement also ensures easier and more thorough imaging during mammograms.
Sub glandular placement—where the implant is inserted behind the breast tissue but in front of the muscle—is less common but recommended in certain situations.
There are three types of breast implant options.
Saline implants feature a silicone exterior with a saline solution filling (essentially saltwater) that is harmless to the body if the implant ruptures. The “pockets” of the implant are inserted empty into the breast, then filled with the saline through a port. Saline implants require small incisions but are less natural-looking in appearance.
Silicone implants also have an exterior silicone exterior but are instead filled with a silicone gel that resembles human fat for a more natural look and feel. Silicone implants are inserted pre-filled and come in both round and teardrop shapes for the most natural positioning and look.
Gummy bear implants are anatomically-shaped, textured silicone implants filled with high-strength cohesive silicone gel. They feel soft and natural and are less unlikely to rupture or fold.
The Breast Augmentation Procedure
Breast augmentation is performed in an accredited outpatient surgical setting under general anesthesia and typically takes between 1 ½ to 2 hours. Dr. Love and his experienced nursing and anesthesia staff conduct a high level of preoperative planning that ensures your procedure is comfortable, seamless, and completely safe. After the procedure, your breasts will be bandaged and covered with a surgical support bra. You’ll be moved to a recovery room while you awaken from the anesthesia.
Breast augmentation is an outpatient surgery, so you’ll go home the same day, but you will have some limitations, especially during the first 24 hours. You’ll need to rest and limit activity for a day or two but can resume most normal activities after that. Your bandages will be removed at your 24 hour follow-up appointment, but the support bra will be necessary for several weeks. You may experience minimal discomfort, slight bruising, and swelling—all of which is normal—that usually subsides in a few weeks.
Especially for implants that are placed behind the muscle, you will feel some discomfort as your muscles stretch to accommodate the implants. However, you can begin light physical activity and exercise within a week, both of which can help the healing process. (Dr. Love does recommend using discretion and listening to your body to decide what is right for you.) You will be prescribed pain medication to take as necessary so you feel as comfortable as possible during recovery.
The Safety of Breast Implants
As with any surgical procedure, breast augmentation carries a slight risk of complication. A small percentage of patients may experience infection, skin wrinkling, impact to sensation in the breast area, tissue damage, or contraction or rupture of the implants, but the number is low and continues to decline with advances in medical technology and devices.
In general, breast implants—especially silicone implants—are among the most widely-studied medical devices, with long-ranging evaluations that demonstrate their safety, effectiveness, low risk of complications, and absence of long-term health effects. Breast implants can last between 15 and 20 years before requiring replacement, offering you decades of effortlessly beautiful breasts.
Deciding if Breast Augmentation is Right for You
Breast augmentation has helped millions of women feel more beautiful in their own skin, but how do you know if it’s right for you, or what your best option is?
A pre-surgery implant consultation with Dr. Love can answer all of the questions you have, as well as most of those you didn’t know you had. In this one-on-one session, Dr. Love will walk you through the process of deciding whether or not breast augmentation is for you, so you can feel confident your decision is professionally informed and completely your own.
Dr. Love understands that the best breasts complement your figure in all types of situations, so you always feel your best. He takes great care in explaining the ideal size, shape, volume, and type of implants for your unique natural body shape, breast tissue, and lifestyle. He will discuss the different types of implants and show you samples, so you can see what they feel like. He will also provide a detailed explanation of your options for incision site and implant placement and help you determine which is best for you, and offer any recommendations for additional procedures, such as a breast lift, for obtaining optimal results.
Breast Augmentation in Oklahoma City
Dr. Tim R. Love is Oklahoma City’s premier plastic surgeon, earning Best Plastic Surgeon awards from regional and national publications year after year. Board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Dr. Love is also a member of both the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, where he continues to lead his field as one of the most highly-regarded plastic surgeons in the country.
Dr. Love was instrumental in reintroducing gel implants to U.S. patients—one of only 20 U.S. plastic surgeons selected to participate in the FDA’s historic CORE Gel Breast Implant study—and has remained at the forefront of cosmetic surgery technology and techniques.
If you are considering breast augmentation surgery, call us today at 405-751-LOVE (5683) or fill out the form below to schedule a consultation with Dr. Love. Don’t wait another day for the body of your dreams; find out now how breast augmentation surgery can make you feel like the beautiful, confident woman you are.