Breast Augmentation

Have your breasts lost fullness, lift, or volume due to aging, childbirth, or weight loss? Many women experience sagging or drooping breasts due to these life events while others have never had the size or shape of breasts they’ve always desired. If your breasts are having an impact on your self-esteem, you may want to consider breast augmentation surgery.

What is Breast Augmentation?

Breast augmentation enhances the size and shape of the breast utilizing either silicone or saline-filled implants. The implants can be placed beneath or over the muscle depending on what results are desired by you and other factors such as tissue and skin quality. Dr. Bradley will discuss the benefits, pros, and cons of each type and placement of the implant to decide which is best suited to each. He will also discuss how to choose the best size of implant to fit your body type and overall lifestyle so that you will be happy with your final results for years to come.

Breast augmentation is a surgical process that takes place on an outpatient basis. Those who get breast augmentation surgery must make some preparations before the surgery and plan for a short recovery period after the surgery is performed.

Am I a Candidate for this Procedure?

The best candidate for this procedure is a healthy woman who has realistic expectations of enlargement and improvement. During your consultation, Dr. Bradley will take into consideration details such as your age, any current infections you may have, whether you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, your bleeding tendencies, any prior breast surgeries, and any allergies to medications or materials that may be used in the surgery.

Determining the placement of the implant will also be discussed during your consultation. Whether the implant is placed under the muscle (subpectoral) or over the muscle (sub mammary) will be determined to a great degree by how much breast tissue a patient has and the quality of that breast tissue and the breast skin. Dr. Bradley will discuss your options and the pros and cons of subpectoral vs. sub mammary surgical technique during the initial consult. Even patients with pre-existing breast asymmetry can achieve excellent symmetry and beautiful results with breast augmentation surgery. To see the various outcomes of breast augmentation surgery, view our gallery.

How Much Time Does it Take to Perform the Procedure?

This outpatient procedure usually takes one to two hours to perform the surgery itself. The amount of time the surgery will take varies depending on the technique. A straightforward sub mammary or subpectoral breast augmentation takes about one hour to complete. An endoscopic trans axillary technique takes the longest amount of time (approximately two hours) because of the extensive equipment setup utilized and because the technique itself is slightly more involved. Asymmetry correction usually can be done in approximately 90 minutes. The additional half hour is due to the use of intra-operative implant sizers. There are an additional 45 minutes immediately before surgery in which each patient is pre-medicated to relieve anxiety and patients are marked for their surgery. There is also an additional 30 minutes immediately after surgery allotted to recovery. At our facility, we generally allow for a total of three hours from the time the patient walks in until she walks out for a straightforward breast augmentation surgery.

How Do I Prepare for Surgery?

Dr. Bradley will give you guidelines on drinking and eating and on avoiding certain medications, herbal supplements, vitamins, and smoking. In most cases, you will be advised to cease smoking two to four weeks in advance and stop drinking one week in advance. You should also avoid any medications that thin the blood, including Tylenol and fish oil supplements, two weeks before your surgery. You should also make sure you have someone to drive you home after the procedure and help you out for a few days after the surgery is complete.

What Does Surgery Involve?

Dr. Bradley will decide, based upon your desires, expectations and a physical examination, if the incision will be made in your armpit, in the crease under your breast, or around the nipple. Regardless of the incision utilized, all incisions are made with deliberate planning and attention to detail to make them as inconspicuous as possible. Anesthesia is generally done as a “local with p.o./IV sedation” meaning that you are given medications by mouth before surgery and additional medication intra-venous (by vein) in the O.R. to make you completely unaware and comfortable so that the procedure can be done without the use (and risks and side effects) of general anesthesia.

The next step is to make a pocket behind your pectoral muscle or mammary gland to place the saline or silicone implants. All patients are provided with long-acting local anesthetic in the operating room so that when you wake up from your surgery, you are virtually pain-free. These effects can last between a couple of hours to as long as 12+ hours. By using the anesthetic technique just described, most patients wake up so completely and quickly that they can walk out of our facility within 20-30 minutes upon completion of their surgery.

We prescribe medications to use after your surgery which will keep you comfortable during your recovery. 9 out of 10 patients who are compliant with Dr. Bradley’s post-operative instructions state they do not require narcotic pain medications after the first 24 hours of their surgery, relying instead on over-the-counter Tylenol and Motrin for pain control. Most patients can return to work once they no longer require narcotic pain medications, which is generally two or three days after their breast augmentation surgery.

Where is the Surgery Performed?

Dr. Bradley performs his surgery at The Best U Now Plastic Surgery in Weston, Florida. Patients have their surgery in an extremely private setting, receive one-on-one personalized attention by Dr. Bradley and his staff in a professional environment which provides more patient comfort and safety than a hospital environment.

How Can I Choose the Right Size of Implant?

During your consultation with Dr. Bradley, you will be asked to consider some things when choosing the size of your breast implants. The following should be taken into consideration before a decision is made:

How Much Does Breast Augmentation Surgery Cost?

The cost of breast augmentation varies depending on the type, size, and placement of breast implants you decide on. Please click here for more details. Dr. Bradley will be able to provide you with a final cost for your surgery during your consultation.

Will I Need a Follow-Up Visit?

With every procedure Dr. Bradley provides, he schedules a follow-up visit to monitor progress and answer any post-operative questions. However, you should not need additional surgeries or procedures after your initial breast augmentation. Some patients decide to have other treatments or procedures to continue to improve the appearance of their face or body, but you should not need additional procedures done to your breasts

What is Breast Augmentation?

Meet Timothy Bradley, M.D.