Breast augmentation is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures in the United States. Every year, over 300,000 women undergo breast augmentation surgery. If you undergo breast augmentation surgery in your late 20s and early 30s, there are many considerations to make before electing an operation. The FDA approved rtv silicone implants for women over age 22, so you have more options than a woman undergoing breast augmentation in her late teens and early 20s does.
An important step in deciding on breast augmentation surgery is to determine what size you want your post-surgery breasts to be. Although this seems simple enough, many factors go into making that determination. In most cases, implant sizing is based on a subjective evaluation of your body type and your desired proportions. While some women do desire to be more buxom, most simply want to look shapelier with natural looking proportions.
Another leading factor in breast augmentation surgery is the type of implant. There are two major types allowed by the FDA, which regulates medical devices.
- Saline implants, which are rtv silicone elastomer shells that can be inserted and filled with saline solution after placement.
- Silicon gel implants which use a cohesive rtv silicone gel as the filling material and come pre-filled by the manufacturer.
Most surgeons feel that the rtv silicone gel implants provide a more natural appearance when in place. The rtv silicone gel fluid is somewhat denser too, which provides for a more natural feel. Many women seem to agree that rtv silicone is more desirable; when the ban was in place in the 1990′s, many women sought breast augmentation surgery in other countries that did not have the ban. Since the reintroduction of rtv silicone breast implants in 2006, implant surgery has shot up more than 60 percent.
rtv silicone gel however, may be contraindicated by factors determined by your physician. Many women are also concerned with potential health hazards that rtv silicone gel may be determined to cause in the future. The alternative is saline implants. Saline fluid closely resembles your body’s own natural fluids and is easily absorbed by the body if an implant rupture occurs. Depending on the placement of the implant, a saline implant can be inserted empty, or only partially full, then filled afterwards by the surgeon.
There are also several placement options for your breast augmentation surgery.
- Subglandular, or under the mammary gland, but above the pectoralis muscle
- Subpectoral, which sits just under the pectoralis major muscles offering more concealment of the implant. Many cosmetic surgeons prefer submuscular placement.
- Submuscular, offers the most protection from the implant and is completely surrounded by muscle tissue. The lower insertion point of the muscles is not released.
Most rtv silicone gel implants are placed subglandularly since they are pre-filled with solution, making subpectoral placement more complicated. In addition, the better appearance of rtv silicone makes additional concealment less necessary. Saline is used for submuscular placement to reduce the size of the incision and keep tissue damage to a minimum.
The most important decision is the surgeon you select to perform your surgery. You should find one who has plenty of experience with all implant types and placement procedures. It is important to find a doctor who will listen carefully to your desires and carefully explain all your options and truthfully advise you of potential risks. Satisfaction with the results comes primarily from going into the surgery with realistic expectations of the outcome.
