Breast Augmentation Implant Options

Breast augmentation is one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures, providing greater volume, elegant proportions and optimal symmetry for hundreds of thousands of women in the U.S. each year.

Plastic surgeons have responded to the demand with new types of implants and improved surgical options. Below, experienced San Diego plastic surgeon Dr. Carlos Chacon reviews the many benefits of breast augmentation, including the latest innovations.

Soft Curves

The two types of implant filling used for breast augmentation are saline and silicone gel, the latter of which is often preferred for its strength, versatility and natural feel. With both types of implants, the filling is contained within a flexible silicone shell. Silicone fillers also come in two varieties: cohesive gel and form-stable gel. The latter is used in “gummy bear” implants, so-called because their feel and consistency resemble that of the popular candy. They are also available in a round shape and a teardrop shape, which features greater fullness at the base of the breast.

Although silicone gel implants provide the most natural feel, Dr. Chacon may achieve a similar consistency with saline implants by inserting them behind the chest muscle and stretching the implant shell by filling it with additional saline.

Implants will add strength and firmness to your breasts, which may actually help them resist sagging, although the extra weight of a large implant can increase the likelihood of sagging as the body ages and skin loses elasticity.

It is important to remember that implants are not one-size-fits-all. The key to choosing the right material, shape and size for your procedure is to share your goals with your surgeon, ask plenty of questions, review your surgeon’s before-and-after albums and visualize in your mind, or with practice bras, how you will look after breast augmentation.

Surgery and Recovery

Dr. Chacon has performed hundreds of breast augmentation surgeries as an outpatient procedure, using general anesthesia or “twilight” IV sedation. Depending on your preferences and the type of implant chosen, there are several different ways incisions can be made. The entire process will normally take one to two hours.

Your final result will emerge gradually, over time. Because of swelling, your breasts will appear elevated on your chest; it will take time for them to drop into their final position. Pain, soreness and swelling are the natural result when an implant is inserted into a sensitive area of your body, especially if it has been placed beneath chest muscles. Swelling crests within 48 hours, but won’t completely subside for months. 

To learn more about breast augmentation, schedule a personal consultation with Dr. Carlos Chacon at his San Diego-area office in Bonita by contacting Divino Plastic Surgery today.