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Year after year, breast augmentation remains among the most popular plastic surgeries in the world. Hundreds of thousands of breast augmentations are performed annually, and the popularity of the procedure shows no signs of slowing down. Due to its highly personal nature, breast augmentation involves a great deal of personalization, and the surgery is constantly evolving to provide better outcomes for patients. These improvements allow surgeons to perform safer, more customizable breast augmentation procedures that offer patients a greater number of options and results that look and feel more natural.
At Advanced Aesthetics, we are passionate about continuing to incorporate cutting-edge technologies and techniques into our practice. Our commitment to being on the vanguard of innovation in plastic surgery, combined with the decades of experience shared between our surgeons and their staff, allows us to provide the best possible experience for our patients. Continue reading and schedule a consultation to learn more about the benefits of modern breast augmentation surgery.
More Breast Implant Options
Breast augmentation may be older than you think. For more than a century, surgeons have performed breast enhancements using a variety of unusual methods and materials. These experimental techniques ranged widely in efficacy and safety until the 1960s, when modern breast implants made their debut. Breast augmentation has continued to improve over the intervening decades and today it is the safest, most natural-looking and most customizable it has ever been.
Breast implants fall into two primary categories: saline and silicone. Saline implants feature a silicone shell filled with a sterile saltwater solution. They are often a more cost-effective option, and may leave shorter scars as the implant can be filled after insertion. They may feel firmer and less like natural breast tissue than other implant options, though, and are often associated with a rounder and more dramatic look. Alternatively, silicone implants feature a silicone outer shell filled with a silicone gel. They offer a softer, more natural feel, and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Certain styles of silicone implants offer the same dramatic, perky lift as saline implants, while others are designed for more subtle enhancement. Silicone implants are much more popular in breast augmentations today — almost all of our patients prefer them — due to their customizability and more flexible texture. They may require a longer incision and can be a more expensive choice than saline implants, but are largely considered the more modern option.
As breast augmentation continues to evolve, new implant options enter the market. Highly cohesive gel implants, sometimes known as “gummy bear” implants, are a relatively new option designed to look and feel like natural breasts, and to be safer in the event of a leak or rupture. The structured breast implant, which is constructed from a series of nested shells filled with saline, is another newer invention intended to combine the benefits of saline and silicone gel implants.
In addition to these options, today’s patients have more choice in other aspects of their breast implants and augmentation surgery. These include the shape of the implant, the texture of the implant’s outer shell, the volume of the implant, the placement of the implant and the location of the incision. All of these options are selected with the help of your surgeon after a thorough discussion and physical examination.
Improved Techniques And Tools
Surgical techniques are advancing alongside improvements to implant technology. Plastic surgeons are developing an ever-increasing number of ways to perform breast enhancement procedures, giving patients more options for their surgery and more natural-looking results. Some now favor “dual plane” placement that may improve breast shape in certain augmentation patients and give a more natural appearance to the implants. Other surgeons have developed techniques that may reduce recovery time and associated side effects like inflammation and pain.
Sometimes it’s a small innovation that turns out to have an enormous impact. The Keller Funnel, for example, is a tool that may not be much to look at — in fact, it bears a striking resemblance to a chef’s pastry bag — but it has had a profound impact on how some surgeons perform breast augmentation. Using a Keller Funnel to insert a silicone gel implant can lower the risk of contamination, reduce trauma to patient tissue and to the implant, and support more controlled and precise placement. It may also allow for shorter incision lengths and quicker healing times after surgery.
With such constant improvement and expansion of techniques, it is important to choose a board-certified plastic surgeon who is required to keep up-to-date on the latest options. An experienced and qualified surgeon understands and learns the newest techniques and trends in order to develop a customized treatment plan that will meet your unique needs and goals.
Augmentation Without Implants
Looking for extra volume, but not interested in breast implants? It is now possible to enhance your breasts without traditional implants. Fat transfer breast augmentation is an increasingly popular procedure that can provide fuller breasts and a more contoured body simultaneously.
During fat transfer breast augmentation, liposuction is performed first to collect unwanted fat from another area of the body, often the abdomen, hips or love handles. The excess fat is then injected into the breasts for a modest increase in volume. Fat transfer augmentation alone can be an excellent option for patients who want more subtle enhancement or who feel uncomfortable with the idea of having foreign objects in their bodies. It can also be used to revise and improve the results of a previous breast augmentation with implants.
This method, like any, is not without risks or limitations. Fat transfer augmentation can only be performed on patients who have enough excess fat to collect for the procedure. The final results are less predictable than implant augmentation, since the body will absorb some of the injected fat; multiple fat injections may be required before the desired fullness and shape is achieved.
Breast Enhancement at Advanced Aesthetics
Women who are seeking to improve the shape, size, symmetry or proportion of their breasts may be good candidates for breast augmentation in the Atlanta area at Advanced Aesthetics Plastic Surgery Center. When it comes to cosmetic surgery, choosing the right plastic surgeon can mean the difference between an adequate result and an extraordinary one. Our board-certified surgeons have over 45 years of combined experience helping patients achieve and exceed their aesthetic goals. To learn more about what breast augmentation can do for you, contact the Advanced Aesthetics Plastic Surgery Center at 770-461-4000 to schedule your complimentary consultation.
