Our goal is to accentuate your natural curves and proportions while adding volume and projection to the breasts.

What to Expect

First, we’ll meet to talk about your surgical goals, medical history, and anatomy. We’ll take photographs and measurements, and will talk about which treatment approaches would be best suited to meet your goals. We will also review the implant manufacturer’s materials with you, answer your questions, and discuss the procedure, potential risks and benefits, anesthesia, medications, and recovery instructions.

Breast Implant Sizing Trial

During this consultation, we’ll also perform a sizing trial in the office, using a bra that helps us simulate what your breasts would look like with different volumes of implants. This way you can try multiple sizes, see how they feel, and compare your options.

Implants are defined by their width, volume, and projection. Based on your anatomy, we will talk about the most appropriate volume and profile for your proportions. Your natural breast width and chest wall measurements will help us determine the maximum width and volume of implant we can use. As implants go up in volume, they also get wider. Using moderate or moderate-plus profile implants can usually help us achieve more volume and projection while still achieving a natural-looking result. Implants that are too large look unnatural, and can stretch and thin the breast skin and tissue, leading to sagging over time.

Types of Implants

The most common types of implants are smooth round implants. Some surgeons use shaped implants, but these can rotate and result in poor appearance, so they are not commonly used. All implants have a silicone shell, however, they may be filled with saline or a silicone gel. Many patients say that silicone implants feel more natural, and more comfortable during high-impact sports. Silicone implants also offer different densities of gel that can affect how the implant performs and feels.

Breast Augmentation Surgical Overview

First, an anesthesiologist will administer general anesthesia. Next, we’ll prep the area and will make a 5 cm incision hidden in the fold of the breast. These incisions heal nicely, have the lowest rate of implant infection and complication, and minimize the appearance of scarring. Some plastic surgeons will make an incision along the edge of the nipple or in the armpit, but those incision patterns have a higher rate of capsular contracture and other complications.

Our surgeons typically take a dual-plane approach, inserting the implant partially underneath the chest muscle and the breast tissue to achieve a natural result. The dual-plane approach also has the lowest rates of capsular contracture and complications and tends to camouflage the implant resulting in a more natural appearance to the augmentation.

Implants that are placed only under the muscle tend to cause the implant to sit too high and can cause excess animation – meaning when you move your chest, your implants also move. Some patients, for example, competitive athletes who want to retain chest muscle function, may be candidates for having implants placed on top of the muscle. This approach, however, can yield more implant show and rippling.

We’ll talk more about treatment approaches with you based on your surgical goals and anatomy.

The entire procedure takes approximately two to three hours, and you can go home afterward. You will need somebody to drive you home, as you will not be able to operate a vehicle after anesthesia. We perform breast augmentations as outpatient procedures at our accredited Northern Arizona SurgiCenter in Flagstaff.

Medical Review: This procedural information has been medically reviewed by plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Brian A. Cripe, M.D.