Breast augmentation is a cosmetic surgery that adds size to one or both of your breasts. It can also change the shape of your breasts and make them more even. It can help you feel more confident and improve your self-image. It is important to discuss your goals with a plastic surgeon and to understand the risks of this surgery.
You can have this surgery in a hospital, an outpatient surgical clinic, or a doctor’s office. You may be given general or local anesthesia to keep you asleep and free from pain. A plastic surgeon makes a cut in your breast tissue and places a breast implant behind the tissue or under the chest muscle. The surgeon may use a special type of implant that is filled with sterile salt water (saline) or a gel-like material called silicone. The surgeon then stitches the incisions.
The breast implants themselves don’t usually cause problems, but they can leak or rupture. You can have another surgery to replace or remove them. It is possible to develop scar tissue around the breast implants that can cause a hardening of the breast tissue and pain. It is rare, but a type of cancer called anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) has been reported in patients with breast implants. It has happened mostly in women with textured or round implants, but it can affect patients with any type of implant.
After breast augmentation, your body creates a capsule of scar tissue that holds the breast implant in place. This can change the appearance of your breasts or cause other problems, such as a hardening of the nipple. If you have problems with your implants, contact the clinic where you got them. You can also report them to the government’s Yellow Card scheme. Breast Implant