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San Francisco Breast Augmentation Information

Even though breast augmentation is the top cosmetic surgery procedure performed in the U.S. today, there are still plenty of misconceptions out there concerning the details and the benefits of breast implants and breast enhancement. San Francisco plastic surgeons treat scores of breast augmentation patients each year, but strive to recognize and respond to each woman's unique goals and motivations with surgery.

Reasons for Getting Breast Augmentation in San Francisco

• Aesthetic Enhancement: With its year-round warm, moderate climate, San Francisco is filled with women who want to look their best in a bikini and in everyday attire. Breast enlargement is one way in which women attempt to surgically improve their body's chest contours, enhance their feminine curves, and possibly build self-confidence in the process.
• Restoring Breast Volume: Some women choose breast augmentation to restore lost breast volume, either after experiencing considerable weight loss from dieting and exercise, or following a pregnancy. A San Francisco breast surgeon can assess your situation and determine the best way to reshape and recontour your breast tissue to create beautiful, natural-looking results.
• Creating Symmetry: Another common issue that women use breast augmentation to correct is breast asymmetry (when one breast is disproportionate to the other). Breast surgery is a reputable, proven way to correct this problem, and a trusted San Francisco plastic surgeon is of paramount importance to successfully correcting asymmetrical breasts.
• Restoring Firmness: We're all aware of the unfortunate truth that breast tissue starts to lose firmness and sag over time. Luckily, in San Francisco, breast augmentation by itself or in tandem with a breast lift can restore youthful firmness and perkiness to the breasts.
• Recovering Lost Tissue: In greater San Francisco, female breast cancer patients seek treatment and undergo breast reconstruction surgery every day. For these women, breast augmentation can be an important step in regaining confidence, restoring their feminine figure and self-esteem, and moving on with their lives. By rebuilding and recontructing lost breast tissue for breast cancer patients, San Francisco plastic surgeons are helping them put a devastating disease behind them.

Planning and Preparation

All major investments require a certain degree of research and careful consideration; and that logic goes double when you're investing in your body. In San Francisco, breast augmentation, also known as mammoplasty enlargement, is a service provided by numerous San Francisco surgeons, as well as some in surrounding areas like Mountain View, Oakland, San Jose and Berkeley. Breast augmentation surgery should always begin with a consultation with a licensed, board-certified San Francisco plastic surgeon. This way, prospective patients will have an opportunity to learn more about the procedure, discuss their goals and medical history with the surgeon, and see breast surgery before and after photos of previous patients.

Once you're confident that you want to pursue breast surgery, and that you've found the right San Francisco plastic surgeon to perform it for you, it's time to follow the guidelines set out during your consultation. These guidelines will be related to the patient's diet, drinking habits, physicality, and pre-surgery health testing, which often entails getting a mammogram. Your close friends and/or family members should be privy to the surgical information and preparations, since their support may be needed for the procedure arrangements and during the recovery process.

San Francisco Breast Augmentation: How It Works

Whether performed in a San Francisco plastic surgery clinic, surgical suite or hospital, breast enhancement surgery in San Francisco should follow the same basic principles. For example, most breast augmentation patients choose to use general anesthesia, which allows them to sleep throughout the entire surgery. But depending on the type of breast surgery the patient is undergoing, some surgeons may offer the option of a local anesthesia and sedative, which will keep the patient semi-conscious during the procedure. Once the patient is prepped and ready, it's time to begin the surgery.

Types of Incisions

• Axillary: Here, the incision is made under the arm, lending it to potentially visible scarring, but creating few if any issues with breastfeeding.
• Periareolar: This common incision is made at the areola, and is excellent for concealing incision lines. However, it has been known to affect the woman's ability to breastfeed.
• Inframammary: Made under the fold of the breasts, this incision again is vulnerable to visibility, but more receptive to future breastfeeding.

The navel has also been used as an incision point for some saline implants. For your surgery, the incision site will depend on your body's individual shape and structure, as well as the preferred method determined by you and your doctor. However, all experienced San Francisco breast surgeon should discuss the location of the incision with his or her patient before the procedure, so that the patient is aware of what to expect. Depending on where the incision is made, the doctor will then lift the skin tissue to create a pocket either behind the breast tissue (submammary) or beneath the pectoral muscle (submuscular). This pocket is where the breast implant will then be inserted.

Types of Breast Implants

• Saline Implants: Developed in France in the 1960s, saline breast implants are among the most widely used types of implants in America today. In San Francisco, saline implants are very popular; in part because they leave considerably smaller scars than silicone implant surgery. This is because the saline implant shell, which is made from silicone elastomer, is actually empty when inserted into the body. Salt water is then added after the insertion of the implant to stabilize the solution. The results are often on a par with silicone implants, although some patients with less initial breast tissue may occasionally experience issues like skin wrinkling or rippling.
• Silicone Implants: After years of investigations and in-depth studies, the FDA has approved the use of certain brands of silicone implants for women interested in breast augmentation. There has been a high demand for silicone implants in San Francisco since they were invented in the early '60s. Silicone essentially set the gold standard in the industry, giving women a texture and fullness not always possible with saline. With the renewed approval of silicone, San Francisco surgeons are again offering these implants to patients, with the understanding that a second surgery will usually be required at some point in the future, in order to maintain results.

Of course, your options in breast implants go beyond what they're made out of. There are also issues of texture, shape (round, teardrop, tapered), profile (depth of implant from base to tip of curve), and diameter (width across base of implant). Choosing these specific measures should be a decision, first and foremost, that will ensure your good health and optimal daily functionality. Secondly, your implants should ideally fit to your body's natural weight and contours. Many women choose to purchase implants that are considerably larger than a surgeon's recommendation. This is the patient's right, but you should always consider the potential consequences of such decisions, as explained by your surgeon.

After the implants have been inserted, the incisions are closed up with sutures and surgical tape, and the breasts will be wrapped in a protective gauze bandage. The entire surgery usually takes between 1-2 hours, and is followed by a couple days of lethargy and soreness.

Recovery

With the help of pain medication and some good old-fashioned rest and relaxation, patients should start feeling like themselves again within 48 hours after their breast augmentation surgery. San Francisco breast implant patients typically have their gauze bandages removed after a few days, and are then instructed to wear a surgical bra. Stitches are removed in about 7-10 days. However, there will be bruising, swelling, and lingering soreness for at least a few weeks following the procedure, so be sure you're ready to make some short term sacrifices in order to achieve your long term goals.

After 4-6 weeks, most recipients of San Francisco breast implants are back to their regular routine, and are able to participate in the usual work and fitness activities. Scarring will fade, but won't go away entirely. However, the swelling and pain will fully subside, and you will be able to enjoy the realization of the new you.

Regardless of what their goals were with surgery, women who have undergone breast augmentation in San Francisco usually appreciate the cosmetic appeal and the added confidence that comes with breast enhancement surgery. It's important to remember, though, that health comes first, and regular checkups with your surgeon are important to making sure that your implants are working in harmony with the natural chemistry of your body. When health and confidence come together, it's always a beautiful thing.