A woman’s breasts are one of the physical representations of her femininity. As such, there are instances where someone might want to make adjustments to enhance her look. And, with modern technology, it is possible to have the breast size and shape you desire through a safe cosmetic surgical procedure known as breast augmentation. But how are breast augmentations done? This article outlines the entire breast augmentation procedure.
What is Breast Augmentation?
Also referred to as augmentation mammoplasty, breast augmentation is a surgical procedure meant to increase the size of your breasts. It includes placing breast implants under your breast tissue or chest muscles to give you breasts of your desired size. Some women undergo this plastic surgery to boost their self-esteem, especially if their natural breasts are too tiny. If your breasts are too small, you will have trouble finding the right bras and wearing your favorite outfits.
You may also need to undergo breast augmentation to reconstruct your breasts after a serious infection like breast cancer. A qualified and experienced plastic surgeon must perform this procedure to avoid complications during and after the surgery. You also need to understand what the process entails to prepare yourself thoroughly.
How Breast Augmentation is Done
Breast augmentation is an outpatient surgical procedure that takes one to two hours to complete. Therefore, it can be done at an outpatient clinic or hospital. Here are the main steps involved in this procedure.
Anesthesia
Once the surgeon has examined you and established that you are a good candidate for breast augmentation, they will administer general anesthesia to keep you comfortable all through the procedure. Therefore, you won’t feel any pain during the surgery. Sometimes your surgeon may administer local anesthesia, which means that you’ll be awake but pain-free during the surgery.
Incision
In most cases, the surgeon will make small incisions under your breasts, especially under the natural skin fold of your breasts, to hide the scars. If that’s not possible, they can make the incisions under your arm or around the edges of your areolas (the darkened areas around your nipples). But the incisions made around the edges of your areolas may cause problems with your breastfeeding.
Inserting the Implants
The surgeon will then insert the saline implants through the incisions, ensuring that they do not interfere with your nerves.
Closing the Incisions
Once the implants have been successfully placed under your breast tissue, your surgeon will close the incisions using sutures, skin adhesives, or stitches and wrap your breasts in a bandage. You will be monitored for a few hours to ensure that you don’t develop any infections.