Breast enhancement or augmentation is one of the most common procedures in cosmetic plastic surgery, with a total of 355,671 breast implant procedures performed just last year in 2008. The procedure is relatively straightforward, but as you'll find with any type of surgery, there are specific risks and complications that are uniquely associated with this type of operation.
Breast augmentation is generally recommended when there's a need to balance a difference in breast size, to improve body contour, or as a reconstructive technique following some other type of invasive surgery.
Breast augmentation surgery typically involves the insertion a breast implant either directly behind the breast tissue, beneath the chest wall muscle or above the breast muscle. Breast implants come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with varying designs, and in a wide range of material types and compositions.
Breast implants are made with a solid silicone, rubber shell. The implant shell may be filled with either saline solution (sterile salt water) or elastic silicone gel. Both saline and silicone gel breast implants are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Approval means that an implant has been rigorously researched and tested, and reviewed by an independent panel of physicians for safety.
However, it's important to note that none of the implants will last forever. Rupture can occur as a result of injury or even from the normal compression and movement of your breast, causing the implant shell to leak. If filled with saline, the solution will be absorbed in the surrounding tissue within a few hours and expelled naturally by the body. If the implant is filled with silicone, the leaking solution will usually remain within the implant shell or escape into the breast implant pocket. This type of leak is difficult to detect and for this reason annual implant assessment visits to your doctor are highly recommended.
When it's all said and done though, the improvement in your shape or contour can certainly enhance your self-confidence, and in many ways it can actually have an impact on the way others perceive you, as well. Ultimately, when you feel better about yourself, there's not much else that really matters.
By: Harry Monell
