Choosing your breast implant and procedure details are crucial decisions for breast augmentation. Enhancing your bust involves many choices because no two breasts are the same, and every woman’s body is unique. Dr. Georgina Nichols is a female plastic surgeon in Sacramento who can help you customize your breast augmentation to achieve your desired results.
There are many options for a breast augmentation, including saline and silicone implants in different shapes, such as round or teardrop. The implant placement in your breasts, such as above or under the muscle, also impacts results.
Types of Breast Implants
A breast augmentation with implants uses saline or silicone breast implants. All implants have an outer silicone shell. Silicone implants are pre-filled with a cohesive silicone gel that’s a viscous material, and saline implants inject a sterile saltwater solution into the silicone shell after it’s surgically placed in the breast. Both implant types can be smooth or textured and come in round or teardrop shapes. Implants come in various profiles for more customization, such as wide (low-profile) or narrow (high-profile) bases for more or less projection from the chest.
The gummy bear texture of silicone gel offers a more natural look and feel, but saline implants offer precise volume enhancement because the shell is filled during the surgery. Saline breast implants are watery and may show wrinkling or rippling under the skin, especially with subglandular or over-the-muscle placement.
Some implants are baffled, meaning they have internal channels with layers or partitions that help saline flow in multiple directions to simulate the feel of natural breast tissue and decrease the risk of visible rippling. Silicone breast implants come in various cohesive styles, with some types being firmer than others.
You must be 22 or older for silicone breast implants and 18 or older for saline breast implants.
Breast Implant Size
Breast implants are measured in ccs, not cup sizes. Dr. Nichols can provide implant-sizers for you to try on under your bra to see what your desired breast size will look like after breast augmentation and recovery. Your breast augmentation results should complement your figure for a natural-looking breast appearance. It’s best to choose a breast implant size that fits with your anatomy because overly large breast implants may increase some risks and put extra strain on your upper body.
Implant Placement
Submuscular (under-the-muscle) and subpectoral (over-the-muscle) are the primary options for implant placement. Under-the-muscle implant positioning is often preferred because the pectoral muscle provides more coverage over the implant and offers a more natural look and feel. For women getting saline breast implants, the submuscular option can reduce visible rippling and prevent the implant from shifting or moving in the breast.
Over-the-muscle implant placement is a good option for women wanting a more pronounced breast appearance getting silicone breast implants. The subglandular option offers a faster procedure with a slightly easier recovery process, but implant rippling and shifting are more likely. Subglandular placement also offers more projection and a natural tissue consistency with increased cleavage, but the rate of capsular contracture is higher than in submuscular implants.
Submuscular implants pose less risk of infection but involve a longer recovery. Breast implants under the muscle tend to take longer to settle into place and may appear to ride high on the chest in women who lift weights.
If you’re interested in breast augmentation, contact Dr. Nichols in Sacramento, California, at (916) 929-1833 or complete our online contact form.
