Breast Implants

Breast augmentation can give your breasts more of the volume and shape you desire. We see many patients who seek augmentation with breast implants in San Antonio. Most breast augmentation surgeries involve inserting implants filled with silicone gel or saline above or behind the muscles of your breasts. By asking you the right questions and listening carefully to your answers, our team can help you determine which type of implants are right for achieving your goals.

Implant Types

When considering breast augmentation in San Antonio, the first thing to know is that both silicone gel- and saline-filled breast implants are safe to use.

While both types of implants have an outer silicone shell, they are filled with different materials. Silicone gel implants are prefilled with a sterile silicone gel, which feels like natural breast tissue. Saline breast implants are empty before our surgeon inserts them, then once placed are inflated with sterile salt water.

Both silicone gel and saline-filled breast implants carry small risks of complications, including capsular contracture, breast pain, infection, temporary changes in nipple and breastfeeding, and leaking or tearing of the implants. Both types of implants are available for patients seeking augmentation with fully developed breasts.

Placement Options

How we insert and position your implants will depend on your preferences and anatomy; we will offer you our expert guidance throughout the process. Our surgeon may make the incisions under your armpit, along your breast crease, or in the center of your breast, where the areola meets the breast tissue. These incision locations help hide any scars, which we work to make as inconspicuous as possible.

Working through the incision, our San Antonio surgeon inserts and centers the chosen breast implants beneath your nipples, emphasizing symmetry and balance. Our surgeon may place your implants either above or underneath your pectoral muscles—again, depending on your preferences and anatomy as well as our best judgment. Placing your implants above the muscle and directly behind the breast tissue is a slightly easier procedure with slightly less recovery time and less postoperative discomfort; allows for the insertion of larger implants; and ensures that flexing of the pectoral muscle does not distort the shape of the implant.

Placing your implants under the muscle may reduce the potential for scar tissue development—capsular contracture—which can change the shape of the implant and may interfere less with breast examinations and mammograms; however, the procedure is more invasive, requiring additional medication for post-op comfort and more recovery time.

The procedure should take about one to two hours. Our surgeon uses stitches to close your incisions, which they may also tape or medical glue for additional support. You may need to wear a compression bandage or garment to help control swelling.

Contact

It is our goal to help you achieve your aesthetic goals and to make your experience a safe, and comfortable one here at Austin Plastic Surgeon. Contact our office to discuss breast implants in San Antonio today.