Breast Enlargement
Seattle and Bellevue Washington
Augmentation mammaplasty, also known as breast enlargement or breast enhancement surgery, is used to enhance the breast contour and breast size for a female who views her current breast size as small for her frame. Breast augmentation is also used to correct for the natural loss in breast fullness that occurs following pregnancy and breast feeding or, following weight loss. Breast enlargement surgery can be done at the same time as a breast lift (mastopexy) to correct any undesired breast shape or nipple position to result in a youthful appearance.
Breast enlargement can also be used to balance a difference in breast size. Breast asymmetry is very common. Differences in breast size are a result of congenital under-development (hypoplasia) of one side, where one breast develops less than the other breast during puberty, or due to a congenital deformity such as Poland's syndrome.
Breast augmentation involves inserting a saline (salt-water) filled or silicone gel-filled breast implant underneath the breast and pectoralis muscle via a hidden short scar underneath each breast. The smooth round saline or silicone gel-filled breast implant permanently resides under your pectoralis major muscle. The operation does not weaken your chest muscles. Future breast feeding is still possible and nipple sensation is preserved.
The surgery is performed as outpatient surgery, meaning you will go home the same day of your surgery. No drains are required and only absorbable sutures are used, making recovery easier and the number of clinic visits afterwards few. Most patients return to work within a week or less.
Before considering a breast augmentation, a normal mammogram is required. One year after your breast enlargement surgery, we recommend a digital mammogram as they compress less than traditional mammograms. You should always tell the mammographer that you have breast implants so that additional views will be performed. This is for your safety so that the breast implant does not hide any of your breast tissue from the mammogram.
Your safety is paramount. All cosmetic procedures are performed by Dr. Frank Isik in Seattle Washington who is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon with over a decade of experience accompanied by an anesthesiologist or CRNA in a AAAASF certified operating room to assure your safety. Dr. Isik performs breast enlargement surgery for patients from Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland and the greater Western Washington area. For patients from Eastern Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska, we coordinate reduced rate accommodations at several high-quality hotels that are within walking distance of our plastic surgery center and downtown Seattle.
Actual patient photos are not shown on this web site. However, you can come in for a consultation to see actual patient photos and learn about the cost of breast augmentation surgery. To learn more about this procedure and whether a breast augmentation is right for you, please contact us to schedule a consultation.
Breast Implant Safety Information
Breast implants are commonly used by plastic surgeons in cosmetic breast surgery and breast reconstruction surgery. Breast implants come in one of two types: saline filled or silicone filled. All patients can opt to have saline-filled breast implants for aesthetic breast augmentation or breast reconstruction purposes. Because of FDA regulations, patients that desire silicone-filled breast implants for breast augmentation need to be at least 22 years old.
Breast implants were introduced in 1961 by Dow-Corning as silicone-filled breast implants and in 1964, saline-filled breast implants were introduced. Although many variations in the gel filler material have occurred over the decades, both the saline and silicone filled breast implants remain as the only options available today. Both breast implants are similar in that the outer membrane is made from solid silicone. As far as we know, there is no health risk from the outer solid silicone membrane. All of the health questions regarding silicone have been related to the silicone gel inside the implants.
The old silicone gel-filled breast implants (pre-1992) had a silicone gel filler that was encased within a thin outer membrane of solid silicone. This older generation breast implants had a higher tendency to rupture and the free (non-cohesive) silicone would then contact the patient's tissues. In rare cases, the free silicone gel would migrate to the lymph nodes.
Numerous scientific studies have been done since 1992 to determine whether the older silicone breast implants caused any health problems. Studies from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Medicine, FDA and the Harvard Nurses Health Study have not shown a clear link between saline or silicone filled breast implants and auto-immune diseases. Studies have not shown an increased risk of developing breast cancer or problems in detecting breast cancer if you had breast augmentation in the past with either saline or silicone filled breast implants.
Whereas the safety profile of silicone breast implants are being resolved with numerous long-term ongoing clinical trials, the data we have today suggests that they are safe. In fact, the rupture rates on the latest FDA approved silicone cohesive gel breast implants are less than 5%, superior to the saline breast implants (which are closer to 7%). However, since silicone breast implant ruptures are often unnoticed by the physician or patient, you will need to have an MRI every 3 years.
Saline filled breast implants are known to be safe. Saline breast implants are filled with salt-water which if it should leak, would not result in any bodily harm. You will have to have an outpatient surgery to replace the defective implant. Saline breast implants have been in use for decades and their safety profile has been well established.
