Many women feel self-conscious about the appearance of their breasts. Whether these women want larger, fuller, or more symmetrical breasts, there is a way to correct their breast aesthetic and improve their confidence and comfort. Every year, hundreds of thousands of women in the United States receive breast augmentation surgery (or a "boob job"), making this one of the most sought-after plastic surgery procedures.
Dr. Mark Schusterman in Houston, Texas, is a world-renowned plastic surgeon who has performed thousands of breast augmentations. His research on breast augmentation innovations has been published and used to refine surgical techniques by plastic surgeons around the world. Dr. Schusterman listens to his breast augmentation patients and works with their ideas to help create the ideal image of their breasts and overall form.
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Breast augmentation is a cosmetic surgery that increases the breast size by placing either silicone or saline breast implants under the breast tissue or the chest muscles to make the breasts fuller, rounder, and more balanced in appearance.
In addition to traditional breast augmentation surgery (which uses implants), another option for breast augmentation is fat transfer breast augmentation, which involves fat removal from another area of your body and then injecting that fat into the breast tissue. With fat transfer breast augmentation, there is no need for breast implants, since your own fat and tissue is being used to enhance the size and shape of your breasts. Additionally, there is no risk of your body rejecting the fat, since it is coming from your own body.
At your consultation, Dr. Schusterman will complete an evaluation of your breasts, which includes taking measurements and discussing your aesthetic goals. At your consultation, you will discuss whether implants or fat transfer is right for you and which implant and placement is best.
Ideal candidates for breast augmentation surgery are women who are in good general health and have realistic expectations for their results.
You will be advised to stop smoking (and vaping) at least six weeks before your surgery. It is important that you refrain from smoking until at least six weeks after your surgery to help speed your recovery and minimize health risks and complications. Depending on the implant type, a patient must be at least 18 years old (22 years old for silicone implants) to undergo breast augmentation surgery.
Breast augmentation using implants is performed under general anesthesia. Once the anesthesia has been administered, Dr. Schusterman will make inframammary incisions (made along the inframammary fold underneath the breast). This incision allows Dr. Schusterman the freedom to shape your results in a way that helps you meet your goals.
Additionally, this incision type helps to limit the chance of complications during and after the surgery. Dr. Schusterman takes special care to hide these incisions in the breast crease, making them difficult to see once they heal.
Dr. Schusterman is proud to offer many different types of breast implants.
During your consultation, he will help you decide which implant type is best for you.
Silicone Implants
Silicone implants are pre-filled implants that consist of silicone gel that closely resembles the consistency and feel of real breast tissue. The amount of filler (volume of the implant) is determined during your consultation. Many women prefer the look of silicone implants, as this material causes the breasts to look full and feel more like natural breasts.
For specific information about our silicone implants, please visit our silicone implants page.
Form Stable Implants
Form stable implants are a type of silicone implant that uses a unique filler. These types of implants use a cohesive gel that helps them hold their shape. They also tend to have a textured exterior that adheres to the surrounding breast tissue to prevent them from moving out of place.
While textured implants have been subject to recalls in recent years, Dr. Schusterman makes sure to only offer implant solutions that adhere to the most up-to-date safety standards.
Saline Implants
While saline implants still feature a silicone shell, they are filled with saline (salt water) instead of silicone gel. The incision is smaller for this procedure than with silicone implants because the saline implants are not filled until they are placed within the breasts. With saline implants, you will be able to determine the amount of filler during your consultation with Dr. Schusterman.
For specific information about our saline implants, please visit our saline implants page.
In addition to different types of implant material, another decision that you will need to make is the placement of your implants. While there is no particular advantage with either, the placement does affect the aesthetic outcome.
During your consultation, Dr. Schusterman will help you choose which is best for you.
Dr. Schusterman most commonly performs a submuscular/dual plane breast implant placement for his patients. With dual plane placement, Dr. Schusterman places half of the implant above the pectoralis major muscle.
In most cases, this preferred form of placement yields the most natural-looking results.
Subglandular implants are placed beneath the breast glands but above the muscle. This placement option works great for women who already have some volume in the breasts but want to go a little bigger and fuller in size. The existing volume in the breasts helps obscure the implant, causing it to maintain a natural look and feel. Dr. Schusterman will work with you to determine if you have enough volume to have subglandular implants with natural-looking results.
Another option for breast augmentation is fat transfer breast augmentation.
During fat transfer breast augmentation, fat is harvested from another place on your body (usually from the thighs, flanks, or abdomen) with the use of liposuction surgery.
This fat is purified and placed in a syringe.
This purified fat is then injected into strategic locations of your breasts to give you a fuller appearance, and the best part is that your results will look and feel completely natural because you are using your own fat to improve your breast aesthetic.
One of the most common questions that patients ask when deciding whether to have breast augmentation surgery is if they can combine their augmentation with a breast lift. The simple answer is “Absolutely yes.”
In fact, many patients choose to combine a breast lift surgery (mastopexy) with their breast augmentation.
One of the reasons for this is that a breast lift does just that: it lifts the breasts to a higher, perkier, and more youthful position. While an augmentation will make the breasts larger, fuller, and a better shape, it will not elevate their position. But with a breast augmentation with lift, you can enjoy a complete transformation to your breasts that will turn heads for all the right reasons.
During the week or two after your breast augmentation surgery, you will experience swelling, bruising, and soreness, though these side effects will dissipate over time. If your pain persists or increases, it is important that you contact Dr. Schusterman immediately. You will also be given a compression garment to wear. This, along with wearing a surgical bra, will help speed up your recovery and give you extra support to help with the discomfort.
It is important to allow your body to rest and recover during the weeks after your procedure.
This means that you should refrain from any strenuous activities, including bending that may put pressure on your incisions. While light stretching and taking short, slow walks are good for blood circulation (which helps you recover quicker), you should refrain from exercising and lifting anything of weight. Most patients are fully recovered and able to return to their normal, daily activities after four to six weeks. However, you will need to wait to exert yourself until you are cleared by Dr. Schusterman.
To learn more about breast augmentation recovery, refer to our recovery guide here.
As your body continues to heal, you will experience a process known as “drop and fluff.” After your surgery, your breasts will seem higher than usual. This is due to the swelling in and around your breasts. After the swelling diminishes, your breasts will drop into a natural placement. This process can take weeks or even months to occur and is completely normal.
Because breast augmentation with implants is performed under general anesthesia, you will not be awake to feel any discomfort.
It is completely normal to experience some soreness, tightness, and even pain during the week or two after your procedure; prescribed and over-the-counter medication can be taken to alleviate your discomfort.
Any invasive surgery, like breast augmentation surgery with implants, will leave a scar. However, because Dr. Schusterman uses an inframammary incision, the resulting scar is concealed in the breast crease. Additionally, your scar will fade over time.
Something to keep in mind is that the incision made for silicone implants tends to be longer than the incision made for saline implants because the saline implant is not filled until it is placed within the breast.
With fat transfer breast augmentation, the only scarring you will experience is from the liposuction surgery, though the incision made for liposuction is small, and the resulting scars are not noticeable. The other aspects of this breast augmentation procedure only require injections, which do not result in any scarring.
Dr. Schusterman can recommend some topical ointments that you can use to help reduce any noticeable scarring. There is a specific post-op regimen to follow that will help you heal as quickly and completely as possible.
While breast augmentation surgery cannot keep all the natural effects of aging from occurring, the reality is that your breast augmentation results will last as long as your breast implants last (if you are having breast augmentation with implants). The general lifespan of saline and silicone implants is about 20 years (although every implant varies).
Because implants are not known to be lifetime devices, it is expected that they will need to be replaced. When they are replaced, most women choose to keep the same size implants; however, the size can be adjusted up or down at this time to give you the enhancement that best suits you at that point in your life.
It is important to note that breast implants can rupture, though this is rare. While it is not usually a health concern, if this does occur, it is important that you contact Dr. Schusterman immediately so that you can have the ruptured implant removed and replaced with a functional implant.
Many women choose to have breast augmentation to correct the effects that pregnancy and breastfeeding has on their breasts. If you have recently given birth and are interested in breast augmentation surgery, you must wait three to six months after the birth to undergo surgery (if you are not breastfeeding) and you must wait at least six months after you have finished breastfeeding to have your augmentation surgery.
Many women are concerned about the effect that breast augmentation has on breastfeeding for future children. It is important to understand that breast augmentation usually does not have an effect on breastfeeding, though there is always a slight chance that the implants may adversely affect your ability to breastfeed. Dr. Schusterman takes time and care to minimize any chance of your surgery affecting future breastfeeding.
Additionally, many women ask whether they can have breast augmentation surgery before becoming pregnant, and while you are absolutely able to have enhancement surgery and then become pregnant again, you do want to keep in mind that childbirth and breastfeeding will continue to take a toll on your breasts, causing them to become smaller and sag.
This is why many women choose to wait until they are finished having children before undergoing breast augmentation surgery and breast lift surgery, whether standalone or as part of a Mommy Makeover surgery.
Dr. Mark Schusterman is ready to listen and help you to achieve the perfect breast augmentation for your body. Together, you will discover the right technique that will provide the best results for your body frame and size.
Schedule a consultation today to learn more about how breast augmentation can help you look your best and achieve your lifestyle goals.
The cost for breast implants usually runs around $7500 total but can vary due to the level of customization in the procedure, including whether you choose to combine your augmentation with a breast lift.
Before you risk your body on a lower-priced implant, be sure to consider the potential cost of a breast revision surgery. What happens if you try to save money but have to go through a second surgery when you don’t like your initial results?
Dr. Schusterman performs these revisional surgeries and can tell you about the frustration his patients feel about having to go through another surgery. They often tell him after these procedures how much they wish they had just come to him initially.
Don’t cut corners when it comes to your body. Instead, choose a plastic surgeon who is trusted and successful. Don’t just assume that any plastic surgeon “must know what they’re doing.” Dr. Schusterman has decades of experience performing breast augmentations and can help you make sure that you get the beautiful results you deserve. He happily provides consultations for women considering breast enhancement to make sure that they get the information they need to find the right surgeon and procedure for them. This ends up saving them thousands of dollars in the long run as well as keeps them from suffering the headache and heartache of undergoing a procedure that doesn’t meet their needs or desires.
When you choose Dr. Schusterman, you have great chances of getting the procedure you want the first time, which is vital when considering something as important as a surgery.
It is very unlikely that people will be able to tell whether or not you had a procedure done. As one of Houston's best plastic surgeons, Dr. Schusterman is adamant about providing you with precisely what is right for your body shape and size, which is why having realistic expectations is so important when you have breast augmentation surgery.
Though extremely rare, any plastic surgery procedure carries risks of complications. Some of these complications include:
Most patients are able to return to work within one to two weeks after their procedure. This depends on the extent of the surgery, the type of job you have, and your medical history. It is important that you wait to return to work until you are cleared to do so by Dr. Schusterman.
Breast augmentation surgery is considered elective surgery and is not covered under medical insurance. However, we will work with you and your financial situation to offer reasonable payment options.
Contact us today to schedule your appointment with the renowned plastic surgeon and breast & body specialist Dr. Mark Schusterman. Take your first steps to a more beautiful you.
3355 W Alabama Suite 450 , Houston, TX 77098
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