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By Mayo Clinic staff
Breast augmentation can be done in a surgical center or hospital outpatient facility. You'll probably go home the same day, but on occasion the procedure requires a hospital stay. In some cases, breast augmentation is done with local anesthesia — in which you're awake and only your breast area is numbed. In other cases, breast augmentation is done under general anesthesia — in which you're asleep for the surgery.
During the procedure
To insert the breast implant, your surgeon will make an incision in one of three places:
- Along the crease at the underside of the breast (inframammary)
- Around the nipple (periareolar)
- Under the arm (axillary)
After making an incision, the surgeon will separate your breast glandular tissue from the muscles and connective tissue of your chest to create a pocket either behind or in front of the outermost muscle of the chest wall (pectoral muscle). The surgeon will insert the implant into this pocket and center it behind your nipple. Saline implants are generally empty when inserted and then filled with sterile saline once they're in place. Silicone implants are already filled at the time they're placed. When the implant is in place, the surgeon will close the incision with stitches (sutures), skin adhesive or surgical tape.
After the procedure
Expect soreness and swelling for a few weeks after breast augmentation. You may also notice bruising, numbness or a burning sensation in your nipples as you heal. Your scars may initially appear firm and pink. It may help to wear a compression bandage or sports bra for extra support and positioning of the breast implants during this time. Your surgeon can prescribe pain medication as well.
If you don't have a physically demanding job, you may be able to return to work within a few days to a week. Getting back to normal activities may take longer — about two to three weeks — because your breasts will be sensitive to physical contact or jarring movements. Follow your surgeon's instructions about returning to regular activities.
If your surgeon used nonabsorbable sutures or placed drainage tubes near your breasts, you'll need to have them removed at a follow-up appointment. If you notice warmth and redness in your breast or you run a fever, you might have an infection. Contact your surgeon as soon as possible. Also contact your surgeon if you experience shortness of breath or chest pain.
- Lalani T, et al. Breast implant infections. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 18, 2010.
- Breast augmentation. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. http://www1.plasticsurgery.org/ebusiness4/ProductCatalog/pdf/brochures/Breast_Augmentation.pdf. Accessed Oct. 18, 2010.
- Breast implant questions and answers. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/BreastImplants/ucm063719.htm. Accessed Oct. 18, 2010.
- FDA breast implant consumer handbook - 2004 - local complications and reoperations. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/BreastImplants/ucm064106.htm. Accessed Oct. 25, 2010.
- Walsh MF (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Nov. 2, 2010.
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