EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER YOUR SURGERY *Actual Patient
Who is this ebook for? If you are considering breast augmentation, this guide was created just for you. There are undoubtedly many questions on your mind, and this guide will discuss the answers to those questions in an easy-to-understand way. As always, the staff at Patterson Plastic Surgery is glad to discuss the surgery with you further as well. Keep reading to get all the essential information about breast augmentation surgery. What is a Breast Augmentation? The short answer: A breast augmentation is a surgical way to permanently enlarge the breasts. However, a breast augmentation is actually much more than that. When performed correctly, breast augmentation surgery is both art and science. The patient s wishes, the patient s body, and the ultimate well-being of the patient are all taken into account so that Dr. Patterson can give each person their ideal result. *Actual Patient / 2 pattersonplastic.surgery
Do I Need a Lift or an Augmentation? Request Consultation One of the most common mix-ups regarding breast augmentation involves breast placement. Many people who consider breast augmentation would actually benefit more from a breast lift. To determine which might be best, consider the breast volume. Are your breasts already large enough, but the position is too low for your liking? A breast lift can reposition the breasts while keeping the volume largely intact. A breast augmentation, on the other hand, is best for patients whose breasts are smaller than desired. If there isn t enough volume, a breast augmentation can be the answer. Some patients may need both an augmentation and a breast lift. The augmentation will add the desired volume while the lift will position the breasts properly and remove sagging. /3 pattersonplastic.surgery
IMplant types Saline Saline implants are approved by the FDA. These implants are composed primarily of the same type of saline that occurs naturally in the human body. Saline implants have a firmer feel than their gel counterparts, but they still feel natural to the touch. Saline implants can be adjusted to the desired volume level during the surgery. These implants include a warranty of your choice, ranging from standard to lifetime replacement warranty. Silicone MemoryGel implants are FDA approved silicone breast implants. This patented cohesive gel retains its form after placement, and has a feel that closely mimics that of breast tissue. These gel implants have a pre-set fill volume, but they are available in a wide variety of sizes. MemoryGel implants include a warranty of your choice, ranging from standard to lifetime replacement warranty. Textured or Untextured? Dr. Patterson offers both textured and untextured Siltex implants. The smooth implants have the advantage of minimal wrinkling. However, they do have less ability to adhere to the tissues in the chest for proper placement. Textured implants can maintain their position more easily, but they may be more likely to wrinkle. Both texture types are safe and reliable, so it is purely a personal choice as to which works best. / 4 pattersonplastic.surgery
Implant Shapes Implant shape depends on the desired overall breast shape. The most popular implant shape is the standard round style. Teardrop shape implants are also growing in popularity. They may be ideal for women who want to emphasize the lower portion of the breast. Implant Profiles The implant profile depends on the look you re going for. A high profile implant is quite round and gives the upper portion of the breast extra volume, similar to the look of a push-up bra. It may separate breasts further and leave a smaller amount of cleavage. A medium profile implant tends to have less fullness at the top, but swelling more towards the bottom. The medium profile may allow for more cleavage, but will generally have a more subtle overall appearance. / 5 pattersonplastic.surgery
implant placement Either submuscular or subglandular placement will be used to make sure the implants are ideally situated in the chest cavity. Subglandular In this placement, the implant is inserted into the area just beneath the breast gland. It lies atop the pectoralis muscle. This type of placement ensures that the muscle won t be impacted by the implant in any way, and may be less invasive than a submuscular placement. However, this type of implant is more likely to move than a submuscular implant is. Submuscular In this placement, the implants are placed within a pocket of the pectoralis muscle. The muscle may need to be slightly stretched to accommodate the implant. The submuscular implant is generally considered to be the more secure of the two placement types since the implant is firmly held within a pocket of muscle. The type of placement chosen will depend upon several factors, including body type and personal wishes. In certain situations, patients may require a certain type of placement due to their lifestyle. Athletes often require a subglandular placement so as not to interfere with the function of their pectoralis muscle. However, in most cases, Dr. Patterson uses submuscular placement. In general, implants are more easily camouflaged and have a more natural look when done with submuscular placement. / 6 pattersonplastic.surgery
Implant Incision Locations There are four types of incisions that may be used in breast augmentation surgery today. Inframammary The inframammary incision is the most commonly used incision type, and is strongly recommended by Dr. Patterson for most patients. This type of incision is made directly underneath each breast so the implant can be inserted during surgery. Dr. Patterson has found that patients who have this incision type have less positioning issues, less problem scarring, lower incidence of nerve injuries, and less muscle hardening than may be observed with other incision types. PeriAreolar Periareolar incisions, those that move in a circular direction around the breast areola, are generally not highly recommended due to the potential risk of implant contamination, major scarring, or loss of sensitivity in the areola area. Transaxillary Transaxillary incisions - incisions in the armpits - are considered to be a suboptimal approach by many experienced breast augmentation surgeons, including Dr. Patterson. These incisions are not ideal for many patients because they require the use of specialty equipment and they have greater risk. Further, transaxillary incisions may be more expensive than inframammary incisions. Transumbilical Transumbilical incisions are not meant to be used with today s modern implants. This type of incision was sometimes used in decades past, but this navel incision technique is not the safest or most effective choice today. Request Consultation / 7 pattersonplastic.surgery
Choosing the *Actual Patient Perfect cup size Many "My experience with Dr. Patterson and his staff was great and my results exceeded my expectations." - Julie R. women are surprised to hear that breast augmentation isn t mainly about cup size. It is actually important that you don t get hung up on a certain cup size because it might not be the right goal. Ultimately, most patients just want to have beautiful and proportionate breasts that look good with the rest of their body. Simply saying I want a C cup is usually not the way to get that ideal result. Instead, Dr. Patterson can help you determine what kind of outcome you re looking for without having to focus on cup size. Cup size can actually be quite arbitrary. For example, consider how different a 34C bra can be from one company to the next. The perfect cup size is something you shouldn't worry about. Dr. Patterson will help you achieve the breast proportion that looks ideal for you instead. Before the surgery, you'll be able to try on a variety of "sizers," a series of implants in a variety of sizes, to choose the best look for you. The use of sizers gives you a chance to get a very realistic idea of what the implants will look like once the surgery is complete. / 8 pattersonplastic.surgery
before the procedure Prior to the breast augmentation procedure, there are several important things you need to do to prepare properly. By preparing for the surgery the right way, you'll have the easiest and fastest possible recovery. Ask Questions The ideal time to ask questions is during the breast augmentation consultation. If you find that there are any questions not answered by this e-book, feel free to talk to our staff. We want every patient to be as prepared as possible. Are you ready? Getting ready for the breast augmentation surgery usually requires several steps. Patients need to have blood tests performed several days prior to surgery to make sure that there are no health issues. You will typically have a pre-surgery appointment after your consultation to review all of Dr. Patterson's instructions and to make sure you are fully prepared. Smokers should stop smoking (including e-cigs) as far in advance of the surgery as possible. Be sure to tell our staff how long it's been since you've smoked on the day of the surgery. If you're taking medication, whether prescription or nonprescription, Dr. Patterson may advise you to make some medication changes prior to surgery. Some drugs like ibuprofen, NSAIDS, or certain herbal supplements can cause blood thinning, a potential danger during surgery. You may need to stop taking these medication a week or more ahead of time to be sure that the surgery is as safe as possible. Research One of the most important things about preparation is research. Make sure that you fully understand what the surgery will involve. While you won't have to spend a lot of time in the hospital, breast augmentation is a major surgery and should be recognized as such. Look at the results others have had to get an idea of what your results may be. What to look for in before and after photos We are happy to show potential breast augmentation patients example photos from patients who have previously had the same surgery. Our patients range very widely in terms of height, weight, and breast size, so the photos can be very different from one result to the next. Look for photos of women who had a build and breast size similar to yours in the "before" photo to get an idea of the kind of results you can expect. If you see a certain set of photos that you really like, point it out. This can be extremely helpful for Dr. Patterson in terms of understanding exactly what type of look you want. Request Consultation / 9 pattersonplastic.surgery
Financial Options: CareCredit Breast augmentation surgery is generally not covered by most insurance plans. However, if you don't have the cash to pay for the surgery, there may be another option in the form of CareCredit. This is a unique type of credit card that offers financing options that standard credit cards like MasterCard or Visa don't have. CareCredit can be used to pay for breast augmentation, other plastic surgery procedures, and even non-surgical beauty treatments. The Day of the Procedure The day of the procedure, you'll be given an arrival time that gives you sufficient time to change into a hospital gown and get settled in bed. At this time, you may be given some IV medication to help you relax. You'll then meet with Dr. Patterson and be taken into surgery. You will be given anesthesia at this point. Once you are either asleep, under general anesthesia, Dr. Patterson will perform the surgery. CareCredit offers short-term financing ranging from 6 months to 24 months. As long as you make the minimum monthly payments, no interest is charged for the whole promotional period. If you need longer to pay for the breast augmentation, CareCredit offers financing up to 60 months at an APR of 14.9 percent. *Actual Patient / 10 pattersonplastic.surgery
As soon as you're taken to the recovery room, your healing can begin. Optimal healing includes all of the following things. Time off Be sure to plan for a minimum of one week recovery time. While you can get back to your basic routines around the home after a few days, anything more strenuous than moving around the home and making basic movements should be avoided until you're back at work. If your job requires any kind of major lifting or strenuous movement, you may need to take more time off. Working out Exercise after a breast augmentation should be approached with caution. Light exercise is fine once the initial recovery week is completed, but nothing more difficult than walking at a reasonable pace. Jogging, running, and other aerobic activity should be cautiously eased into after two weeks. Any strenuous exercise should be completely avoided for six full weeks for the optimum recovery and results. When to buy new bras After the breast augmentation, we provide patients with a compression bra. This bra will be properly secured for you after the surgery in the OR. This compression garment should be used for six weeks continuously. It's fine to remove it for laundering as long as you put it back on once dry. Once the six week period is up, you can buy new bras with confidence. / 11 pattersonplastic.surgery
Vitamins Be sure to plan for a minimum of one week recovery time. While you can get back to your basic routines around the home after a few days, anything more strenuous than moving around the home and making basic movements should be avoided until you're back at work. If your job requires any kind of major lifting or strenuous movement, you may need to take more time off. When to buy new bras While many patients are already aware that they should avoid blood thinner drugs, aspirin, and NSAIDS, when they have a breast augmentation, they may not realize that vitamins should be restricted as well. Dr. Patterson will have already provided you with a list of medications and supplements to stop before the surgery, but it is important that you don't take these things after surgery, either. The following vitamins and other medications could potentially cause excessive bleeding or blood clots after the surgery. Dr. Patterson will tell you when it is safe to resume taking them. Vitamin E Garlic Ginger Ginkgo Biloba Fish OIl Flaxseed Oil Wintergreen Saw Palmetto Bilberry Bromelain What Not to Take Patients who take Phentermine, a popular diet pill, must completely stop taking the drug at least four weeks before surgery. Dr. Patterson will advise you when you can safely resume taking this medication after recovery. There may be other medications that you'll need to stop before surgery, so make sure that Dr. Patterson has a complete list of every medication you take, even if you don't take it every day. Smoking It can be much more difficult to heal after a breast augmentation for women who smoke. Whether it's tobacco cigarettes or e-cigs, both send nicotine into the blood. Nicotine can decrease the blood flow to the breast tissue, and this in turn can significantly inhibit healing and recovery. Look at this as a great opportunity to quit smoking for good - and if you can't do that, wait until you get the go-ahead from Dr. Patterson post-recovery. Tanning Tanning beds should be avoided for a minimum of six weeks after surgery. If possible, wait even longer. Tanning beds aren't good for your skin in general, and they can make scarring from the surgery much more visible. Request Consultation / 12 pattersonplastic.surgery
Meet Dr. Patterson Dr. Patterson, a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, maintains memberships in elite plastic surgeon associations including the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and the Florida Society of Plastic Surgeons. He is an active member of the American Medical Association, and is currently a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS). Dr. Patterson's education started at Birmingham-Southern College in Alabama, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude as a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. He then graduated medical school, earning an M.D. at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine. Dr. Patterson's surgical training took place at Birmingham's Carraway Methodist Medical Center and the highly esteemed Alton Ochsner Medical Foundation in Louisiana. His plastic surgery residency was completed at the University of California San Diego, where he trained with some of the foremost plastic surgeons in the world. Dr. Patterson has a passion for helping patients achieve their appearance goals. His artistic abilities and medical expertise combine to help you get the beautiful body you want. / 13 pattersonplastic.surgery
next steps Still have some questions, or want to find out more? The next step is easy: Consultation with Dr. Patterson. Our staff will be happy to discuss breast augmentation surgery with you further. At Patterson Plastic Surgery, we want to be your partner in achieving the appearance you've always wanted! Request Consultation *Actual Patient