Whether you’re a mom looking to regain your pre-pregnancy body, or you’re working toward your ideal aesthetic look, a breast augmentation is a popular procedure. However, while people may have an idea of what they want to look like, they seldom know how to get to those results.

Before going to your breast augmentation consultation with a physician, it’s a good idea to have a basic understanding of what you’re looking for. Below we offer a helpful guide about the basics of breast implants.

How Should My Implants Look Best?

Not many people know that a breast implant can be placed either in front of or behind the chest muscles. If you are worried or struggling with sagging breasts, the implant is often placed between the muscle and the breast gland. This is often considered a less painful route because the pectoralis muscle does not need to be stretched.

However, if you do not have a substantial amount of natural breast tissue, you may want to opt for a sub-muscular approach. This option is less likely to develop a capsule around the implant, called a capsular contracture. When the capsule hardens, it can be painful or distort your breast shape. While this procedure can create a more natural transition to the new breast, placing implants underneath your muscle is also more painful and requires more time to recover.

There is a procedure that’s a mix of the two called dual-plane breast augmentation. In this procedure, the top portion of the implant is placed below the muscle and the rest is under the gland. This technique gives the implant a more natural breast shape, and it reduces the risk of capsular contracture.

Where Should the Incision Be?

The incisions for breast augmentation aim to conceal any evidence of surgery (scarring). The four incision choices are below the breast (inframammary), a half-circle at the bottom of the areola, or nipple area (periareolar), access from your underarm or through the axilla (transaxillary), or through the umbilicus or belly button (transumbilical).

Most incisions are placed under the breast because it gives your surgeon better visualization and accuracy. Incisions at the bottom of the areola have a history of higher rates of capsular contracture and nipple desensitization.

Incisions under your arm can leave little to no trace of scarring with a good plastic surgeon. Incisions at the belly button can only be done with saline implants, and this method is not very popular.

Are Saline Implants or Silicone Implants Better?

If your implant is going to be placed underneath the pectoralis muscle, the type of implant you choose isn’t very important. Silicone implants have fewer visual irregularities, like rippling or wrinkling, than do saline implants; silicone also has a lower rate of deflation over time. However, they have been known to develop capsular contracture more often than saline implants.

A saline implant’s size is adjustable by the physician, who can reduce or add the amount of saline solution inside the implant. In contrast, silicone implants typically come in standard sizes.

Also, saline implants are not yet inflated when inserted into the body, so the incision can be much smaller. This reduces the length of healing time and also reduces the size of the scar that’s left behind.

What Cup Size Should I Get?

Most doctors will recommend a size based on the width of your ribcage. Doctors don’t want your implant to be so big that they extend under your arms.

Bringing both loose and form-fitting clothes to your consultation can help you decide on sizing. Your doctor will talk you through how everything would look on your body.

Breast Implant Surgeon in New Jersey

If you’re interested in giving your breasts and confidence a boost, schedule a consultation with Iorio Plastic Surgery & Medspa today. Double board-certified and fellowship-trained, Dr. Louis Iorio stands by his commitment to offer superior plastic and cosmetic treatments to his clients.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call us today at our Colts Neck location at 732-780-9191 or our Brick location at 732-458-7400 or fill out our online appointment request form here. We look forward to helping you look and feel absolutely ravishing!