Breast augmentation is the surgical enhancement of breast size using a silicone bag implanted in the breast. This silicone bag is filled with saline and it expands the breast to give fullness, better contour, and more cleavage. In 2004, over 300,000 breast augmentation surgeries were performed in the United States alone. While breast augmentation might have been once considered an act of the vain, it is now a common procedure and can help women to improve their image.

If you are considering breast augmentation surgery, the first thing you should do is find a surgeon that comes highly recommended to you. You can do this by checking with friends or anyone you know who has surgery, as well as asking your regular physician. Before making a decision on which surgeon will perform your breast augmentation, interview several and make sure you are comfortable with them doing the procedure. It is also recommended that you ask for their credentials and call the state medical board to find out if there have been any complaints or disciplinary action taken against the surgeon.

Once you have found the surgeon you wish to have perform your breast augmentation, your surgeon will sit down and explain what the procedure involves. One of the first things they will discuss with you is your implant size. This is a personal decision and the more you can describe the size you would like to be, the better your surgeon will be able to help you. A great way to get an accurate preferred measurement is to take a plastic bag and fill with water that you have measured. Place these in your preferred bra size. This will give your surgeon a better idea of your ideal size. You and your surgeon will also discuss the shape of your implant, whether round for a rounded appearance or a more contoured shape to enhance the slope of your breast.

You will also have choices in what type of implants you wish to have. There are smooth surface and textured implants and there are options of where you wish to have them placed. The smooth implant has less chance of rippling or wrinkling, however, it must be placed in a larger pocket. This has more chance, however, of the implant becoming hard or firm. The textured implant has less chance of hardening but it has a greater chance of rippling. When it comes to placement, the best possible position for the implants is under the chest muscle. This placement has a less occurrence for both ripple and hardening, but it is a more difficult surgery. The easiest placement is under the breast tissue, but there is more of a chance of hardening and rippling. Your surgeon will provide you with all the necessary information regarding these options to help assist you in your decision making.

While the surgery itself has been deemed as safe and relatively easy to perform, as with any surgery, it has its risks. The main risk is possible infection and while this is rare, it is possible that the implant would need to be removed to allow healing. Other risks are possible bleeding of the implant pocket, hardening of the breast, the slipping of an implant causing distortion of the breast, and leakage of the implant bag. As for new developments in breast augmentation, it has come a long way since the first procedure was performed in 1962. Silicone breast implants were used in the beginning, however, due to the suspicion that the silicone was causing health issues, there was a moratorium placed on their use. After much research, the general consensus is that silicone breast implants had nothing to do with the health issues of women who reported silicone leakage. However, silicone breast implants are now under limited distribution by physicians who are part of an INAMED/INAMED Medical Clinical Study. All other implants are filled with saline.

Women who have had breast augmentation highly recommend it to others. They state they feel better about themselves and there is a vast improvement in their self-confidence. They also state that it should be done for yourself and not because someone wants you to have it done. Not only can it change the way you look, breast augmentation can change the way you feel.