Breast enhancement with implants is a popular option to improve one’s aesthetics and bodily self-image. Breast implants used during augmentation serve these purposes:

  • Aesthetics to improve the breasts’ size, shape, and feel.
  • Reconstruction after breast tissue damage following trauma (such as an injury), a disease (like a cancerous growth), or a deformity.
  • A revision to correct the outcome of previous cosmetic surgery.

Breast augmentation implant options in Houston, TX, aim to achieve the above breast transformation goals. More importantly, it helps women to feel more confident about their bodies.

What Does Augmentation Mammoplasty Entail?

Breast enhancement with implants involves placing fluid-filled sacs under the chest muscles or behind the breast tissue to improve the contours and feel of the bust.

During this surgical procedure, usually performed in an outpatient facility, the surgeon first puts you under general anesthesia; then proceeds to make an incision in the skin sitting below or next to the breast tissue.

This incision may be under your breast (along the crease), around the edge of the areola, or in the armpit.

The surgeon then places the implant either behind your chest muscle or between the breast tissue and chest muscle. And finally, stitches the incision area covering it with a dressing that promotes healing and prevents infection.

How to Prepare for a Breast Augmentation

Before your surgical appointment, you will consult your plastic surgeon about your dream look (size, feel, and appearance). And the surgeon will go over the available types of breast enhancement with implants, the results they can achieve, and the surgical techniques to use.

During this consultation, you can request to view before-and-after pictures of some patients with a similar body type. Before your surgery, your doctor will advise you on the medicines to avoid, such as blood-thinning drugs, or prescribe the ones you should take to prepare your body for the procedure.

If you smoke, your surgeon will also advise you to quit for about 4 to 6 weeks before and after the augmentation. And following the surgery, you will need a friend or relative to drive you home and stay with you on the first day.

Breast Augmentation Implant Options in Houston, TX

There are two general implant filler types available: saline and silicone gel fills. Here is a further breakdown of augmentation implant options for cosmetic breast enhancement with implants.

Saline Breast Implants

These implants are filled with sterile water (aaline) and have a uniform shape and firm feel. They are FDA-approved for use in women 18 years or older.

Structured Saline Breast Implants

The implants are saline-filled, with an inner structure that gives them a more natural feel.

Silicone Breast Implants

These implants are full of silicone gel that feels more natural than saline implants. And they are safe for use in women aged 22 years or older. If you opt for these implants, you will need to occasionally consult your plastic surgeon to assess the implant’s condition to ensure no leakage.

Form-Stable Breast Implants

Also called gummy bear implants, they maintain their shape even if the implant shell breaks, maintaining a firm and consistent shape of the breast. The gel inside these implants is thicker than the traditional silicone gel breast enhancement with implants. And their placement requires a slightly longer incision during surgery.

Round Breast Implants

These implants make the breast tissue appear fuller than form-stable implants. And they still retain the shape of the bust even if they rotate out of place.

Smooth Breast Implants

These breast enhancement with implants have the softest feel and can easily move with the pocket while looking natural. They may have some visible rippling under your skin.

Textured Breast Implants

As the name suggests, textured implants have a slightly coarse texture to create scar tissue that helps them stick and minimize movement inside the breast.

Breast augmentation can be performed in a hospital outpatient facility or a surgical center, and you’ll probably go home on the same day. It rarely requires an overnight hospital stay.

Breast Implants FAQ

Q: How long do augmentation implants last?

A: Depending on their quality, implants can last between 10 to 20 years.

Q: How many implant replacements can one have in their lifetime?

A: Most patients usually have one or two implant replacements in their lifetime.

Q: What are the chances of breast enhancement with implants rupturing inside the breast?

A: The chances of an implant rupturing increase by 1% yearly.

Q: Can I breastfeed with implants?

A: Yes, it’s possible to breastfeed with the implants.

Q: Is it normal for implants to feel hard after augmentation?

A: Yes, following the surgery, your breasts will feel hard at first, but as the implant settles and softens, your breast tissue will start to look and feel more natural.

Q: How much is a breast augmentation procedure?

A: The average augmentation cost is $4,516, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Q: Which implants have the softest feel?

A: Silicone breast implants have the softest feeling with a more natural movement.

A: Most patients opt for breast enhancement with implants to boost their confidence, while others want a reconstruction due to medical reasons.

Q: What makes saline implants one of the safest breast implants?

A: Saline implants have sterile salt water that is naturally absorbed and expelled by the body in case of leakage.