Breast augmentation is a surgical procedure designed to restore or enlarge breasts, while keeping them natural in appearance and balanced and proportional to the body. At its heart, breast augmentation is meant to produce a balanced figure and shape, enhancing our clients’ self-esteem and improving their quality of life.
Aging naturally changes the appearance of the breast. Whether from deflation caused by time and years, weight loss or child birth, in any of these cases breast implants may enhance body image and restore self esteem.
Dr. Bortnick has performed thousands of breast augmentations, both for cosmetic and medical reasons. His experience will help guide your choices, ensuring the best balance and proportions for your body while minimizing risks.
Am I a good candidate for breast augmentation?
Our breast augmentation clients have a variety of reasons for wanting to enlarge or restore their breasts. Often, patients have struggled for years with poor self-image due to the size of their breast, irregularities in their breast or scarring from previous surgeries.
Good candidates for breast augmentation understand that the procedure will result in some scarring and will require follow-up care. Additionally, good candidates have realistic expectations for what a breast augmentation can achieve for their appearance. Think carefully about your goals before your consultation, and during the consultation Dr. Bortnick will help determine if you are a good candidate.
For all elective surgeries, we recommend:
- Patients must be aware of the known negative effects of any surgery, including pain, cost, recovery time, scarring and the known risks of surgery.
- Patients should lead a healthy lifestyle and be healthy both medically and emotionally. Any surgery is a trauma to the body, so it is important to be in good health before the procedure.
- Patients should be at a point in their lives where inconveniences to job responsibilities and family obligations are minimized.
- It is imperative that cosmetic surgery patients be non-smokers, as nicotine delays the healing process.
Additionally, for breast augmentation procedures, we recommend:
- Patients should be at or near their ideal body weight
What should I expect during the consultation?
A breast augmentation consultation typically takes about 45 minutes. The consultation begins with a visit from the nurse, who will ask some general demographic information, like your referral source, age, number of pregnancies, current breast size, desired breast size and so on. We will also ask about your medical history and recent mammogram results. We encourage you to ask any general questions at this time about the practice, the nurse’s experience and your goals. No specific recommendations will be given during the nurse’s preliminary consult; however, each nurse is very experienced and can often give a different but valid perspective.
Dr. Bortnick will then introduce himself to discuss your goals and how they can be accomplished, including spending considerable time discussing the variable factors of breast augmentation: incision location, placement of the implant above or below the muscle, choice of implant type and size of implant. You will than have time to ask any questions. Both Dr. Bortnick and his nurse will be present during the examination, which will take place in front of a full length mirror. This examination provides an opportunity to examine the breast with gravity and take measurements of your torso, chest wall and breasts.
After the examination, specific recommendations will be made. Finally, you will receive a written quote of financial costs, including hospital, anesthesia, implant and surgeons fees.
How is the surgery performed?
Breast augmentation surgery is performed in an outpatient surgical facility, not an office setting. Surgery is performed under general anesthesia administered under the direction of a board certified anesthesiologist. The surgery usually takes less than one hour. You will not be able to drive home and may expect an additional hour in the recovery room after the surgery.
Elastic jogging bras will be the only support and dressing necessary after surgery, and you will need to bring one with you on the day of surgery. You can expect a mild recovery after surgery, returning to normal activities of daily living within 48 hours. Follow-up examinations will be at visits one day, one week, three months and six months after surgery. Yearly follow ups are encouraged and they are provided at no cost.
