| Breast augmentation is
performed to enhance the appearance, size, and contour of a woman's
breasts. Women consider breast augmentation - or augmentation
mammaplasty - for different reasons. Some women feel their breasts
are too small in relation to their body contour. Some women desire
augmentation after size loss associated with pregnancy or sickness (such
as breast cancer). Others desire to correct an unevenness between
the sizes of the breasts.
Surgical breast augmentation is performed with implants that can
be placed either under a chest muscle or over a chest muscle. The
incision can be placed in the armpit, the areola (or nipple), or the
lower breast.
A breast implant is a silicone shell filled with either a
salt-water solution (called saline) or with silicone gel. A woman
determines her desired size by fitting trial implants. Currently,
saline-filled implants are used on an unrestricted basis. However,
in the U.S., silicone gel-filled implants are available only to
women participating in approved studies.
The most common risks are: infection, hematoma (bleeding around the
area of dissection), deflation, malposition of the implant, and
firmness of the breasts (capsular contracture).
It should be noted that while plastic surgery can often have
dramatic benefits, it is also important to have realistic
expectations to achieve a happy result.
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