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Breast Augmentation

Breast augmentation is the preeminent cosmetic surgery procedure for women who would like to enhance the size, fullness, and contours of their breasts. With the range of advanced implant options available, patients who want to improve their breast size and shape have many possible “looks” to choose from — whether they desire a subtle, natural result or a more noticeably enhanced outcome. In any case, Dr. Jared Garlick — a fellowship-trained plastic surgeon — uses a customized and tailored approach with each patient to help them achieve an exceptionally natural result. Modern techniques designed to refine every detail, including enhancing the profile of the upper breast, maximizing the longevity of an implant, and better defining the cleavage, among other goals, are utilized to obtain the superior breast augmentation results Dr. Garlick is known for.

BREAST AUGMENTATION AT A GLANCE

  • Procedure: Outpatient
  • Anesthesia: General anesthesia
  • Length of Surgery: 1 – 2 hours
  • Recovery: One to two weeks

How Can Breast Augmentation Improve My Breast Contours?

There are many types of breast surgery that can make your desired breast contours a reality. Breast enhancement with implants, in particular, can be ideal if your surgical goals include: 

  • Obtaining a larger breast size
  • Improving the upper pole fullness of the breasts
  • Enhancing the volume and fullness of the breasts
  • Creating more defined cleavage lines
  • Reshaping and firming the breasts
  • Achieving a better fit in clothing or swimsuits
  • Attaining a more feminine and sensual silhouette

It’s not uncommon for some patients to desire a more rejuvenated breast appearance along with increased volume. If you would also like to resolve breast sagging (medically referred to as “breast ptosis”) at the time of your surgery, Dr. Garlick can discuss the option of combining your augmentation with mastopexy. During your consultation, Dr. Garlick will confirm whether you’re a good candidate for this surgery. Women considering breast augmentation should be in good overall health and maintain realistic expectations for the outcome, as well as a positive outlook on the procedure.

“I couldn’t be happier with my experience with Dr Garlick and the team at The Plastics Clinic. I debated getting breast augmentation for years, and I am so glad I finally decided to have it done.”

Brittney R.

Is Breast Augmentation Right For Me?

Breast implants can be very transformative and offer a high level of customization with regard to the final results. If you’re interested in making your breasts fuller with saline or silicone implants, it’s crucial to fully discuss your goals and medical history with Dr. Garlick. The breast augmentation procedure is most successful for patients who are:

  • Healthy and do not smoke, or are willing to quit smoking
  • Not affected by uncontrolled medical conditions that may interfere with recovery
  • Positive and optimistic about the potential results
  • Realistic about what the procedure can accomplish

In addition to helping women who have noticed changes in their breasts due to aging, pregnancy, breastfeeding, or weight loss, implants are also commonly utilized for patients who have undergone breast cancer removal surgery. Dr. Garlick understands that each person has their own motivations for breast enhancement, and is committed to creating the best possible surgical plan for his patients.

Breast Augmentation vs. Breast Lift

Breast augmentation and a breast lift are two of the most popular procedures available to redefine the breast contours. While both surgeries can rejuvenate the breast shape, breast augmentation and mastopexy are designed to achieve different goals.

In general, implants are placed to enhance the volume of the breasts, creating a rounder, fuller, and more pronounced breast profile. This can be ideal for patients who want more sensual, voluptuous curves or who want to enjoy a better fit in tight clothing. In contrast, mastopexy is performed to firm and lift the breasts to correct a stretched, sagging, or “deflated” look. As a result, breast lift patients are able to reclaim a younger-looking and more projected appearance in their bust. This does not enhance volume, but can still refine the shape of the breasts. Your concerns and motivations for surgery will determine the best procedure to give you the results you desire, but it’s important to discuss your goals during a consultation so your needs can be properly evaluated by an aesthetic plastic surgeon. It’s possible to combine breast augmentation and mastopexy into one surgical plan, so don’t hesitate to communicate your desires to Dr. Garlick.

What are My Breast Implant Options?

Selecting the right implants to make your aesthetic goals a reality will involve a number of determinations on top of picking saline versus silicone, such as choosing round or teardrop-shaped implants, as well as subglandular (over the chest muscle) or submuscular (under the chest muscle) implant placement. The types of breast implants available include:

  • Saline Implants: Made of saline solution inside of a silicone shell, saline implants have achieved beautiful results for decades and are FDA-approved for patients 18 years of age or older. Saline implants can give patients peace of mind in the extremely rare event of rupture, as they often provide visible indications of a leak. If this occurs, the saline solution should be harmlessly absorbed by the body.

  • Silicone Implants: Consisting of silicone gel filled inside of a silicone shell, silicone implants are known for their natural look and feel. They are FDA-approved for women over who are 22 or older, and tend to keep their shape if a rupture occurs. The new generation of silicone implants are much improved from the previous generation of implants that may come to mind, offering a higher degree of safety and longevity when compared to older silicone implant models.

We understand that the decision-making process can be overwhelming without an experienced plastic surgeon to guide you through the consultation stage, surgery, and recovery period. At our Salt Lake City-area practice, the choices you make during breast augmentation — including the most optimal incision technique, implant location, and size/type/shape of implant — will be made in consultation with Dr. Garlick to help ensure you can achieve the results you envision.

Choosing the Best Implant Size for Your Needs

Another important determination you’ll make during the breast augmentation process involves the size of your new breast implants. Breast augmentation can provide you with an elegant, subtle enhancement or a more dramatic and noticeable volume increase. The best implant size for you completely depends on your goals and how you want your augmentation to affect your silhouette. At your consultation, Dr. Garlick will present you with a range of implant options after listening to your concerns.

Some women describe their aesthetic desires by referring to the number of cup sizes they want to enhance their breast volume; however, this typically provides a limited understanding since cup sizes vary for each bra manufacturer. During your appointment, you will have the opportunity to “try on” different implant sizes so you can view how they affect your bust and your overall figure. If you have an idea of the types of results you would like to achieve, we encourage you to bring in pictures or videos to better illustrate your desires.

Breast Implant Placement

In general, the breast implant pocket can be made either under (submuscular) or over (subglandular) the chest muscle. The most ideal placement location for your procedure will depend on the size of your implants and your anatomical needs.

Under-the-Muscle Implant Placement (Submuscular)

For patients who have a thin body frame and/or particularly large breast implants, a submuscular placement can be the best approach. By placing an implant underneath the pectoral muscle, there is a greater degree of coverage for the implant and a lower risk of rippling, wherein the edges of an implant are seen or felt through the skin.

Over-the-Muscle Implant Placement (Subglandular)

Over-the-muscle implant placement can benefit individuals who have an adequate amount of breast tissue to provide coverage for their implants. When the implants are placed over the chest muscles, the recovery period can be relatively shorter and less painful when compared to submuscular placement. It may also be easier to create custom cleavage with the subglandular technique.

How is the Breast Augmentation Procedure Performed?

Breast augmentation is an outpatient surgery performed in our accredited surgical facility under general anesthesia. Dr. Garlick employs many techniques to maximize the overall outcome of breast augmentation, including customized suturing of each breast fold and use of the GalaFLEX® Scaffold “internal bra” in some patients to reinforce and support the breasts after surgery. This internal, bioresorbable scaffold can help support the soft tissue of the breast and implant, adding to the longevity of your breast augmentation surgery. This is especially helpful when using larger-sized implants and in patients with thin skin and minimally defined inframammary breast folds.

Fat Transfer Breast Augmentation

“Fat transfer” or “fat grafting” is a technique designed to inject excess fat cells taken from elsewhere on the body into the breasts, allowing your own tissue to provide a natural volume enhancement. This is commonly referred to by many as “natural breast augmentation.” Fat grafting is most successful when used to shape and contour the breasts, often being utilized to enhance breast cleavage. In general, about 50 to 80 percent of the transferred fat will remain in the breasts and behave just like the rest of your fat cells, meaning the size of your enhancement will increase and decrease as you gain or lose weight. Due to the fact that not all of your fat survives in fat grafting, Dr. Garlick usually discusses planning for a possible second round of grafting to ensure you achieve your optimal and equal breast size. In your consultation, Dr. Garlick will discuss all of the pros and cons of fat grafting to the breasts with you.

Custom Cleavage™ with Fat Grafting Breast Augmentation

Custom Cleavage™, Dr. Garlick’s custom-tailored approach to breast augmentation, often involves enhancing the cleavage lines with a combination of implants and fat grafting. Many women have naturally wide breast cleavage due to their anatomic breast footprint, which is specific to each patient. While the breast footprint cannot be repositioned, your own fat can be transferred to the medial quadrants of the breasts to add shape and contour,  bringing the cleavage lines closer together. This works best in combination with implant placement to truly achieve a beautiful, proportional breast shape and the custom cleavage you desire without the help from a bra.

What Can I Expect During the Recovery Period After Breast Augmentation?

Plenty of rest will help facilitate the healing process after your breast augmentation. Dr. Garlick will advise you to practice light ambulation as soon as you feel up to it, including standing, walking around the house, and other types of light activity that can help reduce the risk of blood clots. Swelling, possible bruising, and a general feeling of soreness are likely for the first two to three days after surgery, which can be easily managed with over-the-counter and prescribed pain medication. 

Most patients are able to return to office-based work within one week, with more strenuous or demanding jobs often requiring 10 to 14 days of rest before returning to work. Exercise, aerobic activity, and heavy lifting are typically prohibited for six weeks depending on your unique rate of healing. Dr. Garlick will monitor your progress in periodic follow-up appointments after your procedure and personally advise you on activity restrictions accordingly. Rest assured that he will provide you with detailed recovery and aftercare instructions. 

How Long Do Breast Augmentation Results Last?

Although breast implants are not designed to last a lifetime, breast augmentation can provide beautiful results for several decades for many patients. In fact, unless a complication presents itself, the wide majority of women do not ever feel the need to replace their implants. That said, if you later find you want to upgrade to a newer type or size of implant, Dr. Garlick also performs breast revision at our Draper and Salt Lake City-area office to exchange implants, remove scar tissue, or address other complications that may arise.

For all cosmetic surgery procedures, results generally have the greatest longevity when paired with a healthy diet and an active lifestyle. Weight gain can certainly affect your body contours, therefore staying active and eating healthy are often effective ways to maximize your final results. We also recommend postponing surgery until after you have no future plans for pregnancy and/or major weight gain to avoid additional skin and tissue laxity in the breasts.

What Can I Expect From My Breast Augmentation Scars?

Scars from breast augmentation are generally found near the areolas and the natural breast crease (inframammary fold). Most commonly, incisions are placed encircling the borders of the areolas or along the breast fold, where the lower breast meets the chest wall. In some cases of saline breast augmentation, the incision is placed within the fold of the underarm and the breasts are left unscarred altogether; however, this technique is only possible with saline implants. Regardless of the best approach for your needs and hopes for the outcome, incisions are made inconspicuously within the natural contours of the breasts whenever possible. Dr. Garlick will show you where scarring is likely to appear after evaluating your needs in a consultation. This can help you make an informed decision about whether or not to undergo breast augmentation, and we encourage you to explore before-and-after photos to give you an understanding of what to expect.

How Much Does Breast Augmentation Cost?

The total cost of breast augmentation is different for each patient based on the unique details of their procedure. Breast augmentation is a highly customized surgery and your cost estimate will be calculated according to your treatment plan. In addition to the standard expenses associated with cosmetic surgery — including fees for the anesthesia, surgical facility, and surgeon — the price of breast augmentation will be influenced by:

  • The type of breast implants chosen
  • The surgical technique(s) utilized
  • The complexity of your procedure

After Dr. Garlick evaluates your needs in a personal consultation, our office will be able to provide you with a personalized quote. If desired, our plastic surgery financing options can help you make the costs of breast augmentation more affordable. Don’t hesitate to contact our Salt Lake City-area office if you have any other questions about breast surgery costs.

Is Non-Surgical Breast Augmentation Possible?

Unfortunately, there is no non-surgical procedure or technique to enhance breast volume that can provide the same quality of results as breast implants. Breast augmentation has several decades of research and successful clinical outcomes to support its effectiveness in breast enhancement, which is why it’s considered one of the most frequently performed cosmetic procedures in the world. Breast implants are well-known for achieving high-quality, long-term results, which cannot be rivaled using in-office technologies or minimally invasive treatments.

If you have any questions about breast augmentation, or if you’re ready to discuss your goals with Dr. Jared Garlick, please contact our office today. 

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