Breast augmentation surgery performed with the use of implants is one of the most desired and performed plastic surgery procedures in the world, and the United States is no different.
When breast augmentation surgery is performed, the patient will get a general anesthetic that will render her unconscious for the duration of the procedure, so there will be no recollection of the surgical trauma and no pain. After the general anesthesia is administered, the surgeon will start by making incisions either around the areola or in the inframammary fold to create a pocket where the implants are inserted. After the implants are positioned inside the breasts, the incisions are sutured, compressive dressings are applied, and the patient is moved to recovery where she will spend the next few hours until the effects of the general anesthesia are gone.
The recovery period is about two weeks post-op, but the final results will be visible within six to nine months as the incisions need to completely close and heal before assessing the results.
Because the procedure is quite complex and a major surgery, patients have different concerns before scheduling their procedure. The concerns are different from patient to patient, but often they are related to the effects of the anesthesia used, the risks and complications of the procedure, long-term consequences, and achieving satisfactory results.
A common concern is associated with the use of general anesthetic. Myth says that getting general anesthesia can take years off your life. This is not true. There are risks associated with undergoing any type of anesthesia, but the long-term consequences are not associated with a shorter life span. Moreover, most of the risks of general anesthesia can be avoided if the patient prepares properly and has nothing to eat or drink for six to eight hours before the surgery.
Other concerns are related to the length of the recovery period and whether the pain will be intense during this time. It is true that the first few days post-op can be associated with a more intense level of pain and discomfort, but the pain is usually easily manageable with pain medication. This means that as long as the patient takes the medication as per the doctor’s orders, there won’t be too much pain and discomfort. Also, avoiding intense physical activities, lifting heavy things off the floor, and overstretching the arms can help reduce the amount of pain experienced by patients after a breast augmentation surgery.
The concerns about the long-term consequences of breast augmentation are related to the ability to breastfeed. Breastfeeding is often possible after getting breast implant surgery; however, an experienced and talented plastic surgeon will not advise patients to get pregnant after undergoing a breast enhancement procedure as the aesthetic results achieved might be compromised and the patient might need to undergo another surgery later on to correct the imperfections that might occur.