Breast Augmentation Overview

There are many reasons to seek breast augmentation or breast implants. It is important that the patient is aware that this a choice made for themselves and their body. It is also not a procedure to enter into lightly. As with any surgical procedure there are risks involved. A patient considering the procedure should consider the risks and weigh them against the possible benefits. Once the decision is made though there are some options to consider.

A breast implant for example is a prosthesis used to correct the size, form, and texture of a woman’s breast. This is  form of reconstructive or cosmetic surgery depending on the need and reasons for the procedure. Breast implants are applied for post–mastectomy breast reconstruction as one example. They are also used for correcting congenital defects and deformities of the chest wall. In terms of breast implants for aesthetic breast augmentation this is a cosmetic surgery. Breast implants can also be used for creating breasts in the male-to-female transsexual patient.

There are three general types of breast implant devices used by reconstructive surgeons. Each of these devices is defined by their filler material: saline solution, silicone gel, and composite filler. The saline implant has an elastomer silicone shell filled with sterile saline solution; the silicone implant has an elastomer silicone shell filled with viscous silicone gel; and the alternative composition implants featured miscellaneous fillers, such as soy oil, polypropylene string, et cetera.

In surgical practice, for the reconstruction of a breast, the tissue expander device is a temporary breast prosthesis used to form and establish an implant pocket for emplacing the permanent breast implant. For the correction of male breast defects and deformities, the pectoral implant is the breast prosthesis used for the reconstruction and the aesthetic repair of a man’s chest wall.