July 02, 2021
Breast augmentation is a surgery that has been around for a very long time. Because of this, there’s been a lot of research published over the decades and technological advancements have been made that make it one of the safest cosmetic procedures performed.
And with that long history, we’ve also seen a ton of myths about breast augmentation surgery, especially surrounding the safety and efficacy of breast implants.
At The Plastic Surgery Clinic we’re really adamant about our patients knowing everything they need to know before they decide to have any type of surgery. Unfortunately with a lot of conflicting information out there that’s not always so easy, so we really want to stress that if you are researching a surgery like breast augmentation or are looking for more information about breast implants, going straight to the source (your surgeon!) is always a great idea. That’s one of the reasons why our consultations are always free.
Make sure you’re reading authorities on the topic you’re researching, and when it comes to cosmetic procedures, the best source is the people who perform the surgery every day: board certified plastic surgeons.
Here are some of the most common breast implant myths that need debunking.
This is probably one of the biggest misconceptions about breast implants: that they have an expiration date and that you have to replace them every 10 years. This is not true. There is no expiration date on your implants, and in fact many women never need to replace them.
You only need to change your implants if you have a problem. You may also want to change your breast implants if you’ve lost or gained a lot of weight or if you’d like a different look. There are a number of new techniques and procedures out there from a breast augmentation with fat transfer to a breast lift with auto-augmentation.
If you’re in any way concerned about your breast implants, the best thing to do is to talk to your doctor.
It’s true that some women seek out a more noticeable result or a bigger change, and may want their new breasts to be noticeable. The majority of the patients we operate on, however, receive modest enhancements that look totally natural and no one suspects you’ve had anything done.
No. Breast implants do not cause cancer. There is something called Breast Implant Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) that has occurred when textured implants have been used. When these textured implants were removed, the ALCL was resolved.
At The Plastic Surgery Clinic we don’t use textured implants, and there has never been a case of BIA-ALCL in a patient with smooth implants.
There has been a lot of discussion recently about something called Breast Implant Illness (BII). A very small percentage of women have complained about a range of symptoms from fatigue and anxiety to hair loss and depression that they associate with their breast implants. We recognize that the symptoms experienced by these women are real but we don’t have enough scientific evidence that points to the correlation between these symptoms and breast implants. Which means that at this point BII is not a recognized medical condition.
That said, it is possible to be allergic to implants, and this may be where the symptoms are coming from, but it is extremely difficult to diagnose. Again, this an extremely rare condition that affects less than 1% of breast implant patients.
It depends on how the operation is done, as far as nursing goes. The way that we perform breast augmentation surgery at The Plastic Surgery Clinic will maintain your ability to nurse. There are plenty of studies that show that implants do not affect your fertility or ability to have children. When you have implants you can have children normally and you can breastfeed.
Breast implants can look fake if they’re done incorrectly. You can put the wrong implant in, or the wrong size, or the surgery can be done in an inappropriate way. Our thing at The Plastic Surgery Clinic is really about making your breasts look totally natural. A perfect result for us is when our patients get to decide who knows that they’ve had the surgery. Some prefer to keep it private, while others want to share their story with the world. But ultimately the result looks so natural that no one can tell otherwise.
Scars from breast augmentation surgery are extremely hard to see. We typically hide scars in the armpit, so it ends up looking just like a wrinkle under your arm. Or we will hide the scar in the bra crease, which ends up looking like a tiny paper cut, or a little tiny white line that you pretty much can’t even see, even when you’re naked.
Increased nipple sensitivity is possible, but unusual. 90% of women say that their sensitivity is the same, and 10% say that it’s increased. So the odds are that your nipple sensitivity will remain the same after breast augmentation surgery.
This used to be true with older implants that were being used about 10 to 15 years ago. Now we use highly cohesive gel implants, which we call gummy bear implants. Some are more gummy bear than others, and we use the most gummy bear ones. In other words, we use the most solid type of implant out there. If you think of a gummy bear, you can stick a pin in it and nothing comes out. That’s what the implants we use are like. Breast implant rupture is generally super rare, and with our highly cohesive gel implants there is absolutely no risk that any substance would leak out and into your body.
When you have breast augmentation surgery with us, if you ever have any concerns about how your implants are doing, we have state-of-the-art high resolution ultrasound technology to check your breast implants that can detect even the smallest ruptures. As our patient, it’s available anytime at no cost, and it’s available to you for life. If we ever discover a rupture, we’ll discuss your options with you as a ruptured implant needs to be replaced.
Did we answer all your questions? Our goal is to ensure you have the best information possible to make your decision. If you still have questions, we’re here to help.
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