Breast Implants

The most sought-after surgeries available today include breast implants. In fact, more than 300,000 breast implant surgeries are performed every year in the United States, making it the most conducted type of plastic surgery.

Women who are born with shapeless or small breasts sometimes feel that they need to alter their breasts in order to look and feel better about themselves. Big and shapely breasts are generally looked upon by society as attractive. Hence, breast implants became the popular means to obtain the right breast shape and size.

Before breast implant came into existence, augmentation meant injecting the breast tissues with fat. But this method was found to be unsafe as it caused calcification or breast tissue hardening. Some women turn to hormonal treatment as an alternative but it was not a method that works well for all.

Currently, most women (and some men) can opt to have either of the following breast implant choices: silicone-filled implants, saline-filled implants, and double lumen implants or silicone-filled core with saline border. The silicone breast implants and the saline filled ones are the most popular types of breast implants today.

There are other aspects to consider when deciding which breast implant to choose. The size and shape should depend on one’s personal preference. Your desired “change” should be made as the basis of implant choice.

As with any other aesthetic enhancements, breast implants come with several pros and cons. Since most people need to look good in order to feel good, breast implants can therefore increase one’s level of self-esteem. Moreover, it follows that when a person has high regard for himself, his confidence improves as well.

But breast augmentation using breast implants does not always have positive results for everyone. For one, not all people who have undergone such procedure obtained a greater sense of self-confidence. Thus, their inferiority may not have something to do with their physical qualities, but may be more influenced by emotional or psychological aspects.

Other downside of the procedure includes dealing with the after-effects. As with all other medical procedures, undergoing breast implants can mean living with the side effects that are likely to occur.

Breast implant is known to be capable of interfering with breast feeding. Since most implants being used now are gel or liquid filled, there is always the possibility of leaching or leaking. Experts say that no implant lasts forever. It can rupture or break, causing it to deflate with the filling stuck to the breast tissue or absorbed by it. Most ruptures are caused by natural aging, impact on the breast, or excessive compression or pressure to the breast. The most obvious effect of a rupture can be observed through changes in the breast size and shape. However, such changes may appear after a few days or not for a long time after the rupture took place, depending on the size of the leak.

Breast implants are also known to result in decreased or total loss of breast sensation. Sometimes this side effect is temporary, but other times, it can also be permanent. Also, implants are known to make mammography results a lot harder to read. Thus, if you are going to undergo mammography or other breast cancer screenings, make sure that you inform your doctor about your breast implants so he may be able to conduct a more thorough breast screening.

Breast implant surgeries are expensive procedures. But even if you have the money, it does not mean that you go right ahead and choose to have it. Weigh the pros and cons and think about the whole package. Find a reliable surgeon who will be able to perform the operation the best way, and who will be able to tell you everything there is to know about the procedure. With all these considered, only then can breast implants work for you.