Women — it should come as no surprise — want to look and feel their very best. One aspect of a woman’s appearance that garners the most attention — from others and also themselves — is their breasts. When this key aspect of a woman’s physique feels lagging, it can have a drastic effect on her emotional happiness, self-esteem, and wellbeing. Since so many factors can naturally affect the appearance of a woman’s breasts, such as childbirth, breastfeeding, and aging, it is unfortunately extremely common for a woman to feel dissatisfied with the look of her breasts.
However, a breast augmentation can improve the most common factors which lead to a woman’s dissatisfaction with her breasts. But is it safe? Media portrayals of surgical problems and bad outcomes abound, with rare cases and worst-case scenarios often getting the most coverage and publicity because it makes for a good magazine article or TV spot. But are these highly-reported incidents common? How safe is breast augmentation, and how often do bad outcomes occur? In short, how big is the risk? Every surgery has risk, but let’s look at what your real risks are, and more importantly, how you can avoid them, have a successful breast augmentation surgery and look and feel great again.
Are breast implants safe?
Patients considering a breast augmentation likely have three main concerns — rupture, capsular contracture and cancer. All of these potential negative side effects of breast augmentation do occur; however, all occur rarely. In the case of rupture, a saline rupture can be harmless although inconvenient, requiring a corrective procedure. A ruptured silicone implant also poses little-known risk, and silicone typically does not travel out of the breast pocket, further limiting the potential for harm. Cohesive-gel will not travel at all after a rupture since it is a semi-solid.
Capsular contracture — a hardening of scar tissue around an implant — also occurs rarely, and the risk of this occurrence can be further minimized if your board-certified plastic surgeon takes the proper precautions during your procedure. You can also continue to lower your risks by selecting implants with a smooth rather than textured shell. The most frightening risk is by far the rarest, that of anaplastic large cell lymphoma, a type of cancer. To illustrate your risk of this rare cancer, of over five million breast augmentation surgeries performed since 1997, only two hundred cases of this cancer have been confirmed in breast augmentation patients. Breast augmentation does have risks, but they are very small.
How can I ensure I have a safe surgery?
You can ensure you have a safe surgery by choosing a board-certified plastic surgeon with extensive experience performing breast augmentation surgeries. An experienced surgeon can significantly increase your chances of having a successful and long-lasting first surgery by substantially decreasing your risks from mistakes and unexpected circumstances. An experienced surgeon can also help increase your satisfaction and mitigate the need for additional surgeries by ensuring you select the implants that will best enhance your overall look and also have the procedure that most closely aligns with your desired goals.
You can enjoy even more safety if you select a surgeon who has ample experience in performing reconstructive and revision surgeries. Should any complications arise during your primary surgery, a surgeon with experience performing revision or reconstructive surgeries will have a greater ability to resolve them during your primary surgery and prevent or delay the need for a second surgery. While this type of experience typically comes at a premium, in the long run, patients’ higher levels of satisfaction and obviating a follow-up surgery can save patients significant heartache and costs.
Are breast implants safe long-term?
Breast augmentations have the inherent risk that all surgeries have, specifically the risk of infection, blood clots and the risks associated with anesthesia. Regardless of how safe surgeries have become with continued technological advances and the skills of an exceptionally well-trained board-certified plastic surgeon, you will always want to have as few surgeries as possible in the course of a lifetime to avoid unnecessary risks.
A safely and successfully performed breast augmentation, on average, provides ten years of quality results and, in some cases, can last much longer. However, even a successful surgery will require a follow-up surgery at some point in the future; this is because a woman’s body will continue to change as she ages, and activities and gravity will continue to affect the shape, volume and tone of her breasts.
Breast revision surgery has its own complications — since changes to breast tissue will occur over time as a result of having implants — but, overall, a revision can be performed as safely as a primary surgery if you choose a qualified surgeon experienced in revision surgeries. Women do not need to avoid a breast augmentation surgery because of the future necessity of a revision surgery. But knowing your risks — and how to minimize them by selecting the right surgeon — is essential.
Trust Your Breast Augmentation Surgery to a Surgeon With Ample Experience in Primary and Revision Surgeries
It’s easy to let fear guide your decisions, but you can achieve great peace of mind by understanding the facts. In the case of breast augmentation surgeries, the facts show that the overwhelming majority of women can have a safe procedure with the aesthetic results they want. And the key determiner of a safe and successful surgery is a qualified, board-certified plastic surgeon with significant and direct experience in breast augmentation and, especially, with revision surgeries.
Dr. Lickstein frequently performs the most challenging breast augmentation surgeries and takes on the most demanding cases, always delivering results. Giving his patients a safe procedure, high satisfaction and life-long confidence deeply motivate Dr. Lickstein. His consultative, patient-focused approach — believing that understanding his patients’ needs and goals is the key to giving them the outcome they want — wins patient loyalty and makes him the go-to choice for breast augmentation in the Palm Beach Gardens area.
Call Lickstein Plastic Surgery at 561-571-4000 today and schedule your in-person consultation. Dr. Lickstein looks forward to bringing your dream look to life, safely.
