Breast Implants Facts: No One Will Ever Tell You

Breast Implants Overview

Breast implants are prostheses or artificial devices for plastic surgery to enlarge breasts for the enhancement of an individual’s personality. For a successful conclusion of the surgery and the best outcomes, an individual must have sound physical and mental health. In addition, they must also have realistic expectations.

Breast implants contain sterile salt water or silicone gel. These implants are performed by experienced plastic surgeons after breast cancer which may lead to the loss of breasts. If you undergo breast implants after the loss of a breast due to cancer, the process is called breast reconstruction. On the other hand, breast implants for increasing the size of the breasts are called a boob job.

Who Can Have Breast Implants?

While the decision to undergo a breast implant can be a personal one, it can empower you. Before going for breast implants, you must have the following:

• Realistic expectations
• Good physical health
• Total development for undergoing breast implant 

Types of Breast Implants

Depending on the requirements of individuals, breast implants can be of different types. These include the ones given below.

• Saline breast implants
• Structured saline breast implants
• Silicone breast implants
• Gummy bear breast implants
• Round breast implants
• Smooth breast implants
• Textured breast implants

Reasons Why People Opt for Breast Implants

Generally, people opt for breast implants to increase the size of their breasts. But you may also want to undergo a breast implant for the following reasons; which can boost self-esteem or self confidence:

• Restoring the size of your breast to its previous size
• To correct the asymmetrical breast size
• Restoration of the size of the breasts after breast removal or mastectomy
• Gender affirmation

Breast Implants vs. Breast Augmentation: Differences

Most female individuals live under the impression that both beat implants and breast augmentation are the same. But some subtle differences draw a line of distinction between them.

Breast augmentation is a surgical procedure to increase the size of the breasts. It is perfect for female individuals who have small breasts. On the other hand, breast implants are man-made medical devices that are inserted into the breasts. Both are useful in distinct ways.

While breast augmentation is primarily the procedure for enlarging breasts, breast implants are man-made devices with silicon shells. The silicon shells are either with silicone gel or saline solution. Breast implants support breast augmentation.

What Is the Duration for Which Breast Implants Remain Intact?

Typically, breast implants remain intact for 10 years. However, your experience of undergoing these implants may be different from that of other individuals. In the run, especially after 10 years, your breast implants are more likely to break apart. This may happen in the form of breast swelling or change in the shape of breasts or an increase in their firmness. Sometimes a breast implant rupture may happen without any sign.

The Breast Implant Procedure: What Happens Before It?

Before initiating the breast implant procedure, your healthcare procedure will sedate you. They will do it to relieve you of the feeling of pain or discomfort during the surgery. When you are asleep following the sedation, your healthcare provider will make an incision to implant your breasts. They will make the following incisions in a way that the scars are not visible:

• Peri areolar: This incision is done in the area around the external edge of the areola.
• Inframammary: This form of incision is done on the crease that bisects the bottom of the chest and the breast.
• Trans axillary: This form of incision is done on the armpit.
• Trans umbilical: Your doctor will do this form of incision in the belly button.

Each of these incisions has both its advantages and disadvantages. Your healthcare provider will help you choose the right kind of incision. After the selection of the right incision option, your healthcare provider will place breast implants either between the breast tissue and chest muscles or under the chest muscles and breast tissue.

The Breast Implant Procedure: What Happens After It?

In the subsequent step following the conclusion of your breast implant procedure, your healthcare provider will use a compression band to provide support to your breasts. You will no longer need anaesthesia for minimizing pain. The process of recovery will begin and you will take some time to recover in the recovery room. Once you wake up, your healthcare provider will monitor your health from time to time.

The bodily response during the recovery stage may vary from one individual to the other. You may either feel dazed or have a sore and tight chest. Your healthcare provider will track the condition of your health for several hours. They will keep doing it until the time they feel that it is not necessary. You will need to be careful while going home. It is strongly recommended that you have someone who can drive you home and take care for the 24 hours following your breast implants. If you follow the general procedure, you should be able to recover at any time between six to eight weeks.

Advantages of Breast Implants

Breast implants provide the following advantages to individuals:

• Breast implants are long-lasting. Typically, they remain intact for 10 years at least.
• Breast implants aren’t associated with too many complications or risks. That is to say, they are safe.
• Breast implants play a vital role in boosting the confidence of those who lose their confidence due to small-sized breasts.

Risks of Breast Implants

Breast implants involve the following risks:

• Complications: Both long-term and short-term complications may develop due to breast implants. The short-term complication of breast implants is bleeding, whereas its long-term complication is hardened implants.
• Breast lift surgery: No doubt, breast implants expand breasts. But they do not lift the breasts. For a natural look, you may need breast lift surgery.
• Additional surgeries: Normally, breast implants last for a longer duration. But some women may see its long-term effects. As a result, they may need surgeries related to the removal of scar tissue, repositioning of their implant, or even implant removal.
• BIA-ALCL (Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma): Essentially a kind of cancer that affects the immune system, BIA-ALCL develops in the adjoining tissue following breast implants. After breast implants, it affects individuals with a textured shell.
• Breastfeeding complications: Though breast implants do not create any problems in breast feeding, they can affect some women. They may have an issue in producing milk.

Conclusion

Breast implants are artificial or man-made devices for restoring the normal size of the breasts or enlarging them. Given that breast implants are of different types and each of them has different advantages and disadvantages, it is usually best to choose one after proper consultation with your doctor.