Breast Augmentation: Cost, Reviews, Photos

When to have breast surgery

Breast augmentation will not impact your ability to breastfeed (lactating), so that shouldn’t affect your decision in any way. On the same note, breast augmentation will not affect your ability to get pregnant or your pregnancy.

Many of my patients have breast augmentation before starting a family and go on to have very healthy pregnancies.

There’s no reason you can’t enjoy your appearance now and still have children later. However, your pregnancy will affect your breasts and may reverse some of the positive aspects of your breast augmentation.

The fact that you have given the procedure a lot of thought shows me that you are serious about surgery.

If you have done your homework and researched qualified plastic surgeons in your area, then by all means, make an appointment for a consultation. He or she can determine whether you are a good candidate for breast augmentation and guide you in your choice of when to have surgery. (Thomas McNemar, MD, FACS, San Ramon Plastic Surgeon)

Breast feeding and breast implants

If you are not planning on having children in the near future (1-2 years), then I would say go for it. You should have no issue lactating with a standard breast augmentation as this does not cut any of the connections of the breast tissue with the nipple.

If you are planning on having kids in the near future or are nursing, you should wait until 6 months after you have finished lactating. If you have implants and then have multiple pregnancies, you may have some longterm changes in your breast related to stretching of the skin and loss of volume.

With a submuscular implant, this can manifest as the tissue sliding down over the implant resulting in a double contour deformity or snoopy breast. In this instance a breast lift (mastopexy) with/without a revision augmentation may be necessary. Make sure you seek out a board certified plastic surgeon to have all your questions answered. (Matthew H. Steele, MD, Fort Worth Plastic Surgeon)

Wait For Breast Augmentation If You’re Planning to Have Children Soon and Implants Don’t Affect lactating

If you plan to have children for sure, then it’s probably best to wait until after you have them before getting breast implants. This is because many women find that the shape and size of their breasts changes with pregnancy and childbirth. It is very common for women to experience a significant increase or decrease in breast size, and there may be some sagging as well.

For these reasons, having a breast augmentation before having children may improve your body contour, however the results may be negatively affected once you get pregnant. Following childbirth, you may find that your breasts are too large or too droopy (which would then require a subsequent surgery to address these issues). However, if you aren’t sure whether you’ll be having children anytime soon, then you should definitely consider visiting a plastic surgeon to discuss breast augmentation. A number of scientific studies have concluded that breast implants do not hinder your ability to breastfeed. However, to be on the safe side, discuss your concerns with your surgeon, since this may affect incision placement or surgical technique. (Jerome Edelstein, MD, Toronto Plastic Surgeon)

Wait Until After Children for Breast Augmentation?

This is a common question with valid points on each side. Studies have shown that breast feeding has been done successfully in most if not all breast augmentation postoperative patients. One will have to decide when she wants her augmentation and then see a plastic surgeon for evaluation. (Paul Vitenas, Jr., MD, Houston Plastic Surgeon)

Wait until after children for breast augmentation?

Most of our patients have breast augmentation surgery prior to having children. There is no effect on breast feeding if the breast implants are placed under the muscle and an inframammary crease is used. The breast tissue is not disrupted in any way therefore breast feeding is not affected. (Robert Heck, MD, Columbus Plastic Surgeon)

Women frequently get their breast augmented before they get pregnant. If you are planning to get pregnant immediately or soon, then I would wait. Lactating is an issue and in general we say that it should not interfere with breast feeding but that one cannot guarantee this. Your breasts will change with pregnancy and this is impossible to predict. (Michael Weinberg, MD, Toronto Plastic Surgeon)

Pregnancy does change breasts

Most women have been thinking about an augmentation for some time but have no definite plans for pregnancy. In regards to the breasts, implants will have very little impact on how your breasts will change during pregnancy and breast feeding.

Your breasts will mature and change at the same rate whether you have implants or not. The main question is, at what point would I be compelled to do something? If you hadn’t done the implants would you be happy to leave things alone or would you be compelled to do more surgery because you have implants, after the breasts change.

Most studies say that implants have very little impact on the ability to breast feed. Many women are not able to breast feed for one purpose or the other so if you are not able to breast feed after implants it probably is not the fault of the implants.

I have performed augmentation on women in between pregnancies and I have never had any one tell me they lost the ability to breast feed. (Marcus L. Peterson, MD, Saint George Plastic Surgeon)

Only you can make the decision

The fact remains that breast augmentation surgery may affect your ability to breast feed. If you are unable to breast feed after breast augmentation surgery it is more likely that you didn’t have enough breast tissue to breast feed to begin with.

However, there is some compression of the breast tissue from implants that may further affect the ability. Additionally, breast changes that occur with pregnancy may change your needs afterward to include a lift. This is somewhat unpredictable and depends on many factors. Many young woman obviously choose to proceed with breast augmentation prior to childbirth for the benefits of body self image enhancement that usually accompany the surgery.

Only you can decide what is best for you. I suggest a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon for a face to face discussion. (Kenneth R. Francis, MD, FACS, Manhattan Plastic Surgeon)

All bets off after pregnancy

First, breast augmentation does not change the overall statistics of women’s ability to breast feed, realizing that not all women without implants can breast feed.

Pregnancy can do all sorts of unpredictable things to your breasts in terms of volume and shape.

Since women elect breast augmentation to change the size and shape, obviously your results after surgery may be short-lived if you get pregnant soon after.

If you have no plans to get pregnant, you simply need to ask yourself how valuable it would be to have the results of augmentation for the time until you do get pregnant.

Is a yrear worth it? Two? Three? Only you can answer that question. Certainly you have to be prepared tp accept the changes produced by your pregnancy or to possibly undergo any variety of surgical procedures (revisions, replacement, reductions, lifts) to rectify these changes. (Robin T.W. Yuan, MD, Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon)

Lactating and breast implants

Breast implants, in the hands of a trained plastic surgeon, should have no impact on a womans ability to breast feed.

I see patients every day who ask this question and the answer is simple. Breastfeeding is not easy and not every woman can do it, in fact most can’t .

The Lache Society in the hospital, while you are holding your bundle of joy, will tell you if you are having trouble it is absolutely your implants that are the culprit, and that is just not true.

The milk ducts and processes that allow you to breast feed are not touched during the process of implantation with a submuscular placement.

If you were to gain a large amount of weight or breast feed multiple children, you may at some point require a revision or lift later in your life to get your pre-baby breast shape back, but even then, an implant wouldn’t have a negative impact on any of this. (Thomas B. Lintner, MD, FACS, Baltimore Plastic Surgeon)

Babies and breast implants

The ability to have lactation is rarely affected by having breast implants. I think it is a very personal choice whether to have implants now, or wait until after your childbearing years. Honestly this has to do a lot with where you are in your stage of life. Are you engaged to marry? Are you single and still many years from having children? Are you planning on having many children? If you are single and feel that you need the self confidence boost of having implants, then go ahead and have them now. But it is unpredictable what pregnancy and ultimately breast feeding will do to the size and shape of your breasts. (Eric Chang, MD, Englewood Plastic Surgeon)

Timing of breast augmentation as related to pregnancy

Studies have shown that the ability to have lactation is not affected by breast augmentation. There is no clear evidence that having a breast augmentation prior to pregnancy will lead to excessive stretching and subsequent laxity of the breasts.

If you are unhappy with your breasts waiting for an indefinite period until you have finished having children makes little sense. If you develop laxity over the years you may ultimately make the decision to have a lift. (Terrence Murphy, MD, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)

Breast implants, nursing, lactation, pregnancy and sagging

There is data to suggest that pregnancy will cause some sagging of the breasts. This tends to be more prominent with larger breasts. So, you may want to expect that this will result in some changes that may require revision surgery.

Timing is important. If children are planned in 1 year, I would say wait. If in 5 years, I would give my OK to proceed,. There are no guarantees that you can nurse without implants and therefore no one can predict if you will be able to nurse with implants. (Otto Joseph Placik, MD, Fort Worth Plastic Surgeon)

Breast implants before pregnancy

Breast augmentation can bed one at any age. It is perfectly fine, and extremely common to do it before you have children. There may be some effect on breast feeding, so if this is a big concern for you, then you may choose to wait.

Many women, even without implants, have to use formula if they are unable to breast feed, and there are very good alternatives because of this. (Jonathan Heistein, MD, Manhattan Plastic Surgeon)

Breast augmentation can bed one at any age. It is perfectly fine to do it before ever getting pregnant. (Steven Wallach, MD)

There is no one right answer here and much of this is a matter of opinion. Your “right” answer may depend upon a few things:

• When you want to get pregnant? If it is soon, I would wait. Pregnancy can change the breasts particularly if you decide to breastfeed. This can make surgery other than implant placement a consideration.
• Would you mind having breast surgery more than once? Implant placement followed by pregnancy may put changes into the breast that could make you consider more surgery later.
• Do you want to breast feed? Lactation can be negatively affected by breast implantation at least theoretically. Having surgery followed by pregnancy can affect your decisions later. If you are OK with that, then go ahead. Do let your surgeon know this however as he or she can discuss options in your implant surgery that may be helpful to you later for example limiting the negative affects on having lactation. (John P. Di Saia, MD, Orange)