Breast Augmentation at a Glance
- Sedation: General anesthesia and/or EXPAREL®
- Procedure Length: Approximately one to two hours
- Potential Benefits: Enhanced breast size and/or shape; a curvier, more feminine silhouette; improved confidence
- Potential Risks: Soreness, numbness, risks associated with anesthesia or breast implants
- Cost: From $9,500
Breast augmentation is a personal and private decision that can potentially produce life-changing effects. Highly skilled plastic surgeon Alexander Ereso, MD has performed breast augmentation procedures at his Mountain View location for over a decade, and is known for his artistic touch and extensive surgical experience.
Explore These Topics
- Breast Augmentation Candidates
- Breast Augmentation Benefits
- Breast Augmentation vs. Breast Lift
- Breast Augmentation Consultation
- Picking Out Your Breast Implants
- Preparation For Breast Augmentation Surgery
- Breast Augmentation Procedure
- Breast Augmentation Recovery
- Breast Augmentation Scars
- Breast Augmentation Results
- Breast Augmentation Risks and Safety
- Breastfeeding After Breast Augmentation
- Complementary Procedures
- Breast Augmentation Cost
Who Is a Candidate for Breast Augmentation?
Women who choose to have breast augmentation surgery generally wish to improve their self-image. Some patients’ breasts never developed to a size that meets their expectations. Alternatively, women may pursue this surgery to restore their natural breast volume, which may have decreased as a result of pregnancy, weight loss, or aging.
Furthermore, you may be a candidate for breast augmentation if:
- You feel that your breasts are too small
- Weight loss has changed the size and shape of your breasts
- After having children, your breasts have become smaller and/or lost their firmness
- Dresses that fit well around the hips are often too large at the bustline
- You feel self-conscious wearing a swimsuit or form-fitting top
In addition, those interested in breast augmentation must:
- Have fully developed breasts
- Be emotionally mature and fully understand their motivations for wanting the procedure
- Have realistic expectations for the procedure and fully grasp that it can produce a significant improvement, but not perfection
Patient Results
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After Breast Augmentation vs. Breast Lift
While breast augmentation and breast lift surgery are similar in that they can enhance the appearance of the breasts, they are not mutually exclusive and actually serve to deliver very different aesthetic outcomes. In particular, the primary purpose of breast augmentation surgery is to increase the size of the breasts, while a breast lift aims to create a more youthful look by elevating the breasts on the chest wall and correcting a droopy nipple position. That being said, breast lift can complement breast augmentation in many cases. With the improvements made during breast lift, the breast tissue can perfectly support a pair of implants, resulting in a larger, fuller, and perkier-looking bustline.
What Does the Breast Augmentation Consultation Involve?
A personal consultation at our Mountain View facility is the first step. Dr. Ereso will assess your physical and emotional health and discuss your specific cosmetic goals for breast augmentation surgery.
You should arrive at the consultation prepared to provide complete information about:
- Previous surgeries
- Past and present medical conditions
- Treatments you have received
- Medications that you are taking, including nutritional supplements and herbal remedies
- The results of mammograms you have had
- Any history of breast cancer in your family
If you would like to arrange a consultation to discuss breast implants or breast augmentation, feel free to contact our premier cosmetic plastic surgeon.
How Does Breast Implant Sizing Work?
To help you plan your ideal breast augmentation procedure, we offer four separate opportunities for the sizing of breast implants. Because Dr. Ereso believes the most important sizing takes place in the privacy of your own home, every patient is given specific instructions on how to best determine the appropriate size and shape of their breast implants.
During your initial visit, Dr. Ereso will discuss your options and give you the opportunity to see what you would look like with different-sized breast implants. The second and most important sizing will occur at home. Dr. Ereso instructs breast augmentation patients in the San Jose Bay Area to create and experiment with their own home-made breast implants in order to determine what size works best for their body.
- Create a “rice implant.” Begin by cutting a 12-inch segment of old pantyhose (not the foot area), tying a knot on one end, filling the pantyhose with approximately 8-12 ounces of rice, and tying the other end in a knot. Remember, you pick the size, and one ounce = 30 cc’s.
- Purchase a LYCRA® bra (with no underwire) in the cup size that you are looking to achieve with surgery. Make sure the bra doesn’t fit too tightly and purchase several sizes if you are unsure.
- Place the “rice implant” inside the bra, and add or remove rice until you find the most flattering size.
Now is your opportunity to try on clothes, bathing suits, and lingerie in stores or in the privacy of your own home. Consult your friends, families, and partners for advice, and spend as much time as needed. At your pre-op appointment, you can bring your rice implants to the office, and Dr. Ereso can measure the rice and compare it to the goals that were discussed during your initial appointment. You may discover that your preferences have changed, and your final implant size may be larger or smaller than what you initially desired. During your breast augmentation procedure, Dr. Ereso will have one final opportunity to adjust the size and position of your breast implants to best satisfy your desires.
Dr. Ereso offers this series of sizing steps for all of our San Jose Bay Area breast augmentation patients in order to help them achieve their aesthetic goals. We believe that sizing at home gives you more control over your final result and empowers you to experiment with size in a way that may have been uncomfortable in an office. When patients are comfortable with their breast augmentation treatment plan, they are more likely to be satisfied with their results.
Breast Implant Shapes
Breast implants are available in round or teardrop shapes. Round implants provide an equal amount of roundness and fullness at the top and bottom of the breasts. If you want the most cleavage possible, Dr. Ereso will probably recommend round implants. Another advantage to round implants is that because they are circular, if an implant were to shift around in the breast pocket, it would not affect the breast’s appearance.
Teardrop implants provide more fullness at the bottom of the breasts than round implants, making them the more “anatomically correct” choice. If you want the most natural and subtle result possible, Dr. Ereso may recommend teardrop implants.
Breast Implant Types
You have the choice of either saline or silicone implants. Saline implants contain a sterile saltwater solution encased in a silicone shell, whereas silicone implants contain a silicone material in a silicone shell.
There are pros and cons to each type of implant, all of which Dr. Ereso will discuss with you during your consultation. That said, women and their surgeons have increasingly selected silicone gel implants for their natural look and feel. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgery, many prefer silicone gel implants to saline implants.*
Gummy Bear Implants
This type of implant is sometimes referred to as the “gummy bear” implant because it is made with an extremely cohesive silicone gel. It retains its shape and reduces rippling, and recent studies have shown a reduced incidence of capsular contracture, which is responsible for firm breasts that can feel hard and cause pain. Gel leakage appears to be less than with traditional gel implants. In addition, the anatomic teardrop shape can produce a very pleasing, natural-looking result.
Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL)
The most significant disadvantage of shaped textured implants is that they are TEXTURED! The use of textured implants has become extremely controversial in the past few years. Why is this? The answer is Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (or “BIA-ALCL”).
BIA-ALCL is a rare type of lymphoma (cancer) that is found in the capsular scar tissue surrounding all breast implants. It does not ever involve breast tissue and it is NOT breast cancer. It is usually cured by removing all of the capsular scar tissue. BIA-ALCL has occurred in all areas of the world and to date has only been found in patients that have received textured implants. There does not appear to be any relation to the type of silicone gel or saline placed in the implant as well as to the shape of the implant.
It is not known with certainty what causes the development of BIA-ALCL, but it is known that the textured surface implants usually cause a low level of inflammation, which is thought to play a role in the development of BIA-ALCL. The most common presentation of BIA-ALCL is the development of a large seroma (collection of fluid), usually in one breast, making the affected breast look and feel considerably larger than the opposite uninvolved breast. BIA-ALCL has been reported from two years to 28 years after breast implant placement!
Because of the controversy surrounding BIA-ALCL and textured implants, we are no longer utilizing these implants. If you have textured implants of any type, please consider calling the office to set up an appointment to see Dr. Ereso.
For more information regarding BIA-ALCL, you may find www.plasticsurgery.org/alcl to be most helpful.
How Is the Breast Augmentation Procedure Performed?
The technique used for your surgery will depend not only on Dr. Ereso’s preferences but also on your desired results. Incisions are generally small and usually made in one of three locations:
- Underneath the breast just above the crease (or inframammary fold)*
- Around the lower edge of the areola
- Within the axillary fold (armpit)
Once the incisions are made, Dr. Ereso will create the pockets into which the breast implants are inserted. This pocket is made either directly behind the breast tissue or (more frequently) beneath the pectoral muscle located below the breast tissue and above the chest wall.
Keller Funnel™ For Breast Implants
Silicone gel implants are a lot like really tough water balloons. Up until now, surgeons needed to poke the pre-filled breast implants by hand through small incision sites, potentially bruising surrounding tissue and weakening the implant shell.
The Keller Funnel™ is a soft, cone-shaped, sterile device made of nylon that allows Dr. Ereso to use a no-touch delivery technique believed to reduce capsular contracture, a painful complication associated with breast augmentation procedures. The Funnel has a special interior coating that was designed to create a very slick surface. Once the Funnel tip is placed through the incision, Dr. Ereso quickly propels the implant gently into place with minimal force, bypassing the implant’s contact with the skin.
The Funnel was introduced to surgeons in 2009, shortly after silicone gels were FDA-approved and re-entered the U.S. market. Designed by a plastic surgeon, the Keller Funnel™ can improve the placement of silicone gel implants during breast augmentation procedures. Now we can give you the aesthetic advantages of silicone gel implants with a gentler surgical approach!
Common benefits of using the Keller Funnel™ include:
- Shorter incision lengths
- Improved comfort
- Faster healing
- No-touch technique
- Smaller incisions (similar to those used in saline implant procedures)
- Additional choices for incision placement
- Reduced force on the implant and incision
- Reduced risk of contamination and infection
According to a recent survey conducted among surgeons with experience using the Funnel:
- 91% reported that use of the Funnel reduces incision lengths
- 92% of physicians using the Funnel believe use of the Funnel reduces force on the implant shell that may lead to weakening of the shell
- 43% feel that incisions heal better with the use of the Funnel, and believe patients appear less swollen and bruised
- 75% reported using the device reduced the risk of infection
- Nearly 70% believed it lessened patient bruising and may reduce the incidence of capsular contracture, a painful complication associated with breast augmentation procedures
EXPAREL® and Breast Augmentation
Dr. Ereso offers EXPAREL® to select breast augmentation and tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) patients. EXPAREL® in selected individuals can dramatically reduce post-operative discomfort.
- EXPAREL® is a local analgesic that contains the local anesthetic bupivacaine. Local anesthetics are developed to provide pain relief by numbing the tissue around the surgical site.
- EXPAREL® is specifically designed to release pain medication over time and can control pain for up to 72 hours. This is fantastic!
- In addition to EXPAREL®, we may provide other pain medications to control your pain.
- Each patient is different and responds differently to pain medication. Depending on how you respond to EXPAREL®, you may require less additional pain medication during your recovery.
To help control your pain after surgery, Dr. Ereso can inject EXPAREL® into your surgical incision just before the end of the procedure. Be sure to ask our plastic surgeon or staff about this exciting way to reduce your discomfort, enhance your experience, and help you achieve the superior result that you deserve!
What Does Breast Augmentation Recovery Entail?
Within a day after surgery, you should be up and around. Most of the discomfort that you feel can be controlled with medication prescribed by our surgeon. Although everyone heals at a different rate, you can expect your recovery to follow this general timeline:
Within The First Week
- Bandages will be removed, and you may shower three days after surgery
- Sutures will be removed at one week after surgery
- You may return to light activity and non-strenuous work usually at five days after surgery
- You can resume sexual relations (as long as the breasts are treated gently)
After Several Weeks
- You may resume exercise
- Most of the swelling will subside and you should start to see your ‘new shape’
- You may resume vigorous exercise and arm movements
Avoid straining, bending, and lifting during the early post-operative period. You may resume most of your normal activities within several weeks.
Does Breast Augmentation Cause Scarring?
Like any major cosmetic procedure, breast augmentation is liable to cause scarring. With this in mind, Dr. Ereso always takes care to place incisions in inconspicuous locations, or areas of the body that can be concealed with clothing or bras. Further, breast augmentation scars that do appear typically fade to a flesh color in the months following surgery.
What Are the Typical Results of Breast Implant Surgery?
If you are like most women who have the procedure with a qualified provider, you should be very pleased with the results of your breast augmentation. You will no longer need padded bras or other breast-enlarging undergarments. Your new, natural curves should let you wear a greater variety of fashions – even dresses with low-cut necklines and form-fitting tops. Many women find that their new figure gives them a greater sense of self-confidence, whether they’re on the beach or in the boardroom.
You are likely to be happy with your results for many years. However, keep in mind that breast implants are not immune to the effects of weight fluctuations or aging. The life span of breast implants is approximately 8-20 years. Therefore, you can expect to have at least one or two additional procedures during your lifetime even if your initial breast augmentation procedure has a perfect result.
What Risks Are Associated With Breast Augmentation?
Each year, thousands of people have breast augmentations and experience no major complications. With this in mind, it is important for you to be informed of the potential risks in addition to the common benefits.
Breast implants have been used with great success for more than three decades, and Dr. Ereso has been performing breast augmentation for many years. Studies have confirmed that breast implants do not increase the risk of breast cancer, nor are they directly responsible for causing autoimmune diseases (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, fibromyalgia, etc.). In Dr. Ereso’s experience, both saline and silicone gel-filled breast implants are medically safe.
We will inform you of the possible complications of breast augmentation surgery during your initial consultation. In addition to listening carefully to what we tell you, be sure to raise any questions you may have about the safety of the procedure. By carefully following our advice and instructions – both before and after surgery – patients can often minimize some of the risks.
FDA Approves Silicone Gel Implants
Silicone gel implants have been reapproved by the FDA since 2006. Dr. Ereso has always believed that, for most patients, gel implants offer the most natural look and feel. They are particularly good for patients that are thin and have minimal breast tissue.
We use silicone gel implants in over 90% of our patients!
“Dr. Ereso was one of the only plastic surgeons I interviewed who took the time to discuss the medical details of the procedure and draw out WHY he does things in a certain way. He explained various options and described the likely aesthetic outcome. I am very pleased with the results. In all follow up visits, he sees me on time and spends as much time as I need to respond to my questions. He always asks me if I’m satisfied, have any discomfort, or if I have any questions. His office staff is one of a kind. Especially nurse Shelley.”
Can I Breastfeed After Breast Augmentation?
Although breast augmentation surgery does not always interfere with breastfeeding, some women are unable to breastfeed after undergoing the procedure. With this in mind, certain women naturally cannot produce breast milk and the placement of implants will make no difference.
If you are interested in potentially breastfeeding in the future, be sure to discuss this with Dr. Ereso, as he may be able to adjust the course of your surgery to avoid the milk ducts. Please also keep in mind that breastfeeding may mar the results of your surgery; for this reason, Dr. Ereso typically advises patients to have completed their families before pursuing breast enhancement surgery.
Complementary Procedures to Breast Augmentation
Depending on what you ultimately hope to achieve from plastic surgery, you may benefit from combining breast augmentation with another procedure. In addition to breast lift surgery, which is often performed in tandem with augmentation, tummy tuck surgery can be a wonderful addition. Many mothers who have lost their breast fullness and flat abdominal contours combine breast augmentation and tummy tuck into a comprehensive mommy makeover, which may also include liposuction for a total transformation. No matter your unique goals, Dr. Ereso will strive to help you achieve your dream physique.
How Much Does Breast Augmentation Cost?
At Alexander Ereso Plastic Surgery and Aesthetics, the cost of breast augmentation surgery typically begins at $9,500. That said, the final number will depend on specific details of your treatment plan, such as:
- The type of breast implants placed
- The incorporation of breast lift surgery or another procedure
- Anesthesia and/or EXPAREL® fees
- The surgeon’s fee
- Facility fees
- Pre- and post-operative medications, garments, etc.
The best way to get accurate pricing information for your case is to meet with Dr. Ereso for a one-on-one consultation. After receiving a treatment plan, our surgical staff can go over your cost estimate and explain what is included.
If you qualify, you may choose to finance your breast augmentation through CareCredit®. For more information about their pricing plans or to determine whether you are eligible, feel free to speak to a member of our team. Please also explore our plastic surgery financial policy page.
To request a breast augmentation consultation with Dr. Alexander Ereso, we welcome you to contact Alexander Ereso Plastic Surgery and Aesthetics today!
