Breast implant surgery rarely results in a permanent...

Breast implant surgery rarely results in a permanent loss of sensation. However, any surgery on the breast can possibly produce numbness and the only way to be assured that this will not happen is to not have the surgery.

The other factors that increase the risk of sensory loss are the surgical technique and the size of the implant. Large implants stretch the nerves more and are more prone to causing numbness.

If a patient experiences some loss of sensation after surgery, taking B complex vitamins may be helpful. It is possible to recover some or all sensation over many months to a few years post-op.

A few patients experience "hypersensitivity" after surgery which is the opposite of numbness. In these patients, excess sensitivity is present and in my experience is always temporary and resolves with time and massage.

Jaime-- this is a very common question. The short answer is that the risk exists, but it is pretty low. There are some folks that suggest that an incision under the breast in the breast crease is less likely to cause a problem compared to the incision in the areola, so many surgeons will exclusively only perform the procedure through this one incision.

The bottom line is that you have to sit down with your plastic surgeon and discuss the risk versus your desire to have breast augmentation, and make a decision that you're comfortable with; this includes letting your surgeon know which incision you prefer, as most of us are able to perform the procedure through either incision depending on the patient's anatomy and their preference. In the end, take your time and make a decision you're comfortable with.

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There are a lot of misconceptions about this, but it is rarely a long-term problem. Many still tell their patients that the areolar margin incision has a higher incidence of sensory loss to the nipple, but more recent studies have disproven that.

One study from Brazil found that larger implants have a higher risk of sensory loss, which makes sense because the dissection required to make a larger space for the implant may get closer to where the nerves are.

The take-home message is that it should not be the basis for deciding on where the incision is made, but something to think about if you are considering a larger size.

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