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Breast augmentation scheduled.. Now I'm having second thoughts! Any suggestions?

I have my ba scheduled for August after wanting one for the last decade. I'm going with silicone under the muscle and have felt great about my decision until last night. Found stories online about implant infections and how dangerous and painful the recovery is. Now I'm freaking out and second guessing my decision. What are the chances of something like an implant infection and is all the pain really worth it? I'm afraid of spending all this money and just ending up worse than when I started!

Doctor Answers 11

Breast augmentation scheduled.

June 14th, 2016
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Preoperative anxiety is the norm. Yes, surgery hurts and then the pain goes away as you heal.The risk of infection exists with all surgeries, with this operation it is less than 1%. You will do fine. The satisfaction rate with breast augmentation is over 90%.
Ronald V. DeMars, MD
June 14th, 2016

Breast augmentation scheduled.

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Preoperative anxiety is the norm. Yes, surgery hurts and then the pain goes away as you heal.The risk of infection exists with all surgeries, with this operation it is less than 1%. You will do fine. The satisfaction rate with breast augmentation is over 90%.
Ronald V. DeMars, MD

Breast augmentation scheduled.. Now I'm having second thoughts! Any suggestions?

July 3rd, 2016
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Thank you for the question. It is perfectly normal response to have a second thought. Any procedure that you undergo has risks for infection and this is extremely low in healthy patients. Patients with obesity, diabetes, history of smoking will have an increased of infections and complications. It is best to go for a second visit with your board certified plastic surgeon. Good luck.
Himansu Shah, MD
July 3rd, 2016

Breast augmentation scheduled.. Now I'm having second thoughts! Any suggestions?

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Thank you for the question. It is perfectly normal response to have a second thought. Any procedure that you undergo has risks for infection and this is extremely low in healthy patients. Patients with obesity, diabetes, history of smoking will have an increased of infections and complications. It is best to go for a second visit with your board certified plastic surgeon. Good luck.
Himansu Shah, MD

Breast augmentation scheduled.. Now I'm having second thoughts! Any suggestions?

June 16th, 2016
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Infections after breast augmentation as rare, less than 1%. An experienced board certified plastic surgeon should have a very low rate of infection. See link below for examples.

Web reference: https://drgutowski.com/Before-After-Photos/Breast/Breast-Augmentation

Karol A. Gutowski, MD, FACS
June 16th, 2016

Breast augmentation scheduled.. Now I'm having second thoughts! Any suggestions?

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Infections after breast augmentation as rare, less than 1%. An experienced board certified plastic surgeon should have a very low rate of infection. See link below for examples.

Learn more: https://drgutowski.com/Before-After-Photos/Breast/Breast-Augmentation

Karol A. Gutowski, MD, FACS

Breast Augmentation with silicone implants under the muscle facts about recovery, pain and infection.

June 16th, 2016
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It is extremely common to have second thoughts regarding an elective procedure like breast augmentation. I would recommend you make another appointment to discuss your concerns with the board certified Plastic Surgeon you have chosen. Infection rates for first time (primary) augmentation are extremely low when performed by a board certified Plastic Surgeon in an approved facility or hospital. Pain management should be discussed with your Plastic Surgeon, who should have a pain protocol in place, which typically starts in the operating room and continues until you are pain free, typically 2-3 days. My patients always say that the pain they feared based on internet chat room reports, is manageable when my pain management protocol is used. My patients are typically off narcotics by day 3 and continue with a non narcotic protocol for 2-5 more days. Good Luck!  

Web reference: http://www.casas.md/breast-procedures-chicago/breast-augmentation/

Laurie A. Casas, MD, FACS
June 16th, 2016

Breast Augmentation with silicone implants under the muscle facts about recovery, pain and infection.

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It is extremely common to have second thoughts regarding an elective procedure like breast augmentation. I would recommend you make another appointment to discuss your concerns with the board certified Plastic Surgeon you have chosen. Infection rates for first time (primary) augmentation are extremely low when performed by a board certified Plastic Surgeon in an approved facility or hospital. Pain management should be discussed with your Plastic Surgeon, who should have a pain protocol in place, which typically starts in the operating room and continues until you are pain free, typically 2-3 days. My patients always say that the pain they feared based on internet chat room reports, is manageable when my pain management protocol is used. My patients are typically off narcotics by day 3 and continue with a non narcotic protocol for 2-5 more days. Good Luck!  

Learn more: http://www.casas.md/breast-procedures-chicago/breast-augmentation/

Laurie A. Casas, MD, FACS

Second thoughts before elective surgery

June 15th, 2016
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It is very common for patients to have anxiety before a scheduled procedure and, in fact, it's quite uncommon for a patient to say that they're not at all nervous.  As with any surgical procedure, it's important to make a careful and considered decision before proceeding.  Weighing your options, thinking about the risks and benefits, and choosing a surgeon with whom you feel comfortable are all part of that process.  Given that you've been thinking about this surgery for 10 years and have scheduled the procedure in the relatively distant future, I suspect you've been careful in your decision making.

What you will probably notice when perusing online forums is that patients who are happy, healed perfectly, and love their results spend less time talking about them online than those patients who are less happy or have had complications.  I believe this skews the information available online.

Yes, breast augmentation is surgery and there are potential complications that can occur such as infection.  This is uncommon and most surgeons are very careful to do all that we can do to make this likelihood as low as possible.  With regard to pain, almost all of my patients will tell me that the pain associated with breast augmentation surgery was less severe than they read about online.

I advise my patients to do your research and ask me about any questions they have before making the decision to proceed with surgery.  Once you've made the decision to move forward, stop looking at all of the scary stuff online - it can drive you crazy!  If you're just not confident about your decision to move forward with surgery, cancel your procedure until you can be comfortable that you're making decision that's right for you.

Web reference: http://www.plasticsurgeryofchicago.com/procedures/breast-augmentation/

Lisa J. Peters, MD
June 15th, 2016

Second thoughts before elective surgery

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It is very common for patients to have anxiety before a scheduled procedure and, in fact, it's quite uncommon for a patient to say that they're not at all nervous.  As with any surgical procedure, it's important to make a careful and considered decision before proceeding.  Weighing your options, thinking about the risks and benefits, and choosing a surgeon with whom you feel comfortable are all part of that process.  Given that you've been thinking about this surgery for 10 years and have scheduled the procedure in the relatively distant future, I suspect you've been careful in your decision making.

What you will probably notice when perusing online forums is that patients who are happy, healed perfectly, and love their results spend less time talking about them online than those patients who are less happy or have had complications.  I believe this skews the information available online.

Yes, breast augmentation is surgery and there are potential complications that can occur such as infection.  This is uncommon and most surgeons are very careful to do all that we can do to make this likelihood as low as possible.  With regard to pain, almost all of my patients will tell me that the pain associated with breast augmentation surgery was less severe than they read about online.

I advise my patients to do your research and ask me about any questions they have before making the decision to proceed with surgery.  Once you've made the decision to move forward, stop looking at all of the scary stuff online - it can drive you crazy!  If you're just not confident about your decision to move forward with surgery, cancel your procedure until you can be comfortable that you're making decision that's right for you.

Learn more: http://www.plasticsurgeryofchicago.com/procedures/breast-augmentation/

Lisa J. Peters, MD

Breast Augmentation Pre Op Anxiety

June 15th, 2016
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Hello,

Thank you for your question. It is common for patients to be anxious closer to the surgery date and certainly more so when reading anecdotal stories on the internet. I recommend that you share your concerns and questions with your Plastic Surgeon and let their office answer/reassure you.
Most of my patients say that the pain from breast augmentation is not as bad as they expected. Everyone experiences pain differently but this is a very common procedure with so many people undergoing BA daily who would tell you that for them, the results are well worth it.

All the best

Web reference: https://edelsteincosmetic.com/learning-centre/breast-augmentation-faq/

Jerome Edelstein, MD
June 15th, 2016

Breast Augmentation Pre Op Anxiety

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Hello,

Thank you for your question. It is common for patients to be anxious closer to the surgery date and certainly more so when reading anecdotal stories on the internet. I recommend that you share your concerns and questions with your Plastic Surgeon and let their office answer/reassure you.
Most of my patients say that the pain from breast augmentation is not as bad as they expected. Everyone experiences pain differently but this is a very common procedure with so many people undergoing BA daily who would tell you that for them, the results are well worth it.

All the best

Learn more: https://edelsteincosmetic.com/learning-centre/breast-augmentation-faq/

Jerome Edelstein, MD

Worried about complications with breast augmentation

June 14th, 2016
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It is perfectly understandable and in fact quite normal to get nervous before surgery.  The statistics for complications for breast augmentation are fairly well known.  Incidence of infection is at or less than 1%.  It is also worth mentioning that over 90% of women who undergo breast augmentation express satisfaction with their decision.  I think it is reasonable and important to make sure your surgeon knows you are having these feelings as he or she knows you best and may therefore best be able to put your mind at ease.  Good luck!
Charles Galanis, MD

Charles Galanis, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon
5.0 out of 5 stars 23 reviews

June 14th, 2016

Worried about complications with breast augmentation

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It is perfectly understandable and in fact quite normal to get nervous before surgery.  The statistics for complications for breast augmentation are fairly well known.  Incidence of infection is at or less than 1%.  It is also worth mentioning that over 90% of women who undergo breast augmentation express satisfaction with their decision.  I think it is reasonable and important to make sure your surgeon knows you are having these feelings as he or she knows you best and may therefore best be able to put your mind at ease.  Good luck!

Charles Galanis, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Augmentation concern

June 14th, 2016
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It is common for patients to get a bit nervous prior to surgery. If you have more questions to be answered then speak with your surgeon.

Web reference: https://www.stevenwallachmd.com/breast/breast-augmentation/

Steven Wallach, MD
June 14th, 2016

Augmentation concern

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It is common for patients to get a bit nervous prior to surgery. If you have more questions to be answered then speak with your surgeon.

Learn more: https://www.stevenwallachmd.com/breast/breast-augmentation/

Steven Wallach, MD

Breast Augmentation Worry?

June 14th, 2016
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While there are complications with any surgery, they really should be small with a breast augmentation.  Roughly 300,000 women undergo a breast augmentation in the United States every year and the overwhelming majority of those women will never even second guess it afterwards.  Be cautious of reading too much online - generally those who have had problems are more likely to talk about such things as opposed to the thousands of others who are happy. 
Christopher V. Pelletiere, MD
June 14th, 2016

Breast Augmentation Worry?

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While there are complications with any surgery, they really should be small with a breast augmentation.  Roughly 300,000 women undergo a breast augmentation in the United States every year and the overwhelming majority of those women will never even second guess it afterwards.  Be cautious of reading too much online - generally those who have had problems are more likely to talk about such things as opposed to the thousands of others who are happy. 
Christopher V. Pelletiere, MD

Second thoughts about breast augmentation

June 14th, 2016
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The vast majority of patients who have breast augmentations do not develop an infection.  This is very rare.  Although there may be some initial pain with the surgery, this usually resolves similar to any other surgery.  
     Remember, breast augmentation is a very popular procedure because patients get the results they want, performed in a safe manner,  in the hands of board-certified plastic surgeons.  Good luck.
John Zavell, MD, FACS
June 14th, 2016

Second thoughts about breast augmentation

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The vast majority of patients who have breast augmentations do not develop an infection.  This is very rare.  Although there may be some initial pain with the surgery, this usually resolves similar to any other surgery.  
     Remember, breast augmentation is a very popular procedure because patients get the results they want, performed in a safe manner,  in the hands of board-certified plastic surgeons.  Good luck.
John Zavell, MD, FACS

These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.