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  • Breast Augmentation: Choosing an Implant and Surgical Technique
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Hi, I'm Dr. Adam Oppenheimer and I'm a plastic surgeon in Melbourne, Florida. I get a lot of the same questions when I get asked about breast augmentation, so I wanted to take a minute to just talk about some of the most common questions that I do get. One of the biggest questions is about the type of breast implant that women should get, and really, there's two main considerations. One is the saline implant, and one is the silicon implant.

For a large portion of the last ten years, the only implants available really were saline implants, especially at the earlier part of the 2000s. Since about 2006, silicon implants have been back on to the market. There was some time where all you could get were saline implants. I feel that silicon implants feel a lot more natural than saline implants do. For women who are think, silicon implants are a lot more easily camouflaged.

Saline implants can actually show rippling and are a little more obvious because they are so firm. To add to the next level there's a new generation of implant, which is the Gummy Bear Implant. It's also a silicon implant but it actually has a shaped shell to it so that the implant actually has a teardrop shape. I'm going to grab one here.

So if you look at this in profile, the implant actually mimics the curvature of the breast. This implant is a little bit more firm, however, and some women like the softer shape of the more conventional silicon implant. So that's something to consider.

One of the other considerations is incision location. The most common incision locations that I think are the most predictable are just around the nipple and underneath the breast fold. Probably 90% of the breast augmentations I do are from underneath the breast fold. That incision is almost invisible. It's basically three and a half to four and a half centimeters long, which is very short, and the body heals beautifully in that area. It gives you the most control, it gives me the most control as the surgeon of the pocket and the implant location, so that's my preference.

You can also have it done around the nipple, and in women who are having a breast lift, either a doughnut or a lollipop scar, you can easily place the implant through that area in that process so you don't need to have an extra scar.

I think the most exciting question to answer and one of the more common ones that I get asked is, "How big should I go?" And this is really a decision that's reached by both the patient and myself as a surgeon. The number one thing that I look at is actually the breast width. So in addition to doing a breast exam for any lumps or bumps in the breast, I actually measure the breast in several dimensions.

The most important one is the actual width of the breast or how long the breast is across, and that really narrows down the implant possibilities for that patient that fit that patient the best. You don't want an implant that's too small on the breast or too wide on the breast, but once you decide on the width, you can get implants of varying projections.

I had a flight attendant who wore her uniform in and we did sizing with gel inserts to determine how much she wanted to fill out the uniform. I encourage women to find clothing that they want to look great in and bring that into the office for the sizing process. There are a bunch of websites that you can go to look at other patients, their size compared to your size, and think about how big they went in their surgery with before and after pictures, and that can really help you to narrow down size as well.

But I find often that the in-office sizing with myself and the nurse, wearing clothing that you want to look great in and fill out is really the best way to reach the size. There's a number of different techniques but I find that to be the best one.

Really the breast augmentation consultation is a way for me to educate you. I want my patients to be the smartest patients, and of course the best looking patients out there, and the best way to do that is to come in and see me. Hopefully, this video was educational for you and I'd love to see you in Melbourne, Florida.

Again, I'm Dr. Adam Oppenheimer, and thanks for watching!

Breast Augmentation: Choosing an Implant and Surgical Technique

Dr. Adam Oppenheimer lends his expertise to explain the different breast implants available to women.