Breast Implants – Natrelle® Breast Implants

Introduction

Today, women can draw upon the very best in breast augmentation and enhancement technology for safer and more beautiful options than ever before. The Natrelle® Collection offers over 140 breast implant combinations–from type of filler and volume, to base width and profile—to help you find the perfect solution. The Natrelle® Pre-Consultation Kit is even available to help you prepare for a consultation with your physician to choose the right implants for your body type and personal goals. This animation will help you become familiar with the various choices you have and the breast augmentation procedure.

Anatomy

Your breasts consist primarily of fatty (adipose) and glandular tissues which determine the size and shape. Firmness and lift are generally influenced by how well ligaments connected to the chest wall support your breasts. The fatty tissue and ligaments surround the milk-producing glandular tissue (lobules) and milk ducts. Breasts also contain nourishing blood vessels and lymph vessels that help the body fight off infection. There are tiny muscle fibers in the nipples, but otherwise the breasts are non-muscular. However, they lie atop two layers of muscles, the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor, which separate the breasts from the chest wall.

Finding the Right Fit

Your desired look is more than just a matter of size. Size is a simple measure of the volume of your new breasts. Your selection is defined by the size, shape, proportion, and feel of your breast augmentation. You can achieve a teardrop or round shaped result based on a number of different factors, including your existing breast type and the dimensions of the breast implant you choose. Your doctor will choose the right implant for you once you agree on your goals.

A teardrop shaped result has a gradual, sloping profile from the top of your chest to your nipple. Women who want a teardrop shaped result often want breast implants to restore the youthful appearance of their breast. A round shaped result has a more obvious profile with a more prominent look, a higher ridge atop the chest, steeper cleavage and an extended side profile. Women who want a round shaped result often have an emphasis of achieving a larger cup size.

Implant Choices – Saline or Silicone?

Whether your personal choice is a round or teardrop shaped result, the feel of your breast implants are most affected by the material inside. Saline implants have a feel quite unique to being filled with water. The feel of a silicone-gel implant is more like that of breast tissue.

The Natrelle® Collection gives you a choice of either salinefilled or silicone gel-filled breast implants, which are all FDA approved, tested, durable options. Saline implants consist of a silicone rubber shell that is filled with a sterile, salt-water solution once it has been inserted into your breast through a relatively small incision. Silicone implant shells are prefilled with a soft-solid silicone gel that is soft to the touch, but can still maintain its general shape in the body. Silicone implants generally require larger incisions but tend to feel more natural. Both saline and silicone implants come with either smooth or textured surfaces – an option that you may discuss with your physician.

Insertion Locations

Breast implants can be inserted into your body through a variety of incision locations: inframammary, periareolar, and transaxillary.

An inframammary incision is placed in the fold beneath your breast. This location can accommodate every size and shape of implant, is often concealed, and is known for fast recovery times. An inframammary incision gives your doctor the most precise access to where your breast implant will sit after surgery.

The periareolar incision is performed on the border of the dark skin around your nipple. It is known to have fast recovery times, but does not accommodate every size and shape of implant.

A transaxillary incision is well concealed in the armpit and more removed from the breast area, so it is less noticeable. Recovery times are a bit longer and not all implant sizes and shapes can be accommodated.

Implant Placement and Recovery

You can have your implants placed above the muscle (subglandular) or below the muscle (subpectoral). Your doctor will decide which placement location is best for you based on your goals, breast type, and other factors. The location choice will be part of your surgical plan. Breast augmentation is the most common and uncomplicated plastic surgery procedure. Today, most breast augmentation procedures are done in outpatient surgery facilities and typically take less than two hours. You should be ready to go home within two to four hours. Before you leave, your doctor may fit you with a compression dressing or bra and prescribe medication to manage your discomfort for the first 24-48 hours and as needed. Plans should be made to have someone take you to and from surgery. And it is a good idea to allow yourself a few days to recover before resuming your daily activities. Be sure to follow your doctor’s recovery plan to avoid any complications.

Risks and Results

Consult your physician regarding proper healing, how implants may affect breast feeding, options for future revision since implants are not intended to last a lifetime, and risks such as rupture or capsular contracture, in which scar tissue may compress and distort an implant. Your results will be noticeable immediately following your procedure and any dressings, surgical drains, and non dissolving sutures are typically removed within about a week. Some tenderness, swelling, and discoloration are typical and will fade away within a few weeks. Likewise, scars from your incisions will typically fade to thin, slightly discolored lines. Decades of experience with the science of breast augmentation have greatly improved safety, and nearly all patients are extremely satisfied with their results.