What are the best options for natural-looking breast augmentation?
For many women who are thinking about natural-looking breast augmentation, the right look is a chief consideration. Fortunately, modern cosmetic surgery techniques and technologies have made it easier than ever to achieve incredibly natural-appearing breasts through augmentation.
With many different procedures, products, and techniques on the market today, choosing the most appropriate breast augmentation option can be more complex than in the past.
At Cyr Cosmetic Surgery, we strive to educate you about your options for best results, benefits, and risks.
What Are The Different Natural-Looking Breast Augmentation Options?
Let’s talk implants. Implant size and shape, spacing, over or under the muscle, and implant material affect natural-looking results.
While it may be overwhelming at first glance, the wide variety of options is advantageous for patients seeking breast augmentation. Saline, silicone, cohesive Gel, and fat-grafting procedures offer unique benefits for patients, depending on their individual needs and goals. These include:
Saline: While saline implants are slightly less in demand now, they were by far the most popular option in recent years and continue to be favored by many patients due to their various benefits:
- They can be placed through a smaller incision
- They can be used in patients under 22 years of age
- They can be filled into different volumes to achieve symmetry
- The saline is naturally absorbed by the body if ruptured
Of course, like any surgical procedure, saline implants also have some risks:
- Higher risk of rippling (over the muscle)
- Feel less natural
- Slightly higher risk of rupture
Silicone: Silicone implants are generally more prevalent than saline, with their benefits including:
- More natural feel
- Less tendency to ripple
- Lower risk of rupture
- More stable shape over time
- Ideal for women with less breast tissue
Silicone implants, though highly popular, do have some disadvantages:
- Require larger incisions
- Have other incision placement restrictions
- Silicone cannot be reabsorbed in the event of a rupture
Cohesive Gel (also known as “Gummy Bear”). Cohesive Gel is one of the lesser-known types of breast implants, though they can produce some of the most satisfactory results, such as:
- Look and feel very natural
- Lower risk of rippling and folding
- The Gel holds its shape if the shell ruptures
- Less chance of contracture
Like all implants, Gummy Bear Cohesive Gel has its disadvantages:
- Harder to detect if they rupture
- They tend to be higher cost than other implants
Fat Grafting: Also called fat transfer, natural-looking breast augmentation is realizing incredible growth and popularity due to its potential for being overwhelmingly natural and its “holistic” approach to the procedure.
Fat grafting to the breast has many advantages:
- Fat is taken from areas of the body with higher fat storage like the abdomen, thighs, back, or love handles. Fat is then purified and injected into the breasts.
- Skillful and experienced surgeons can reshape and resize the breasts with these injections.
- Fat transfer is done with a patient’s native tissue, so the chances of rejection are zero.
- The results appear and feel more natural than silicone, saline, or even gel implants.
- Since implants are not needed, you will not have scars with the possible exception of tiny injection site points.
There are some disadvantages to breast enhancement with fat:
- Breast size increase is limited to 150-200ccs, approximately one cup size per session.
- Patients wanting fat grafting breast enhancement of more than one size will need a second procedure once the fat has stabilized and established blood supply.
- You can expect 80% of the injected fat to remain (providing the surgeon uses 100% viable, healthy fat within 30 minutes of removal). You won’t know your exact proportions for several months.
- You must use a cosmetic surgeon with the proper equipment and methodology to harvest, clean, and keep fat healthy for transplant.
Since liposuction is necessary to harvest the fat, it can be an advantage or disadvantage, depending on your particular case.
Am I A Good Candidate For Natural-Looking Breast Augmentation?
As with any surgical procedure, patients must be relatively healthy, are non-smokers, and have no medical contraindications for surgery or anesthesia.
In the case of breast augmentation, ideal candidates have reached and maintained their near-goal weight for at least six months and are finished with pregnancy, childbearing, and breastfeeding.
A personalized consultation is the best way to determine if you are a good candidate for breast augmentation with silicone, saline, cohesive gel, or fat transfer.
Dr. Cyr is committed to providing the most beneficial options for natural breast enhancement. He will discuss all of the available options and what will work best for you given your goals for results.
How Your Choice of Surgeon Affects Natural-Looking Breast Augmentation
All of the above elements are highly important in terms of their influence on the look and feel of breast implants. But there’s another element that’s important too! That’s the skill and experience of your surgeon. To get the best possible results, choose a board-certified surgeon who has experience performing the kind of breast enhancement you want.
What’s Next?
Several factors determine the best implants or procedures for your body. It is essential to consider all of them together rather than individually. And to make sure your implants look as natural as possible, discuss your body goals with your surgeon!
Contact our office to schedule your consultation today and learn more about how natural-looking breast augmentation can be subtle and still dramatically successful.
