Women are very often unhappy with the size and shape of their breasts. Breast augmentation (known technically as Augmentation Mammoplasty) involves placing an artificial implant into the breast in order to increase the breast size and to produce an amount of breast lift where necessary. Breast Enhancement is by far the most popular cosmetic surgery procedure requested by women.

Why Have Breast Enhancement Surgery?

Whatever you might have heard to the contrary, other than surgery, there is no other method of increasing breast size evenly, safely and permanently.

The only accepted technique for increasing breast size is to insert an implant into a space created behind your own breast. It is the size of this space (based on your own physical structure), along with your own wishes, which determines the size of implant used.

About The New Generation of Silicone Implants

Since its inception, there have been many advances in silicone implant technology. Today implants are very safe and highly resistant, removing a lot of the former concerns as to their long-term safety.

What Kind Of Material Is Silicone?

Silicones are in fact man-made molecules (polymers) that are widely used in numerous skin and hair products; in processed food and food packaging; in most baby foods; in many medicines, syringes and most other types of medical implants. Consequently every day:

• We absorb silicone into our body through our skin
• It is fed to children
• We feed it to our children
• It might even be injected into our bodies

Breast implants come in a variety of sizes, typically expressed as a volume. To give an idea, 70ml would be a very small implant; on the other hand 600ml would be a very large implant. However by far the most frequently requested implant sizes are in the 200ml to 300ml range.

Implants also come in two basic shapes, either perfectly round or tear-drop shaped. Some surgeons prefer one form over the other, whilst others will use different types depending on the patient’s own characteristics. By and large, both give excellent results.

Silicone Gel – The Material of Choice

By far the most popular implant material, with patients and surgeons alike, is cohesive silicone gel. The silicone is in the form of a very thick and cohesive gel. The exterior of most contemporary implants comprises a textured silicone shell.

These implants have a very long history of reliability, with literally hundreds of thousands of women world-wide having had them in place for many years with no problems whatsoever. In addition, they are generally considered to be the most natural feeling implant. In recent years, more than 85% of all breast implants inserted in the UK have been silicone, 97% of which had textured shells.

Solid Cohesive Silicone Gel

In this type of silicone implant, the gel is almost solid in feel and the outer shell is always textured. The result is that it is now possible to form the implant into the shape of a tear-drop. Some surgeons consider that this results in a more natural shape for some women. However, they can also be associated with a much firmer consistency or feel.

So having taken a look at breast augmentation from the surgeon’s point of view, it is quite possible that this has raised several questions in your mind. You should not hesitate to pose these to your chosen plastic surgeon, who I am sure will provide you with a complete and detailed answer.