Breast Augmentation is a common surgical procedure that increases the size and shape of your breasts. Your breasts can be augmented using breast implants or fat transfer.

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Different Types of Breast Augmentation 

There are two main types of breast augmentation: breast implants and fat transfer augmentation. Within those two categories, there are multiple different options based on how you want your breasts to look and feel. 

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Breast Augmentation with Implants

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Breast implants are the most common type of breast augmentation. In order to get the look you want, there are some choices you will have to make. Our surgeons will go over these during your consultation:

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• Filling Type: Filling type: Saline, Silicone Gel, or Highly Cohesive Silicone “Gummy Bear” Implants. Neither is “best,” but there are some differences in cost, feel, and incision requirements that you need to consider.
   

  • Saline breast implants: These implants are filled with sterile saline (salt water). If the implant were to break inside your breast, your body will absorb the saline and naturally get rid of it. The benefits of saline implants are a slightly lower cost and smaller placement incision. On the other hand, rippling is more common with saline implants, particularly in thinner patients. (Implant rippling happens when the edges, folds, and wrinkles of the breast implants can be seen through the skin, often around the cleavage and the sides of the implant.

  • Silicone breast implants: These implants are made of silicone gel. If the implant were to break, the gel could stay within its shell or leak into your breast. silicone breast implants can come with benefits like a more natural feel but require some monitoring for silent ruptures. 

  • Highly Cohesive Silicone “Gummy Bear” Implants: A type of silicone implant that is filled with a material similar to a gummy bear. These are one of the newest options for implant technology. This means the silicone filling won’t leak or migrate in the event of silicone breast implant rupture and can feel remarkably similar to natural breast tissue.
     

• Implant Size: Breast implants range in size from about 150cc to 800cc or larger. Many patients require a different-sized breast implant for each breast; this helps to achieve the best possible symmetry. The size you choose depends on your existing breast size, your personal goals, and your cosmetic surgeon’s recommendations.
   

• Shape: Saline & Silicone Gel implants are typically round, while gummy bear implants come in shaped and round options. Round implants will typically achieve a fuller upper pole (the top portion of your breast), while shaped implants lend a gently sloping look to your breast profile. 
   

• Profile: Your cosmetic surgeon will help you choose this based on your existing proportions and your goals. Generally, patients with a more petite frame will require a higher profile implant to achieve the desired size increase while ensuring the implants are not too wide at the base.

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Incision Options for Breast Implant Augmentation
 

Depending on your anatomy and your desired outcome, your cosmetic surgeon will use one of the following incision techniques to place your breast implants:

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• Inframammary: This involves a short incision made in the crease underneath the breast, called the inframammary fold. This leaves a thin, 1 to a 2-inch scar that is easily concealed within the crease. Advantages of this incision type include a wider access point, allowing a cosmetic surgeon to place larger silicone implants or gummy bear implants with precision.
   

• Peri-areolar: The incision is made around the outer edge of the areola, so the resulting scar is located within this natural transition in pigmentation. Cosmetic surgeons will often use this incision type if they are also performing a mild to moderate breast lift at the same time.
   

• Trans-axillary: This involves a small incision made within the armpit, through which your cosmetic surgeon will place the breast implant using a specialized camera and instruments to ensure optimal placement. This leaves a small scar within the armpit but achieves a breast augmentation with no scar on the breast itself.
   

• Transumbilical: This technique involves an incision just above the belly button. Each breast implant is inserted through this incision and then brought up to the breast. Advantages of the transumbilical technique include a single scar with no scarring on the breast itself.

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Breast Augmentation with Fat Transfer 

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This is a breast augmentation option for women who are looking for a relatively small increase in breast size and would prefer natural results. You can even improve asymmetry and enlarge your breasts by up to one cup size. For women who already have implants, this fat transfer procedure can help hide rippling and implant outlines, as well as enhance cleavage.

To perform a  fat transfer breast augmentation, surgeons use liposuction to harvest fat cells from your stomach, hips, thighs, back, or arms. Afterward, these areas look slimmer. The falls cells are then injected into your breasts, where they remain for life. A fat transfer procedure carries fewer risks than breast implants. However, it only slightly enlarges the breasts and doesn’t firm them up.

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After your surgery, your surgeon will wrap an elastic bandage around your chest and fit you with a surgical bra. These bindings help the fat deposits settle into place. You may have pain, bruising, swelling, and discomfort in your breasts and liposuctioned areas for up to three weeks. Swelling may persist for up to six months.

 

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What should I do Before my Surgery? 

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The time leading up to your surgery is very important. To get an excellent result from your plastic surgery procedure, there are some checkboxes you'll want to tick leading up to your procedure. 

• Get the lab tests our surgeon instructs, fill out the paperwork we send you, and pay for insurance coverage.

• STOP SMOKING! (At least for the two weeks prior to surgery and while you are in recovery) By restricting blood vessels, nicotine decreases the blood flow throughout your body. Plastic surgery is extremely delicate, and your blood vessels play a significant role in the results. If they are restricted, the results are compromised.

• Avoid taking aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs, and herbal supplements as they can increase bleeding. 

• As you prepare for surgery, the healthier the foods you eat, the better. Eating foods that are full of vitamins and minerals and that are excellent sources of fiber will help you heal more quickly after the surgery. 

• Stop drinking alcohol two weeks before surgery. Alcohol thins your blood, which will prolong healing and increase bruising. 

• Please make sure to pack shirts that button in the front. (It will make your life and your nurses' life a lot easier)

• We will also provide you with detailed pre-operative instructions before your surgery and once you arrive in Colombia you will be given a welcome basket with everything you will need during your stay.