Physical appearance relating to beauty.

An organization of 60,000 U.S. pediatricians committed to the attainment of optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.

Drugs given to reduce or prevent pain during a surgical or medical procedure. There are four main types of anesthesia. You or your surgeon will determine which is right for you.

• Local: numbs one small area of the body.
• Conscious or intravenous (IV) sedation: uses a mild sedative to relax you and a pain medicine to relieve pain.
• Regional anesthesia: blocks pain in an area of the body, such as an arm or leg.
• General anesthesia: anesthesia which affects the whole body, putting you to sleep, with no memory of the medical procedure following.

The colored area of skin that surrounds the nipple.

Lack of similarity between the shape, size, and/or position of two breasts.

An extra silicone layer found in the outer shell of the breast implant. Natrelle™ silicone-filled breast implants have a patented patch design with 360-degree barrier layer coverage, which provides extra protection against gel diffusion.

A surgeon who has completed the process of board certification in a specialty field from an accredited association, such as the American Society of Plastic Surgery.

An operation to increase breast size.

An operation to replace breast tissue that has been removed due to cancer or trauma.

An operation to correct, improve or replace an existing breast implant.

Scar tissue, which forms around the breast implant. Sometimes this capsule squeezes around the implant, resulting in a condition known as capsular contracture.

A tightening of the tissue capsule surrounding an implant, which can occur with some women, resulting in firmness, hardening or squeezing of a breast implant after surgery.

Cubic Centimeter: related to the volume/size of breast implants. Breast implants are typically measured by CC.

The firmness of a breast implant created by the cohesive properties of the implant filler.

The primary clinical study by Allergan of breast augmentation, reconstruction, and revision (revision-augmentation and revision-reconstruction) in patients, which was submitted to the FDA for approval. Safety and effectiveness data are collected yearly through 10 years. Follow-up from years 5 through 10 will be performed as part of a post-approval Core Study.

A licensed physician who has completed medical school and a residency program, most often in a surgical specialty, such as general surgery, otolaryngology (head and neck surgery), dermatologic surgery or plastic surgery. After completing his or her residency, a physician may attain board certification in his or her specialty, and then continue post-residency training specifically in cosmetic surgery.

A program intended to facilitate the ability to notify women with silicone gel-filled breast implants, if necessary. Device Tracking provides women an additional reassurance that a breast implant manufacturer can locate them through their physician if an issue is suspected with their implants.

A scientific study which examines the causes, distribution and controls of a disease or condition in a population. A large number of these studies support the use of breast implants.

The type of material inside the outer shell of your breast implant. There are two types of FDA-approved fill available for women, saline and silicone.

Saline: A solution that is made up of water and a small amount of salt, used as the contents for saline-filled breast implants.

Silicone: A man-made material that can be found in several forms, such as oil or gel. Silicone is used in many lifesaving medical devices and everyday products, including pacemakers, heart valves, artificial joints, baby pacifiers and breast implants.

A leak of silicone gel across the implant’s outer shell and into the surrounding capsule and breast tissue.

A surgical procedure that requires you to stay overnight in the hospital. Most breast implant surgeries do not require an overnight stay.

A division of the United States National Academy of Sciences that provides science-based advice on matters of biomedical science, medicine and health. In 1999, the IOM released a landmark 400-page report, entitled “Safety of Silicone Breast Implants,” which concluded that women with silicone gel-filled breast implants demonstrate no higher incidence of specific health conditions (connective tissue diseases, cancer, neurological disease and other systemic conditions) than women without silicone gel-filled breast implants.

A type of rupture in which the silicone gel remains inside the scar tissue surrounding the implant.

Literally, “within a vein,” intravenous is the giving of medications or fluids through a needle or tube inserted directly into a vein, allowing immediate access to the blood supply.

A type of X-ray examination of the breasts used for detection of cancer.

• Subcutaneous Mastectomy: surgical removal of the breast tissues, but sparing the skin, nipple, and areola.
• Total Mastectomy: surgical removal of the breast including the nipple, areola, and most of the overlying skin.
• Modified Radical Mastectomy: surgical removal of the entire breast including the nipple, areola, and overlying skin, as well as a sampling of lymph nodes.
• Radical Mastectomy: surgical removal of the entire breast including the nipple, areola, and overlying skin, as well as the pectoral muscles, lymph nodes, and other neighboring tissue. Rarely, if ever performed.
• Skin-Sparing Mastectomy: surgical removal of cancerous tissue through an incision around the nipple and areola, rather than cutting across the entire breast. Generally associated with less scarring.

Plastic surgery to move sagging breasts into an elevated position.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging. A radiographic examination that has the best chance of detecting ruptured silicone gel-filled breast implant. The FDA recommends women with silicone gel-filled breast implants receive an MRI 3 years after surgery, and then every 2 years thereafter.

A division of the National Institutes of Health, the NCI is the United States Federal Government’s principal agency for cancer research and training.

A part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the NIH is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting medical research.

The external covering of a silicone gel-filled or saline-filled breast implant made from silicone rubber and designed to hold the silicone gel. Today’s silicone gel-filled breast implants have a thick outer shell, a silicone patch and a silicone barrier material covering the entire surface.

A surgical procedure that does not require you to stay overnight in hospital.

A licensed physician who has completed medical school and at least 3 years of a surgical residency, followed by an additional 3 years of a plastic surgery residency, and may obtain an additional 1-2 years of a plastic surgery fellowship. After completing his or her residency, a plastic surgeon can attain board certification and continue post-residency training with the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS), which is governed by the American Board of Medical Specialties. Plastic surgeons tend to practice both cosmetic and reconstructive surgery.

Surgery designed to improve your appearance.

After surgery.

A tear or hole in the implant shell. Silicone gel-filled implant ruptures may be silent (no symptoms) or symptomatic. Ruptures can be intracapsular (where gel remains inside the scar tissue surrounding the implant) or extracapsular (where gel goes outside of the scar tissue surrounding the implant). Some factors associated with breast implant rupture include increasing age of the implant, trauma, and compression during mammography, and damage by surgical instruments.

A solution that is made up of water and a small amount of salt. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved saline-filled breast implants for continued access to women in the United States.

A permanent patch of tissue that grows over a wound and replaces the normal skin as part of the natural healing process. Scarring occurs after every wound to the skin following accident, disease or surgery. Scars are often thicker, as well as pinker, redder or shinier, than the rest of your skin.

A breast implant rupture without symptoms, and which is not apparent except through appropriate imaging techniques, such as MRI. Most silicone gel-filled breast implant ruptures are silent.

The element from which silicone is synthesized.

A man-made material that can be found in several forms, such as oil or gel. Silicone is used in many lifesaving medical devices and everyday products, including pacemakers, heart valves, artificial joints and baby pacifiers. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved silicone gel-filled breast implants.

Placement of a breast implant underneath and within the breast glands, but on top of the chest muscle.

Placement of a breast implant wholly or partially underneath the chest muscle.

An adjustable implant that can be inflated with saline to stretch the tissue at the site of a mastectomy. This allows the creation of a new tissue flap for the implantation of a breast implant.

The U.S. government agency responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, the nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.

A high-energy electromagnetic wave able to penetrate most solid matter and to act on photographic film. This is the technology used in mammograms, a test used to detect breast cancer.