Breast Augmentation FAQ

Find A Surgeon

and/or

How Can I Find a Good Surgeon?

What Size Breast Implant Should I Choose?

Are Silicone Gel-Filled Breast Implants Safe?

How Long Do Breast Implants Last?

How Will Breast Implants Affect Having a Mammogram?

When did Silicone Gel-Filled Breast Implants Become Available in the US?

How Can I Find a Good Plastic Surgeon?
Natrelle.com has an excellent directory of board certified plastic surgeons. Plastic surgeons in the Natrelle^® Find a Surgeon Directory have proven experience with the Natrelle^® Collection of breast implants. And they are well versed in discussing your Natrelle® breast implant choices with you during your consultation. The surgeons in the directory are also ideal for a consultation when you have used the Natrelle® Pre-Consultation Kit.

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What Size Breast Implant Should I Choose?
Many women start with a full C or mid D or Double D as their goal. Other women want to make a conservative change. Either way, bra cup size isn't the way to determine your ultimate profile.

If you ask two women with exactly the same size breast what size they are, one may be absolutely certain she is a C while the other is sure she is a D. Breast size is often "in the eye of the beholder." And cup size varies between manufacturers, styles and how you wear your bra. Different style bras fit differently.

Your greatest shift in perspective will come when you meet with a plastic surgeon. Plastic surgeons do not go by cup size when planning your breast augmentation. Breast implant filler is measured in cc's(cubic centimeters). Your plastic surgeon will use cc's of filler in a breast implant to select the size that will ideally meet your objectives. Most women choose implants between 250cc and 675cc. Some go smaller and some go larger. The largest implant available in the United States is 1200cc.

A common mistake is using the breast implant size of someone else to influence your decision. There are three key elements in planning your augmentation that will determine the right breast implant for the result you want. How much breast tissue you have, the size of the implant you choose and your body shape and type are all factors. The same size implant on another woman may look completely different on you. That's why every breast augmentation begins with a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon. Your consultation will address these three important personal attributes in setting the breast implant size your ideal profile.

The difference the same implant size can have from woman to the next is so great that we developed the Natrelle^® Pre-Consultation Kit. This will give you a good idea of what you will look like at each size. It is modeled after how a plastic surgeon would have you try on different sizes, but has some special features. The bra is custom designed to pull the implant samples close to your body to simulate how actual implants will appear beneath your breast tissue. And with the Natrelle® Pre-Consultation Kit you try different sample implant sizes on at home, in different moods, with different styles of clothes so you can get used to seeing yourself with a new profile. Many women start either too conservative or think they need to go very big. With a little time and privacy, the answer that's right for you will be easier to choose.

The kit also has a DVD that features an initial consultation. And a booklet on the aspects of a Breast Augmentation procedure.

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Are Silicone Gel-Filled Breast Implants Safe?
The FDA has evaluated and approved Natrelle^® silicone gel-filled breast implants for breast augmentation and breast reconstruction based on years of data collected from more than 50,000 women.

Silicone gel-filled breast implants are among the most studied medical devices in history. Decades of research have evaluated their safety and effectiveness. The safety of Natrelle^® silicone gel-filled breast implants is supported by extensive pre-clinical testing, US clinical studies and European research. More information about the safety of silicone gel-filled breast implants can be found in the Institute of Medicine report at http://www.breastimplantanswers.com/fda_ approval.aspx

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How Long do Breast Implants Last?
No medical device can be considered to last forever, just as no natural body part necessarily lasts a lifetime. It is possible for any breast implant to leak, and that is true of both the saline and silicone gel filled breast implants. So assume that all implants will eventually wear out, because of the constant repetitive movements of the chest caused by breathing some 15,000 times a day. If every person with a pacemaker, breast implant, heart valve, knee joint etc lived to be 100, it is likely that all of these devices would need to be replaced at some point in their lifetime.

Implants do not have an "expiration date" when they have to be routinely replaced. But little by little they do wear out. Based upon the best currently available information, many plastic surgeons tell patients to assume that the need for replacement at five-years would be about 1%, by ten years 5%, by fifteen years 25%.

It is not required to just routinely replace older, still intact implants because there is no known danger to you. But the recommends frequent MRI testing for silicone gel implants.

Insertion of a new (same-size) implant is usually done through the original scar, regardless of whether it is in the underarm, nipple, crease, or navel. Breast implant replacement is less involved than putting in the implant in the first place, provided that the same size or smaller implant is being inserted. Putting in larger implants during a revision is a bigger operation than putting in the implants the first time.

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How Will Breast Implants Affect Having a Mammogram?
Tell your mammography technologist before the procedure that you have breast implants. Be sure your mammography exams are interpreted by a radiologist experienced in the evaluation of women with breast implants. It is relatively common to have additional views taken during screening.

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When did Silicone Gel-Filled Breast Implants Become Available?
In 1991, the FDA concluded that silicone gel-filled breast implant safety data submitted by the manufacturers didn't provide adequate information to determine the benefits and risks over an extended period of time. The panel recommended that the devices stay on the market with limited access, until additional safety data was obtained and reviewed. After thoroughly reviewing 10 years of data, the FDA re-approved silicone in 2006.

Silicone gel breast implants have been available in more than 60 countries for over 25 years, and the safety profile has been followed with over one million women.

You may have additional questions about your breast augmentation procedure or breast implants. There are more answers in the
Natrelle® Pre-Consultation Kit and your plastic surgeon can answer any additional questions during your initial consultation. You can find a board certified plastic surgeon in the Natrelle.com Find a Surgeon Directory.

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