Breast Augmentation Fort Worth - Procedure Information

• Introduction
• Am I a good candidate for breast augmentation?
• What should I expect from my breast enlargement consultation?
• What does breast augmentation entail?
• Are there safety concerns associated with breast augmentation?
• How should I prepare for my breast enlargement surgery?
• What should I expect the day of my surgery?
• What should I expect from my recovery?
• What should I from my results?
• How long will I continue to see my plastic surgeon?
• Choosing a plastic surgeon
• Make sure your surgeon is board certified
• Ask about the surgeon's hospital privileges

Introduction

If you wish your breasts had more volume, for a fuller, or more shapely look, breast augmentation surgery may offer the enhancement you seek. Breast augmentation (augmentation mammoplasty) uses breast implants to increase a woman's breast size. It can also improve the shape the breasts for a curvy, sexy look.

Though basic breast enlargement information is provided on this website, the best way to get answers to specific questions about your needs is to schedule a personal consultation with a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. For women in Dallas/Fort Worth, breast augmentation specialist Dr. White is ABPS certified and will gladly address any questions and concerns you may have during consultation.

Am I a good candidate for breast augmentation?

One of the most commonly sought cosmetic procedures in the US, women choose to undergo breast augmentation for a variety of reasons. Though breast enlargement will not create perfection in your appearance, it can enhance your body's shape and boost your self-image. Some common reasons women choose breast augmentation include dissatisfaction over naturally small breasts, the desire to create balance in asymmetrical breasts, or to restore breast volume lost due to pregnancy, weight loss or aging.

You may be a good candidate for breast augmentation if:

• You feel your breasts are too small
• The size and shape of your breasts have changed due to weight loss
• Your breasts have lost volume and firmness due to pregnancy
• You feel self-conscious wearing a clothing such as a swimsuit or form-fitting top
• Your breasts are asymmetrical in size or shape

For anyone considering breast augmentation, it is essential you fit the following criteria:

• You must be emotionally mature enough to understand your reasons for seeking the procedure
• You must have realistic expectations
• Your breast development must be complete

What should I expect from my breast enlargement consultation?

A personal consultation with your surgeon is the first step for any patient considering breast enlargement. Dallas plastic surgeon Dr. Steven White believes in careful patient consultation to assess your physical and emotional health, discuss your aesthetic goals, and address any questions or concerns you may have.

Issues you should be prepared to discuss during consultation with Dr. White include:

• Your specific aesthetic goals
• Medical conditions, both past and present
• Current medications, including nutritional supplements and herbal remedies
• Past surgeries
• Family breast cancer history
• Any mammogram results

Clear communication with Dr. White about your aesthetic goals is essential at this time. Issues of implant size, shape and type, as well as implant placement will affect your final result. All these options will be thoroughly discussed during consultation.

There are also certain post-surgical factors that may affect your breast augmentation results. Future pregnancies and weight fluctuations can change your breast size and shape after surgery. Dallas plastic surgeon Dr. White will discuss these factors with you during consultation.

As part of your consultation, Dr. White will examine your breasts, evaluating their size, shape, and skin tone, as well as nipple placement. He may also choose to photograph you for your medical record. For the sake of safety, a baseline mammogram is sometimes recommended before surgery for use in detecting future changes in breast tissue. It should be noted that after surgery, your mammograms will take more time and care. Special imaging techniques will be required to accommodate the breast implants.

For a more complete rejuvenation, Dr. White may discuss additional procedures that can be performed along with Breast enlargement surgery. Dallas women frequently combine breast augmentation with:

• Tummy tuck: to remove excess skin and tighten lax muscle in the abdomen
• Liposuction: to sculpt problem areas such as the hips, thighs and tummy
• Breast lift: to address drooping and sagging. Dr. White does not however recommend performing a breast augmentation at the same time as a breast lift due to the potential for significant scarring and other deformities. Instead, he prefers to use a staged approach when indicated.

What does breast augmentation entail?

There are many variations to the breast augmentation surgery. The technique Dr. White uses for you depends upon your individual features and aesthetic goals. Options to consider include implant type, shape and size; implant placement; and incision options. Dr. White will thoroughly discuss these options with you during your pre-op consultation.

Breast augmentation incisions are generally small and made in one of three locations:

• Inframammary: beneath the breast, just above the fold
• Periareolar: along the lower edge of the areola of the breast
• Transaxillary: underneath the arm in the folds of the armpit

Once the incision is made, a pocket is created for the implant. This pocket is made either beneath the pectoral muscle or directly behind the breast tissue. Dr. White prefers to go under the muscle when possible in primary breast augmentation. After the pocket is created, the implant is then inserted and the incision carefully closed.

Are there safety concerns associated with breast augmentation?

Though thousands women undergo breast augmentation each year and experience no major complications, the procedure does carry some degree risk. It is important you be well informed of these risks when considering breast enlargement surgery. Dallas cosmetic surgeon Dr. White sees the discussion of potential risks and complications as one of the most important aspects of patient consultation. During your consultation, he will discuss these potential complications with you, listen to your safety questions, and offer instructions on how to minimize your risk.

How should I prepare for my breast enlargement surgery?

It is important to follow Dr. White's instructions when preparing for breast augmentation surgery to ensure the best possible results. Those instructions may include:

• Refraining from smoking for several weeks before and after surgery
• Avoiding certain medications
• Arranging for help following surgery, such as a ride home and in-home care for the first 24 hours

What should I expect the day of my surgery?

For your comfort and convenience, Dr. White maintains privileges in several hospitals in greater Dallas/Fort Worth. Breast enlargement surgery may require a short, one-night hospital stay, though most are performed on an outpatient basis, allowing patients to return home the day of surgery.

During surgery, medications will be administered to ensure comfort. General anesthesia will most likely be used to allow you to sleep during the procedure. Dr. White uses only doctors (anesthesiologists)-not nurses (CRNA's or anesthetists)-to administer anesthesia to his Dallas breast enlargement patients. He will carefully monitor your physical status throughout the operation and during your recovery.

What should I expect from my recovery?

You will come out of surgery wearing gauze and a support bra. You should be up and around the day of surgery to prevent blood clots in the legs. Your breasts will feel sore the first few days after surgery. This discomfort is generally well-controlled with pain medication.

Though everyone heals at a different pace, you can expect your recovery to roughly follow this general time line:

Within a few days

• Showering will be permitted
• You may resume non-strenuous work

After several weeks

• Most of the swelling will subside
• Exercise may be resumed
• Your final result will begin to emerge

What should I from my results?

If you went into breast augmentation with realistic expectations, you'll most likely be very pleased with your results. Most procedures produce beautiful, natural-looking breasts. Many patients experience a boost in their self-image, enjoying getting out, shopping for clothes and showing off their new shape. Though breast augmentation provides long-lasting enhancement, it is important to remember that issues such as age, genetics and weight fluctuation can change the size, shape and position of even enhanced breasts over time.

How long will I continue to see my plastic surgeon?

Dallas plastic surgeon Dr. White believes in the importance of follow-up visits, to answer any questions you may have and monitor your healing process. Rather than delegating all of these visits to a nurse, he enjoys seeing his patients as they heal over time. Your first post-operative visit will be scheduled after the initial healing period, during the first few days after surgery. In the following months, Dr. White may ask you to return for periodic checkups. Keeping these appointments is important to allow him to assess your long-term results and address any questions or concerns you may have.

Choosing a plastic surgeon

When considering undergoing breast augmentation, Dallas, TX plastic surgeon Dr. White believes choosing a qualified surgeon to perform it is one of the most important factors. Though it's hard to believe, not all physicians who perform cosmetic surgery have had formal surgical training. It's important to research the credentials of all surgeons you consider for your procedure. Dr. White is fully trained in Plastic and Reconstructive surgery as well as Otolaryngology (head and neck surgery). He invites potential patients to fully explore his training, experience online or during a personal consultation.

Make sure your surgeon is board certified

Find out if your doctor is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Surgeons with this certification have completed a minimum of five years of surgical training following medical school, including a plastic surgery residency program. During this intensive program, surgeons learn to perform surgical procedures for the entire body and face. At the same time, they develop their technical skill and aesthetic judgment. After training, a surgeon must pass comprehensive oral and written exams before being granted certification.

Both the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery require their members to be certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Plastic surgeons with this certification have completed approved training and examinations in plastic surgery including both cosmetic and reconstructive procedures.

Dallas plastic surgeon Dr. White is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery as well as the American Board of Otolaryngology / Head and Neck Surgery. He is one of the few plastic surgeons in the United States certified by both of these boards.

Ask about the surgeon's hospital privileges

It is very important to find out if your surgeon has operating privileges in an accredited hospital for the procedure you are considering, even if you are planning to undergo surgery in your doctor's office or at a surgery center. Before granting privileges, hospital review committees evaluate a surgeon's training and competency for specific procedures.

Dr. White maintains surgical privileges at several area hospitals in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

To find out more, click on Making Sense of Certification.

For more information on cosmetic eyelid surgery, or to schedule a consultation with Dallas plastic surgeon Dr. White, call 214.696.6676 or contact us online at usaplasticsurgery.com.

       

STEVEN J WHITE, MD
PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL OF DALLAS
TEXAS HEALTH PRESBYTERIAN DALLAS
PROFESSIONAL BUILDING 3, SUITE 814
8230 WALNUT HILL, DALLAS, TEXAS 75231

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