Breast Augmentation

Your Consultation

Your breast augmentation journey begins with a comprehensive consultation with Dr. Aimé. You will discuss what you would like to change, the breast shape and proportions you prefer, and any concerns about size, asymmetry, or breast position.

Dr. Aimé will examine and measure your breasts and chest and discuss the surgical options that best fit your anatomy and goals. Depending on your starting anatomy and desired result, this may include breast implants, fat transfer, a breast lift, or a combination of procedures.

Choosing Your Implant Size and Profile

Choosing a breast implant involves more than selecting a cup size or number of cc’s. Your breast measurements help determine an appropriate implant width, while the amount of fullness and projection you prefer helps guide implant profile and volume.

During sizing, you will try on different implant sizers and then put your clothing back on to see how different volumes look with your body and everyday clothes. Dr. Aimé also encourages you to look at breast augmentation results from women with a similar height and build and to save inspiration photos that represent the size and shape you prefer.

Your preferences are considered along with your measurements, existing breast volume, and asymmetries when narrowing your implant options. Different implant sizes or profiles may be selected for each breast when appropriate to improve symmetry.

Read More: How Breast Implant Sizing Works →

Silicone vs. Saline Implants

Both silicone and saline breast implants can provide excellent results, but they differ in feel, structure, available dimensions, incision requirements, and how a rupture is detected. Silicone implants generally feel more similar to natural breast tissue, while saline implants are filled with sterile saltwater after placement and allow some flexibility in fill volume.

Dr. Aimé offers implants from multiple manufacturers and will review the advantages and limitations of the available options with you. Implant selection is individualized based on your anatomy, aesthetic preferences, and the characteristics that are most important to you.

Choosing the Implant Pocket (Plane)

Breast implants can be placed in different tissue planes, or “pockets,” depending on your anatomy, breast tissue thickness, implant selection, and surgical goals. Options include placement above the pectoralis muscle (subglandular or subfascial) or partially beneath the muscle (dual-plane/submuscular).

Dr. Aimé frequently uses the subfascial plane, which places the implant above the pectoralis (chest) muscle but beneath the thin covering layer called fascia. This avoids cutting or disrupting the pectoralis muscle while allowing the implant to be positioned beneath an additional layer of tissue. Other implant planes may be recommended when they are better suited to a patient’s anatomy or surgical needs.

Read More: How to Choose the Best Breast Implant Plane for You →

Your Preoperative Visit

Once you decide to proceed with surgery, you will return for a preoperative visit to review and finalize your surgical plan. You will try on implant sizers again to help solidify your implant choice, and implant options, incision location, implant pocket, and any additional procedures will be confirmed.

You will also receive detailed instructions regarding medications, activity, nutrition, and recovery, with another opportunity to ask questions before surgery. Preoperative testing or medical clearance may be required based on your age and medical history. A recent mammogram is generally required for patients age 40 and older or earlier when indicated by personal or family risk factors.

Preparing Your Body for Surgery

Your preparation for surgery begins well before the day of your procedure. Maintaining regular physical activity, good nutrition, adequate protein intake, and healthy daily habits can help prepare your body for the physical demands of surgery and recovery. This approach is sometimes called prehabilitation, or “pre-hab.”

You do not need to begin an extreme exercise or diet program before surgery. Instead, the goal is to enter surgery well nourished, active, and as healthy as possible while addressing modifiable factors that may affect healing and recovery.

Learn More: How to Prepare for Plastic Surgery: Your Prehab Checklist →

The Days Before Surgery

In the week before surgery, your prescription medications will be sent to your pharmacy so they can be picked up before your procedure. You do not need to bring these medications with you to the surgery center. A member of Dr. Aimé’s nursing team will also call to review your surgical instructions and answer any remaining questions. You may receive a separate preoperative call from the surgery center nursing team as well.

You will receive specific instructions about which medications and supplements to continue, adjust, or stop before surgery. Dr. Aimé also uses a multimodal approach to help reduce pain and nausea. Depending on your surgical plan, you may be instructed to take medications such as Tylenol and Celebrex before surgery and apply a scopolamine patch the night before so that it is working by the time of your procedure. You will also be given a pre-surgical carbohydrate drink to take the evening before surgery and, when appropriate, another the morning of surgery.

You should bathe or shower the night before or morning of surgery and avoid applying lotion or deodorant to the surgical area. Leave jewelry at home and wear glasses rather than contact lenses. Wear loose, comfortable clothing that is easy for the nursing staff to help you into after surgery, preferably clothing you would not mind getting a small amount of drainage on, along with easy slip-on shoes.

You will generally stop eating at midnight before surgery. Small sips of water may be permitted with medications you have specifically been instructed to take the morning of surgery. Because fasting and carbohydrate-drink instructions can vary based on your procedure, surgery center, and anesthesia plan, follow the specific instructions provided by your surgical team rather than general fasting guidelines.

Learn More: Pre-Surgery Carb Drinks: A Simple Way to Boost Recovery →

Arriving at the Surgery Center

When you arrive at the surgery center, you will meet the preoperative nursing staff, physician anesthesiologist, and operating room nurse who will be caring for you. Dr. Aimé will also meet with you in the preoperative area to review the surgical plan and make detailed markings on your breasts and chest that will guide her during surgery. If the final implant choice falls between two sizes, she will confirm whether you would prefer to err toward the larger or smaller option.

Before entering the operating room, compression stockings and sequential compression devices (SCDs) are placed on your legs to promote circulation, and a warming blanket is used to help maintain your body temperature. Depending on the length of your surgery and your individual risk factors, you may also receive an anticoagulant injection before surgery to further reduce the risk of blood clots.

Once preparations are complete, you will be taken to the operating room, where general anesthesia is administered by your physician anesthesiologist and the surgical team remains with you throughout your procedure.

Learn More: How SCDs Help Prevent Blood Clots →

Incision and Creating the Implant Pocket

Breast implants are most commonly placed through a small incision hidden within the inframammary fold beneath the breast. Dr. Aimé then creates the planned implant pocket, which may be subfascial, subglandular, or dual-plane depending on your anatomy and surgical plan.

The existing breast fold is carefully evaluated during surgery. If the fold is naturally high or the lower breast is constricted, it may be lowered and the breast tissue selectively released or scored to allow the lower portion of the breast to expand around the implant. The fold is then reinforced with internal sutures to help define and support the implant pocket.

Adjusting Breast Shape and Nipple Position

The implant pocket is selected and tailored based on your breast anatomy and the result you are trying to achieve. Subfascial placement is commonly used when there is adequate breast tissue thickness and the breast and nipple are already in a favorable position. This places the implant above the pectoralis muscle while avoiding disruption of the muscle.

When some improvement in breast or nipple position is desired, a dual-plane technique may be used. The breast tissue is partially released from the underlying pectoralis muscle, allowing the breast to redistribute over the implant and providing some upward movement of the nipple. Implant projection can also influence nipple position as the breast projects forward.

In appropriately selected patients with mild drooping, these effects may provide enough improvement to avoid a breast lift and its additional scars. When more significant lifting is needed, however, an implant alone cannot provide the same degree of repositioning as a breast lift.

Intraoperative Sizing and Final Implant Selection

The implant plan developed during your consultation and preoperative sizing guides surgery. Before surgery, you will identify a preferred implant volume as well as the smallest and largest sizes you would be comfortable with, giving Dr. Aimé a clearly defined range for final implant selection.

During surgery, temporary implant sizers are placed and you are positioned upright so Dr. Aimé can assess how different sizes actually fit your breast and chest. Breast shape, proportion, projection, implant position, and symmetry are evaluated before the final implants are selected. Different implant sizes may be used between the breasts when appropriate to improve pre-existing asymmetry.

This process allows the final implant choice to combine your preferences and preoperative measurements with how the implants actually look and fit during surgery, rather than relying on a predetermined number of cc’s alone.

Internal Bra (Surgical Scaffold)

For patients who may benefit from additional support, Dr. Aimé may reinforce the breast or implant pocket with an absorbable surgical scaffold, sometimes referred to as an “internal bra.” These materials provide temporary structural support and gradually dissolve over time.

Several absorbable scaffold materials are available, with different characteristics and absorption times ranging from approximately six months to three years. The material used is selected based on factors such as your anatomy, tissue quality, implant size, and the type of support needed. Surgical scaffolds are not necessary for every breast augmentation.

The use of these surgical scaffolds for internal breast support may be considered an off-label use, meaning the material has not been specifically FDA-approved for this particular application. When a scaffold is recommended, Dr. Aimé will discuss its intended use, potential benefits, limitations, alternatives, and specific risks with you before surgery.

Read More: How Internal Bras Help Support Breast Implants →

Implant Placement and Closure

Once the final implants are selected, the implant pockets are carefully inspected and irrigated with antiseptic and antibiotic solutions. The implants are then placed using a specialized insertion funnel, which allows the implant to pass through the incision without directly touching the skin. This helps minimize implant handling and potential bacterial contamination while allowing the silicone implant to pass gently through the incision without excessive stress or damage.

The incisions are carefully closed and covered with adhesive strips. Long-acting local anesthetic is typically injected during surgery to improve comfort during the first several days of recovery, and a surgical support bra is placed at the end of the procedure.

Each breast implant has unique identifying information, including the manufacturer, implant size and profile, and serial number. After surgery, you will receive an implant identification card with the information for your implants, and your implants will be registered with the manufacturer for future reference and applicable warranty coverage.

Recovery Room and Going Home

After surgery, you will be taken to the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), where specially trained nursing staff will monitor you as you wake from anesthesia. Your vital signs, comfort, surgical sites, and overall recovery will be closely observed, and medications can be given as needed for pain, nausea, or other symptoms.

Once you are awake, comfortable, and meeting the appropriate criteria for discharge, the nursing staff will help you get dressed and review your immediate postoperative instructions with you and your responsible adult. You will leave the surgery center in a supportive surgical bra and must have a responsible adult drive you home and remain available to assist you after surgery.

Most patients undergoing breast augmentation with implants are able to return home the same day. When appropriate, overnight care may be arranged for close nursing monitoring, assistance, and pain control. Overnight monitoring may also be recommended or required when breast surgery is combined with other procedures that result in a longer operation or when your individual health considerations make additional monitoring appropriate.

What to Expect After Surgery

Breast augmentation is typically an outpatient procedure, and you will return home the same day with a responsible adult. Tightness, pressure, soreness, swelling, and bruising are expected during the first several days. Long-acting local anesthetic (numbing medication) used during surgery helps reduce discomfort during the early recovery period, with additional pain medication prescribed as needed.

You will go home with detailed postoperative instructions, and our team will check in with you regularly during the early recovery period to make sure you are doing well and answer questions as they arise. Light walking is encouraged shortly after surgery, while lifting and strenuous activity are restricted during early healing.

Returning to Work and Activity

Many patients with desk-based or other non-physical jobs are comfortable returning to work within several days to one week. Patients with more physically demanding jobs, such as nursing, serving, or work that requires frequent lifting or upper-body activity, are generally encouraged to plan for approximately two weeks away from work.

Light walking is encouraged immediately, but strenuous exercise, heavy lifting, and upper-body activity are restricted during early healing. These restrictions are intended to protect the surgical site and reduce the risk of complications such as postoperative bleeding or hematoma. Activity is gradually increased as healing progresses.

Your Surgical Bra and Implant Settling

A surgical support bra is provided for you and placed at the end of surgery, so you do not need to purchase a postoperative bra on your own. Most patients find the support comfortable during early recovery, although the bra does not need to be worn continuously if you are more comfortable without it.

Swelling and tightness can initially make the breasts appear higher, firmer, or somewhat different from one another. As swelling resolves and the surrounding tissues relax, the implants gradually settle and the breasts soften into their more mature shape. This process occurs over weeks to months and may progress at slightly different rates between the two breasts.

Postoperative Follow-Up

Follow-up care is an important part of your breast augmentation. Dr. Aimé typically sees patients at approximately one week, two weeks, four to sex weeks, three months, six months, and one year after surgery to monitor healing, incision appearance, implant position, breast shape, and your overall result. Additional visits can be scheduled if a concern arises or closer follow-up is needed.

Breast implants also require appropriate long-term surveillance. Dr. Aimé will review recommendations for routine breast screening and implant monitoring based on your age, implant type, and current guidelines.