Women consider breast augmentation for a variety of reasons. Maybe you want your breasts to look rounder up top, for more visible cleavage. Or you want to enlarge your breasts for a “bustier” profile overall. Maybe your breasts are not symmetrical and you want to achieve a more balanced appearance. Breast augmentation can also restore your womanly shape after a mastectomy.
Whatever your reason, there is a lot to think about, and you will have a lot of questions. You can find many answers by researching information on your own, but nothing takes the place of a personal consultation. That gives you an opportunity to ask even more questions – ones that pertain specifically to you – and also to decide if this is the right person to perform your procedure.
Goal #1: Meet your prospective cosmetic surgeon
You can learn the facts about a provider’s professional training, credentials, experience, and patient satisfaction ratings ahead of time. The consultation gives you a chance to learn about them as a person. It is essential to feel confident and comfortable so you can openly talk about this very personal topic – your breasts. So, as you’re asking your questions about breast augmentation, consider these factors:
- Is the surgeon willingly answering all your questions without pressuring you to make certain choices?
- Does the clinic feel welcoming and calming?
- Is the medical and support staff team friendly as well as helpful?
Goal #2: Understand all your options
You want to make the best-informed decisions about your breast augmentation, with clear and realistic expectations about the outcome. Here are some questions you should ask during your consultation:
- Am I a good candidate for breast augmentation? Would a breast lift be more appropriate to achieve my goals?
- What are the risks and complications associated with breast augmentation or breast lift?
- Where and how will you perform my procedure?
- Which implant type, shape, and placement will be best for me?
- How long will recovery take?
- What will I have to do before and after the procedure to get the best results?
- What if I have a complication?
- Will my ability to breastfeed be affected if I have more children? Will breastfeeding affect the appearance of my breasts?
- What if I get implants and later on there’s a problem or I decide to have them removed?
How Will I Look?
Before your consultation, you will want to review lots of before and after photos of women who have had breast augmentation procedures. Focusing on women similar to you in age, specific breast concerns and goals will give you the best idea about results you might be able to achieve. During the consultation, ask to see more photos of this surgeon’s actual patients. Do the results appear reasonable and appealing to you?
But first . . . ask this question:
Can I Achieve My Goal Without Surgery?
Many women who want breast augmentation are reluctant to get implants because it is a full surgical commitment that uses a “foreign body” (implants) to achieve the goal, increasing risks. Some women, as the last question in the list above indicates, are opting to have implants removed, even before a problem develops. They are choosing fat transfer breast augmentation (or breast lift) instead, because the procedure is simpler, safer, requires less downtime, and is much less costly.
Fat transfer uses your body’s own fat to enlarge and re-contour your breasts. The fat is harvested from another area of your body using liposuction, processed gently, and then inserted as needed to achieve the look you want. Although fat transfer is an entirely natural alternative to implants, there are still questions you should ask during your consultation. You can still use the questions outlined above, just skip those that relate to implant selection.
When you’re ready to ask, our team at Eterna Cosmetic Surgery is here to schedule a personal consultation with Dr. Elizabeth Hernandez so you can learn if breast augmentation is right for you.
