New Jersey Breast Implant Options
When it comes to breast augmentation surgery, one size definitely does not fit all. There are a number of key choices you must make in order to achieve your ideal result. While some of these considerations may seem complex and confusing, Dr. Sorokin is committed to guiding you through the selection of the right implant for your goals and objectives for breast augmentation in New Jersey.
If you have additional questions, call 856.528.9563 to schedule an appointment to discuss breast implant options with New Jersey cosmetic surgeon Dr. Sorokin, a board-certified plastic surgery specialist at Delaware Valley Plastic Surgery. The office is just a short drive from many towns, including Mt. Laurel, Cherry Hill, Berlin, and Medford, New Jersey. Breast implant surgery involves several key choices which are best discussed in person to give you the finest, most pleasing results. Set up an appointment with Dr. Sorokin today.
Saline vs. Silicone Breast Implants
Silicone implants have been available continuously since the 1960's, but in the early 1990's, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asked surgeons to voluntarily limit the use of this type of implant in the majority of breast operations, due to concern that internal leaking of silicone could cause autoimmune and connective tissue diseases. After a decade of silicone implant studies showing no serious adverse health impacts from this type of implant, they are again an option for all types of breast surgery, including augmentation, reconstruction, and revision.
Given the exhaustive studies completed to date, safety concerns should not play a role in your decision between saline and silicone breast implants. Instead, you should pay close attention to implant feel and appearance, cost differences, and personal preference when making your decision. Saline implants are less expensive, and offer slightly more options for the location of the incision site. But cohesive silicone gel implants feel more like natural breast tissue, and produce much less visible rippling or wrinkling.
Dr. Sorokin finds that his Philadelphia and New Jersey breast augmentation patients choosing silicone implants generally are much more pleased with their natural-feeling results than patients who select saline implants. However, the choice of implant material ultimately is a personal one, and Dr. Sorokin has the skills and knowledge necessary to give you unparalleled results regardless of whether you choose saline or silicone.
Textured vs. Smooth Breast Implant Capsule
Regardless of whether you choose silicone or saline as your implant filling, the outer covering of the implant, or capsule, will be made of a silicone polymer. The capsule is flexible and moves along with the substance contained within.
The capsule's exterior surface can be either smooth or textured. There is some evidence suggesting that textured capsules decrease the risk of capsular contracture, which occurs when the breast tissue surrounding the implant tightens, causing the implant to feel firmer than it should. However, recent studies have shown no difference in capsular contracture rates for women who chose textured capsules. Because of the texturing process, textured implants have to be thicker, which means that the capsule may be easier to see and feel through the skin in some women, particularly those with little existing breast tissue.
For most of our New Jersey and greater Philadelphia breast augmentation patients, smooth implants offer significant advantages over textured ones. Smooth implants have a more natural look and feel, and are generally more durable. The risk of capsular contracture can be minimized by placing implants under the pectoral muscle, and by following a daily breast massage regimen that helps to minimize hardened tissue formation.
Breast Implant Size and Shape
Often, the most difficult decision for patients is which size of implant to select. Selecting the right breast implant for you involves both art and science. During your initial consultation, Dr. Sorokin takes a series of detailed measurements that, when combined with your height, weight, and chest diameter, are vital tools to help you make a satisfying choice. Many New Jersey breast augmentation patients come into the consultation with an ideal implant size already in mind, but it is important to realize, for example, that a 400cc implant in one woman may look completely different than a 400cc implant in another patient.
Patients who prefer large implants should note that large implants will inevitably cause long term changes to breast tissue which may result in early sagging or drooping. Dr. Sorokin encourages patients not to dwell only on size, but also to consider how they want the implant to be shaped. Once an implant is placed, shape often can have just as much if not more of an impact on overall breast appearance as does implant size. Any plastic surgeon can deliver an average breast augmentation result, but Dr. Sorokin specializes in achieving unparalleled results by combining art and science.
At your consultation, you will be able to evaluate the width and depth (or projection) of various implants. Two implants may be the same size (i.e. have the same amount of internal volume), but the wider implant, once placed, will not stick out as far from your chest wall as a narrower implant would. Wider, flatter implants are known as "low profile," and narrower, more projected implants are "high profile." Also, there are moderate and moderate-plus profiles, which fall in between. Dr. Sorokin doesn't stock up on "standard" implant types-he orders implants from either of the two major implant manufacturers (Mentor and Inamed) only after understanding your individual goals and needs.
Dr. Sorokin strives to provide his New Jersey and Greater Philadelphia breast augmentation patients with suggestions and guidance so that they can select the implant best for them. The implant size and profile decision should be based on your chest diameter, the width of your existing breasts, and your target breast size. In many patients, moderate or moderate-plus implants produce ideal results, since low profile implants may appear too flat while high profile implants tend to project out too far.
A Natural Result
Time and again, Dr. Sorokin hears the same concern from his patients in Philadelphia and New Jersey: breast implants that look obvious and unnatural. If this is an important consideration for you, as it is for many, Dr. Sorokin offers the tools and training necessary to achieve an enhanced look that delivers exactly what you expect.
Some New Jersey cosmetic surgeons decide which implant will deliver a good result while in the operating room, using "sizers," or temporary implants, during breast augmentation surgery. You should be wary of physicians using this method as it brings with it the potential for additional risks and complications. Experienced surgeons like Dr. Sorokin perform detailed examinations and thoroughly discuss implant options with their patients before surgery, making decisions based on accurate objective data, rather than choosing an implant during surgery based a subjective assessment of what looks best at the time.
While Dr. Sorokin always makes the final decision in the operating room, proper preoperative planning eliminates the need for extra "sizing" during the procedure. Besides adding unnecessary expense and surgical time, sizing is an outdated procedure that increases patient discomfort, recovery time, and risk of infection. Preoperative discussions and measurements can easily determine in almost every case which implant will be best for you, not just during the day of the surgery, but for many years to come.
By adding thorough preoperative planning to the art and science of breast augmentation, Dr. Sorokin is able to offer you a custom, natural result and unmatched satisfaction. Schedule a consultation today at our office in Marlton, New Jersey to discuss breast implant options in detail, or call us at 856.528.9563 to set up an appointment.