Why Breast Augmentation Is Better Than Ever
_

Dr. Eric Mariotti, who performs breast augmentation for Walnut Creek and Danville patients frequently, says ongoing advances in the field of plastic surgery mean that breast implants and surgical techniques keep improving.

Every year without fail, statistics show that breast augmentation is the most popular plastic surgery procedure in the United States. That’s no surprise considering the advances that have been made in the past several years, from implants to surgical options. In fact, my breast augmentation patients in the Walnut Creek and Danville area often review the wide array of beautiful options before them and remark that they wish they had pursued surgery sooner.

Here are some of the best and most interesting developments in breast augmentation in the past few years:

• Anatomically shaped implants: All breast implants used to be round, which can create beautiful results for most patients and give women the cleavage they’ve always wanted. A relatively recent addition to the marketplace is the teardrop-shaped, or anatomical, breast implant. These implants are fuller at the bottom to mimic the shape of a natural breast. Although round implants are still quite popular, shaped implants have filled a need in the marketplace for women who want their breasts to be larger but don’t want an obvious change. This subtle shape has opened up breast augmentation for a whole new group of patients to experience the procedure’s confidence-boosting benefits.
• Cohesive silicone: Although the safety of silicone implants has been proven time and time again through the years, some people still have concerns about leaking gel. A recent development is helping these wonderful, natural-looking implants garner the great reputation they deserve: cohesive silicone gel. Also called “gummy bears,” implants that are filled with this kind of silicone hold their shape even in the very rare case of a rupture or tear. Patients were sometimes wary of older models of silicone implants because they didn’t like the idea of silicone leaking into their bodies if the implant ruptured. That is no longer a concern with cohesive silicone, which many believe also feels more natural than other materials. At my Walnut Creek-area practice, breast augmentation patients love this kind of implant, which can also be used during combo breast lift and augmentation procedures and breast reconstruction.
• Use of fat grafting: An increasing number of plastic surgeons are using fat from another area of a patient’s body to enhance the breasts. Techniques in fat grafting for the breasts are still being investigated and most surgeons are waiting to learn more about the viability of this option. Fat grafting can be done as part of a traditional augmentation to create smoother, more natural-looking contours around the implants. Women who want a very small increase in breast size can opt for fat transfer to the breasts without implants. Some people appreciate this natural route to augmentation, as well as the added slimming benefit in the area where the fat is removed, usually the abdomen, thighs, or buttocks.