Breast Implants Burwood, Sydney

You should plan to avoid activities which require much raising of the arms above the level of the head for 1-2 weeks after surgery. With great care, you can drive about 5 days after surgery.

• Walking can commence within 7 days
• No impact exercise after 2 weeks
• Lower body resistance 4-6 weeks
• Upper body weights 6-9 weeks
• Contact sports / Martial arts/ Boxing / Soccer after 12 weeks

Breast implant size is one of the most important decisions in breast augmentation and it is one that women generally spend the most time dwelling on after having decided to seek surgery.

Breast implant sizes are usually referred to in terms of volumes. This is denoted by cubic centimetres(cc), which is roughly the same as millilitres(mL) or grams(g). Hence, 300cc = 300mL = 300g

Final breast size is a complex combination of implant size, pre-existing breast volume, tissue characteristics and chest wall dimensions.

We often encounter a common misconception that a particular implant size equates to a certain cup size. Although studies have shown that a cup size is roughly 100-125cc, it is still impossible to exactly predict final cup size using this. This is because bra cup size is not standardised and will differ with different manufacturers. The biggest determinant of final breast size is the natural volume you started with.

Women also commonly come to us with particular implant sizes in mind, usually from having seen pictures of women with similar size implants that they like. Although this method can be used as a guide in doing your research, be aware that one particular size implant in two women, of seemingly similar dimensions, can still turn out very differently.

Usually, a good starting point is to use your breast base width to determine suitable implants. From there we will help you choose the right size implants. This is crucial to achieving good results.

Implants that are too small or narrow will not give you optimal shape, cleavage or sideboob.

At Zen Medispa, implants that are too large or wide will increase the risk of complications like symmastia, migration or stretch marks. We find that it is more important to focus on how the sizers appear on your body and its proportions rather than the final cup size. At Zen, we will use our experience along with your personal preference and body parameters to guide you smoothly through this process.

At Zen Medispa, we believe everything should be tailored to the patient and getting the right shape of breast implants is no different.

Your doctor will guide you according to your preference and your body. Breast implants come in two basic shapes, round and teardrop (anatomical).

Both shapes can have varying profiles or projections, which refers to how much they protrude from the chest wall. For any given size, the different profiles will vary in width of the implant.

They generally come in three to four different profiles, depending on a particular brand;

• Low/moderate profile
• Moderate plus profile
• High profile
• Extra/ultra-high profile

The teardrop implants also come in varying heights,

• Low
• Medium/moderate
• Tall/Full

In general, teardrop implants would achieve a more natural result with a gentle upper pole slope.

Teardrop implants can also benefit women with mildly droopy or tuberous breasts.

However, in our practice, we have found that the bulk of our patients prefer round implants, this is generally because of the preference for better cleavage and upper pole filling. Natural results can still be achieved with round implants, this is especially since we generally prefer submuscular implant placement in dual plane pockets.

At Zen Medispa, we utilise a full range of implant shapes and profiles from various manufacturers. Your doctor will work with you to achieve your desired result.

At Zen Medispa, we mainly use cohesive silicone gel implants and almost never use saline implants. Modern silicone gel implants are extremely safe and feel much more natural than saline implants. Saline implants are filled with salt water and were popular in the 90s as they claimed to be safer.

Saline implants are prone to rippling and actually feel less natural because your tissue is not the same consistency as liquid. These implants are cheaper and are seldomly used in Australia.

Modern silicone implants are filled with cohesive silicone gel (‘gummy bear’) and not liquid silicone; hence leakage is essentially a thing of the past. Gel implants can vary in their softness or firmness, depending on the manufacturer and different cohesiveness of the gel. Teardrop implants tends to have firmer gel to retain their shape.

You will be able to see and feel for yourself the different types of implants at the time of your consultation in our clinic.

Implant surfaces can either be smooth, textured or polyurethane. Currently, this is the most controversial feature of breast implants. They all have their advantages and disadvantages. Most of the current research in breast implants is in this area and this is reflected in the emerging advancements. The aim has been to find the ideal combination of implants that feel soft and natural but with a low capsular contracture rate.

Smooth implants generally feel softer and can give a more natural look with round implants.
However, they have a higher migration and capsular contracture rate.

Polyurethane coated (furry Brazilian) implants have been around for a long time but their use remains controversial. They were taken off the market in the US since the 90s because of cancer links in animal studies and are still not approved for use in the US. They have only been approved for use in Australia more recently. They claim to have the lowest capsular contracture rate but they do feel much firmer for a long period initially. Due to the stiffness and stickiness of the polyurethane coating they generally require a larger incision. After 9-12 months the polyurethane coating usually dissolves and little is known with regards to its effect as it is absorbed into the surrounding tissue. At Zen Medispa, we don’t feel the benefit outweigh the risk and therefore generally don’t use them.

Textured (rough) surface implants seem to have the best combination of softness, less migration and reduced capsular contracture rate. Migration and capsular contracture are the two most common reason requiring re-operation. Textured implants do tend to show more rippling over time.

This can be felt especially on the lower and outer edges of the breast where tissue coverage is thinnest. Within textured implants, there are further differences between manufacturers and their ranges. These vary in the degree of the texturing (micro, medium and macro texturing) and have further subtle differences in results. Teardrop implants tend to have coarser texturing to reduce rotation risk.

At Zen Medispa, our doctors truly believe in having the patient’s best interest in mind and do not commit to any one type of breast implant or manufacturer. We offer you a range of implants from different companies and guide you to achieve what’s best for your body.

At Zen Medispa, a large proportion of our patients are of childbearing age and we feel that it is important to consider the effects of having breast implants with regards to pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Should you become pregnant following your operation then your existing breast tissue will be subjected to the normal hormonal influences of this period and therefore your breast will enlarge and the skin will stretch accordingly. Likewise, once the pregnancy and any associated breastfeeding ceases, your breast tissue will then shrink down. The breast implants themselves won’t change but it is impossible to predict how your breasts will change.

Breastfeeding is certainly possible when the implant is placed behind the muscle and the implant is not inserted through the nipple-areolar complex. Whether placement of implant behind breast tissue (in front of the muscle) has bearing on breastfeeding is still debatable. Prolonged breastfeeding, however, will create the possibility of stretch marks on the breasts and certainly accelerate breast droopiness which may or may not require surgical correction.

There are two main pocket positions for breast implants, over (subglandular or subfascial) or under the pectoral muscle (submuscular or subpectoral)

In general, we prefer to place breast implants under the muscle so that they are partially covered. We find that this allows a smooth take-off from the chest wall for a more natural look. This is especially important for women who have less natural breast tissue or are very slim.

With implants placed on top of the muscle, the breasts can look like rounded balls on the chest which is a definite give-away. There are many long-term advantages of having breast implants under the muscle, including an impact on breast droopiness, lower capsular contracture rate, least interference with breast feeding and superior for mammograms and ultrasounds. There are also disadvantages, including animation of the breast from pectoral muscle movement and higher rate of migration and lateral displacement.

Over the muscle can be useful for women with mild to moderate droopy breasts who don’t wish to have a breast lift or in women with tuberous breasts, where the risk of ‘double bubble’ is significantly higher. It is also commonly a preference for female body builders and women who prefer a more “fake” look.

The Dual Plane pocket is essentially a type of submuscular pocket, where we can vary the amount of muscle coverage of the breast implant to allow more contact of the implant with the breast tissue. This is to get the best features of both the over and under the muscle approach. That is, a more natural look, less capsular contracture and usually better for mildly droopy breasts. In general, we find that the Dual plane approach works well for most breast types.

Tuberous/Tubular breasts are breasts that may appear elongated or ‘droopy’ in shape. They may also have very large nipples with an extremely large areola – the ring of pigmented skin around the nipple area.

This condition occurs when one breast is different in size, volume, position, or form, when compared to the other.

This occurs when the breastbone and ribs develop abnormally and the breastbone takes on a concave appearance, which could result in an unusual chest contour.

An inverted nipple occurs when the nipple retracts into the breast instead of pointing outward.

This involves removing or replacing the original implants from patients who want to change the size or type of their implants, or to correct any complications resulting from the breast implant surgery that was done previously.

This occurs when patients have already undergone breast implant surgery but want to further increase the size of their breasts.

This process involves using liposuction to take fat from other parts of your body and inject it into your breasts.

This is when our body naturally detects and reacts to an object that it is unfamiliar with and tries to isolate it by creating a barrier of scar tissue around it in the form a ‘capsule’.

This is usually a positive reaction with regard to breast implants since the capsule helps to keep the breast implants in place and can prevent slippage.