Breast Implants Decision Guide

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Saline or silicone? Over or under the pectoral muscle? Augmentation or lift – or both? Which incision? Which surgeon? Which anesthesia? What size? What texture? What profile? What payment plan?

If you are feeling overwhelmed by the number of choices that you need to make to get breast implants, you are not alone. In 2010, 296,000 women in the United States got breast implants (pretty evenly divided between silicone gel and saline) and another 93,000 had breast reconstruction surgery. Chances are your friends will have many different opinions about what is the best option for each aspect of the process; even plastic surgeons disagree.

At BreastImplants.org, we want to give women the opportunity to make informed decisions about their choices for breast reconstruction or augmentation by helping them to educate themselves about the risks and benefits of each aspect. We also want to assist them in weighing the pros and cons with unbiased, reliable information.

First and foremost, you need to decide what is important to you (with an emphasis on you). Your priorities may determine the best options for you. For example, if you have not yet had children and plan to, you might want to avoid an areolar incision and subglandular placement, which may interfere with breastfeeding. On the other hand, if you are considering breast enlargement as part of a “mommy makeover” following nursing and pregnancy, the periareolar incision may be the best option because it is required as part of the breast lift procedure (a common part of the “mommy makeover”). These are only two examples of why it is crucial that women be well-informed about breast implants in advance.