Breast Augmentation Surgery in Atlanta, GA
Breast augmentation is surgery to enhance the size and shape of the breasts using implants or, in some cases, transfer of the patient’s own fat. Breast augmentation is the most popular plastic surgery procedure in the United States. Patients choose to have their breasts enlarged and reshaped for many reasons: to accentuate feminine curves, improve the balance of the body’s proportions, or correct asymmetry between the breasts. Breast augmentation can be combined with a breast lift to add volume to the breasts and correct sagging.
Mark Crispin, MD, at Crispin Plastic Surgery, performs breast augmentation in Atlanta to help patients achieve more attractive contours and greater pride in their bodies. Dr. Crispin is a board-certified plastic surgeon who consistently delivers beautifully natural-looking breast augmentation results for his patients. He and his staff run a warm and welcoming practice where patients are listened to and valued for who they are.
To learn more about breast augmentation surgery with Dr. Crispin, contact Crispin Plastic Surgery today to schedule a complimentary consultation in our Atlanta office.
Dr. Crispin Talks About Breast Augmentation
Why You Might Consider Breast Augmentation with One of the Best Plastic Surgeons in Atlanta
The size and shape of your breasts can affect your feelings about your body and your sense of self-esteem. Breast augmentation can:
- Increase the size of your breasts
- Improve the shape of your breasts
- Make your breasts more symmetrical
- Bring the proportions of your body into better balance
- Restore breast volume that has been lost with age or weight changes or after childbearing
- Free you to wear, with confidence, the clothes you prefer
- Give you renewed confidence in your appearance and self
Note that breast augmentation, on its own, may not correct breast sagging. If you aim to add volume to your breasts and lift sagging breasts, you might consider combining your breast augmentation with a breast lift.
Exceptional Results & Compassionate Care
For over 25 years, Dr. Crispin has been the top choice for plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures in the area. You’re provided with professional and compassionate care at the office, and it’s no wonder Dr. Crispin is named one of the Top Doctors in 2023 by Atlanta Magazine.
What Are the Options for Breast Augmentation?
Getting the right breast augmentation for your body involves choices of implant type, size, shape, placement, and decisions about the surgical approach, such as where the incisions will be made. In your consultation with Dr. Crispin, he will examine you, ask questions to understand your goals for the procedure, guide you through the choices, and make recommendations to get you the results you are hoping to achieve. Dr. Crispin is known for creating beautifully natural-looking results individually tailored to each patient’s unique features and personal wishes.
Breast Implant Types
You have two basic choices of implant type: silicone and saline. Both saline and silicone implants are made with an outer silicone shell, the difference being the filling that is used.
Silicone breast implants are filled with silicone gel, which is formulated to match the density of flexibility of breast tissue. Silicone implants have several advantages over saline implants, including:
- A more natural look and a softer feel
- Suitable for women with little breast tissue to cover the implant
- Less chance of cosmetic imperfections such as rippling and wrinkling
- Lower risk of skin stretching
Silicone breast implants are approved for women aged 22 and older.
If a silicone breast implant ruptures, the rupture may be difficult to detect. Implant ruptures often require an MRI to diagnose. For this reason, regular MRI scans are recommended for women with silicone breast implants. Gummy bear implants, a type of silicone implant, are filled with a thickened form of silicone which will not leak into surrounding tissue if the implant shell ruptures.
What Are Saline Breast Implants?
Saline breast implants are filled with a sterile saltwater solution after they have been placed in the breast. Saline implants have several advantages over silicone implants, including:
- A smaller incision is required, which may reduce visible scarring.
- Ruptures in saline implants are easier to detect. The breast will have a deflated appearance when the implant ruptures.
- When a saline implant ruptures, the effect is cosmetic only, with no health risks. The saline solution is naturally absorbed by and processed out of the body.
- Saline implants remain the only implant available for women aged 18 to 21.
Dr. Crispin Discusses Types of Breast Implants
Saline implants do not look or feel as natural as silicone and are more likely to ripple or wrinkle. Additionally, they are somewhat heavier and may accentuate breast sagging (ptosis). Patients receiving saline breast implants are more prone to a complication called “double-bubble,” where the implant moves out of position. Ideal or “structured” saline implants improve the look and feel results of standard saline implants by using barriers within the implants that limit the movement of the fluid filling.
Capsular contracture is a potential complication of both silicone and saline implants. This occurs when the tissue in the breast reacts to the implant by surrounding it with a hardened and thickened layer of scar tissue. This can distort the shape of the breast, cause discomfort or pain, and put pressure on the implant.
Natural-Looking,
Long-Lasting Results
Dr. Mark Crispin is a board-certified plastic surgeon with extensive training and expertise in breast, body and facial plastic surgery.
Breast Implant Shapes and Sizes
Breast implants are made in round and teardrop shapes and in a range of sizes. Breast implants are measured in cubic centimeters (cc) rather than cup size. During your one-on-one consultation, Dr. Crispin focuses on your aesthetic goals and anatomy to find the appropriate shape and size for you. All implants are available to try on during your consultation.
Breast Implant Incision Locations
Your incision location will determine the visibility of your surgical scars. Dr. Crispin is known for his technical skills and for achieving well-hidden, discrete scars. He listens carefully to patients and considers each individual’s physical characteristics before recommending an incision location. There are two incision location options for breast augmentation:
Periareolar: Around your nipple, hidden in the darker skin of your areola. The advantage of this incision is that it is less noticeable in the areola’s pigmented skin and allows good control over implant placement. The disadvantages of this incision choice are potentially higher rates of infection and capsular contracture.
Inframammary: Underneath your breast, naturally hidden in the fold where your breast and chest meet. The advantage to this incision choice is excellent access to the implant pocket, therefore good symmetry, and a barely noticeable scar. The disadvantage is a scar that is visible if the breast is lifted in an upward direction while disrobed.
Breast Implant Placement Options
There are two choices for placing breast implants: above or below the chest (pectoral) muscle.
Above-muscle breast implant placement. In subglandular breast implant placement, the implant is placed within the tissue of the breast, above the chest (pectoral) muscle. This placement minimizes the impact on your chest muscle, which can make recovery faster. Above-the-muscle or subglandular placement is an ideal option for athletic physiques and people who desire less post-surgery downtime.
Disadvantages of this implant placement option include:
- A rounder, less natural look in larger-size implants
- Greater visibility for aesthetic imperfections such as rippling or wrinkling
- A higher risk for capsular contracture
- More likely to interfere with mammograms
Under-muscle breast implant placement. In submuscular breast implant placement, the implant is placed below the pectoral muscle. This placement may slightly increase recovery time due to the additional impact on your chest muscle. Most patients find the benefits of this placement far outweigh this short-term inconvenience.
Benefits of submuscular placement include:
- More natural look and feel to the upper part of the breast
- Enhanced concealment of breast implant contours
- Reduced risk of capsular contracture
- Suitable for women with little natural breast tissue
- Less likely to interfere with mammograms and breastfeeding
Are You a Good Candidate for Breast Augmentation in Atlanta?
Dr. Crispin can tell you if you are a good candidate for breast augmentation as part of your consultation with him. You may be a good candidate if you:
- Are unhappy about the shape or size of your breasts
- Are in generally good health
- Are not significantly overweight and have maintained a stable weight for several months
- Have realistic expectations for the outcomes of the surgery
If you smoke, you must be able to quit for a period of several weeks before and after your surgery.
Planning Your Breast Augmentation Surgery
Planning for your breast augmentation starts with your consultation with Dr. Crispin. He will ask questions to learn your medical history and understand your goals for the procedure, perform an examination, and answer all the questions you may have. He will guide you through the choices of implant type, shape, and size. Based on your anatomy and goals for the procedures, he will recommend the surgical approach that will give you optimal results in the safest way. He will explain his surgical plan and what you can expect throughout the process.
Dr. Crispin’s goal in every cosmetic surgery is to create natural-looking results that are in harmony with the patient’s features, taking the surgical approach that promises the best outcomes and holds the lowest risk.
What to Expect After Your Breast Augmentation Surgery
You’ll need to arrange for someone to drive you home after your surgery once the anesthesia has worn off and you are fully alert. Plan to rest at home for a few days. After your surgery, you will need to wear a supportive bra. This bra will help keep your implants in position while your breasts heal and reduces swelling and discomfort. Any initial discomfort can be managed with pain medication. You’ll probably need help with household tasks for the first few days, as you won’t be able to reach above your head or lift anything heavy.
Dr. Crispin and his staff will provide you with detailed instructions on:
- Self-care and wound care as you heal
- When to return follow-up appointments
- How to get answers to any questions or concerns
- When and how to resume normal activities
Most patients are able to return to work 5 to 7 days after their surgery. You might need more time off if your job requires heavy lifting. You can resume low-impact aerobic exercise a month after surgery and all vigorous physical activity in approximately two months. Postoperative swelling will be most noticeable in the first two weeks, then will gradually subside. You’ll notice improvements from the surgery right away and can expect to see final results after about six months.
Schedule Your Atlanta Breast Augmentation Consultation
Contact Crispin Plastic Surgery by calling (404) 257-0064 or completing our online form to schedule a consultation for breast augmentation with Dr. Crispin. He will ask questions to understand your goals for treatment, examine you, and give his recommendations for the best and safest approach. Patients throughout the Atlanta area choose Dr. Crispin because of his caring approach, his surgical expertise, and his beautifully natural-looking results.
Atlanta Breast Augmentation - FAQs
Gel implants feel the most natural vs. saline implants. The thicker the gel, the less natural implants feel.
Dr. Crispin considers your cosmetic goals, but most important is the measurements he takes of your breast at your exam to determine specific implant sizes that fit your frame.
You will be given options at your pre-op appointment and choose.
Your specific anatomy determines cleavage. Implants have to be placed directly behind your nipple; therefore, if your breasts naturally sit further apart, the implants will mirror this. Breasts are only lifted with a breast lift, not an augmentation.
If you have droop to your breasts, you will need a breast lift.
You will need someone to drive you home from surgery and stay with you for at least the first night.
This no-touch technique helps prevent the rate of capsular contracture and infection.
The implant is placed directly from the packaging into the Keller funnel without being touched and then from the funnel directly into the breast pocket.
Dr. Crispin determines this at your consultation and during your exam. Typically if you have had children, weight loss, or previous implant displacement, this may be a good option for you.
You may not exercise for 1 month after your surgery—no lifting, pushing, or pulling more than 5 lbs.
Depending on your job and preference, patients typically take half a week off of work.
Yes. You will be placed into a post-op bra at your first follow-up after surgery.
Yes. You can safely get a mammogram 6 months after surgery, which is recommended.
It’s a common belief, but an incorrect myth, that implants need to be exchanged every 10 years. Implant exchange is only needed if you are unhappy with the size of your breasts, your breasts have changed shape over time, or you experience a problem such as capsular contracture or implants shifting out of position.
Breastfeeding can present challenges for many women, but implants generally do not affect milk production. It is very important to discuss future breastfeeding possibilities with Dr. Crispin so he can plan the placement of incisions and implants to address your personal needs. Submuscular breast implant placement, for example, is less likely than subglandular placement to affect your ability to breastfeed.
Yes. There are no surgeries that do not result in scarring.
Most women will regain normal nipple sensation within a few months of surgery. The nerve which gives sensation to the nipple travels through the outside (lateral) of the breast to get to the nipple. Those with larger implants are more likely to disturb the nerves and cause nipple insensitivity.
Capsular Contracture and implant displacement.
Yes, implants can rupture. Saline implants deflate, while gel implant ruptures must be determined with an MRI.
Tightness after surgery is normal and gets better as the swelling goes down. You can move; however, you need to avoid abrupt chest and arm movements.