During Surgery

During breast enlargement surgery, you will be put under general anaesthetic while the surgeon makes the incisions and inserts the implants. The type and size or your implants and where the scars will be placed will have been discussed at your consultation. In some cases you can have the operation done while you are awake, using a combination of a local anaesthetic and sedative.

Incisions are most commonly made under the breast using a technique called inframammary incision, so that the scars can be hidden in the natural skin fold beneath the breast. Implants can also be inserted through the nipple, known as periareolar incision, which creates a tiny scar around the edge of the pigmented area surrounding the nipple. In the case of saline implants they can also be inserted through the armpit, known as transaxillary incision or belly button, known as the TUBA technique, although this technique is not commonly used in the UK.

The implants can either be placed under the muscle, known as submuscular, or on top of the muscle just behind the breast tissue, known as subglandular. Benefits of submuscular placement may include decreased risk of capsular contracture and less interference with mammography. However, breast implant surgery with subglandular placement can take less recovery time and may involve a lesser amount of post-operative pain.

The operation usually takes between one and two hours but can be as little as 40 minutes. Nowadays breast augmentation does not usually involve an overnight stay in hospital so you will be able to go home the same day.

To find out more information about what you should do before breast augmentation surgery or to know more about the recovery process, visit our educational pages.