You might be hesitant to ask your breast augmentation plastic surgeon hard-pressing questions before your surgery, but you need to cast those reservations aside if you're going to get the best breast enhancement. Laying your concerns, curiosities, and trepidation out on the table will help you make more informed decisions and will better ensure you get the results you are looking for.
To help, we've created this comprehensive list of questions you can ask your breast implant surgeon during your breast augmentation consult.
The surgeon's qualifications and experience
1. Are you certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery? For how long?
2. Do you regularly attend continuing medical education courses to stay abreast of developments in your field?
3. Do you have hospital admitting privileges? If so, with which hospitals?
4. How many breast augmentations do you perform per year?
5. What is your complication rate (e.g., capsule contracture, bottoming out, infection, etc)?
6. What's the most common complication your patients experience? Why? How do you handle it?
7. What is your re-operation rate with breast implants, and what is the most common re-operation you perform?
8. Where do you perform your surgeries? Hospital, outpatient surgery center, or your own surgical suite? Is your facility accredited, and if so, by who?
9. What is your policy on repairs (e.g., bottoming out, lowering a crease, etc.)?
10. Regarding reconstructive surgery vs. plain breast augmentation, which do you do more often?
11. Do you fill implants to the manufacturer's recommendations, or do you fill passed the maximum amount recommended by implant manufacturers?
Breast implants and breast augmentation surgery
12. Do you recommend round or teardrop implants for me? Why?
13. Do you recommend overs, partial sub-muscular, or complete sub-muscular placement for me? Is this your preference or your suggestion based on my breast type?
14. Which incision type do you recommend for me? Why, and how long will my incisions be?
15. If I have a complication, can the same incision be used, or will you have to make a new incision?
16. Which types of breast implants do you recommend? Saline or silicone? Why?
17. Will my breast creases need to be lowered?
18. Do my breasts sag? Will breast implants provide some lift, or will I need a breast lift/mastopexy?
19. Do you dissect the medial portion of the pectoral muscle in order to create more cleavage? (You want your surgeon to answer NO to this question.)
20. Will you over-size my pockets if the breast implants I want are too big for my breast width diameter?
21. Do you use sizers (disposable implants) during surgery to best determine size? And if so, how many different sizes of implants do you take into the OR?
Preparing for breast augmentation
22. What medications or herbal remedies do I need to stop taking prior to my surgery?
23. How long should I take off of work?
24. What diet or lifestyle changes do I need to make before breast augmentation surgery?
25. Do I need to purchase any bras prior to my surgery? Will I need to wear a sports bra, underwire, "strap", or no bra?
Post-breast augmentation care
26. When can I resume normal activities, like exercising, driving and sex after breast augmentation?
27. What do you recommend for breast augmentation bruising and swelling?
28. Do you use dissolvable stitches and, if not, when do the stitches come out?
29. What pain medications do you prescribe?
30. When can I take a shower? A tub bath?
31. Does smoking affect the healing process? Do I need to quit before and after surgery? If so, for how long?
32. Will I get breast stretch marks after breast augmentation? How can I prevent them?
33. What signs of infection should I look for after breast augmentation?
34. Will I have breast augmentation scars? How do I treat them?
35. Do you recommend breast implant massage? Why, or why not?
36. Do you believe that Vitamin E plays a role in preventing capsule contracture?
37. How long after surgery should I wait before taking vitamin E? What dosage do you recommend?
38. Is there anything I can do to help my incisions heal better?
Breast augmentation recovery, complications, and results
39. Will my breasts feel natural to me and my significant other?
40. When will my breast implants drop and fluff?
41. What can I expect my implants to look like during the first few weeks and months?
42. How will I feel after surgery? How long will recovery take?
43. Will my implants lose their shape and/or sag after a long period of time?
44. Will I be able to breastfeed and does the nipple/areola incision decrease my chances of breastfeeding?
45. How long do breast implants last?
46. How will my breasts look if I decide to have children?
47. Will I lose sensitivity in my breasts/nipples? What are the odds of this being permanent?
48. What are the potential risks of breast implant surgery?
49. Is it possible to prevent breast implant rupture, rippling, or wrinkling?
Health risks of breast augmentation
50. Do I need to have a mammogram prior to my surgery?
51. I have fibrocystic breasts. Is it safe for me to have breast augmentation?
52. If I have an autoimmune disease, how will breast augmentation affect my health?
53. Will breast implants make it unsafe for my baby to breastfeed?
54. Can my menstrual cycle be thrown off by the surgery?
Type of anesthesia for breast implants
55. Do you use a certified anesthesiologist, or a nurse anesthetist (CRNA)?
56. What type of anesthesia will I receive? General, or twilight with sedation? What is the difference between the two?
57. Will I receive anti-nausea meds during surgery, and will I get a prescription for anti-nausea medication?
Breast augmentation cost
58. Based on our discussion, how much will my breast augmentation cost?
59. What is included in the cost of my breast augmentation?
60. Are all post-op visits free? If so, for how long?
61. How much do you charge for a revision or repair?
62. Will insurance cover my breast augmentation? If not, do you offer payment plans?
63. How much are breast implant warranties? How long do they last and what do they cover?
Have breast augmentation questions you want to be answered right away?!
We know you have loads of questions about breast implants and the breast augmentation procedure. Don't hesitate to ask our large network of board-certified plastic surgeons in the Q&A forum! They can answer everything from breast implant types and sizes to the surgery itself.
References
FDA. Questions to Ask Before Having Breast Implant Surgery. Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/downloads/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/BreastImplants/UCM259897.pdf
WebMD. Breast Augmentation: 40 Questions to Ask Your Doctor. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/beauty/breast-implants-40-questions-ask-your-doctor#1
Natrelle. Breast Augmentation Consultation Checklist. Retrieved from https://www.natrelle.com/Content/pdf/AugmentationConsultationChecklist.pdf
