Women can get breast implants to make their breasts bigger and fuller. That can be done for reconstructive purposes, such as after mastectomy for breast cancer, or for cosmetic reasons.

Saline and Silicone Breast Implants

There are two types of breast implants: saline and silicone.

Saline-filled implants are silicone shells filled with sterile salt water (saline). Silicone-filled implants are silicone shells filled with a plastic gel (silicone). Although many women say that silicone implants feel more like real breasts than saline, they pose more of a risk if they leak.

In 1992, the FDA halted the sale of silicone implants because of safety concerns. In 2006, after reviewing more research, the FDA started allowing certain silicone breast implants back on the market.

Costs

How much breast implants cost depends on the location, doctor, and type of implant used.

The average cost of breast augmentation surgery is $3,678, according to 2013 statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Breast augmentation cost can vary. The average fee referenced above does not include anesthesia, operating room facilities or other related expenses.

A surgeon's fee for breast augmentation may vary based on his or her experience, the type and cost of breast implants used, as well as geographic office location.

Many plastic surgeons offer patient financing plans for breast augmentation surgery, so be sure to ask.

Breast augmentation cost may include:

  • Anesthesia fees
  • Hospital or surgical facility costs
  • Medical tests
  • Post-surgery garments
  • Prescriptions for medication
  • Surgeon’s fee

Your satisfaction involves more than a fee. When choosing a board-certified plastic surgeon in your area for breast augmentation surgery, remember that the surgeon's experience with breast implants and your comfort with him or her is just as important as the final cost of the surgery.

Breast augmentation surgery and health insurance coverage

Most health insurance plans will not cover cosmetic breast augmentation costs, related complications or another surgery to revise the appearance of your breasts.

Some carriers even exclude breast diseases in patients who have breast implants.

You must carefully review your health insurance policy.

How the Breast Implant Procedure Is Done

Because breasts can continue to develop until a woman reaches her late teens or early 20s, the FDA requires that women be at least 18 years old to get breast augmentation with saline-filled implants and at least 22 years old to receive silicone implants.

When picking your surgeon, look for one who has a lot of experience. You may be less likely to have complications later on if you choose a surgeon who has had at least five years of surgical training and at least two years' experience in plastic surgery.

Before your breast implant procedure, you will meet with your surgeon for a medical evaluation. You can talk about what you want and get feedback from the doctor. Your surgeon may ask you to stop taking certain medications a few days or weeks before your surgery.

You can get breast augmentation done as an outpatient procedure, or you may stay overnight in the hospital.

The procedure takes one to two hours. You will likely be given general anesthesia, during which you will be "asleep" and pain-free.

The surgeon will make a cut under your breasts, under your arms, or around your nipples, depending on your body, the type of implant, and how much enlargement is being done.

The surgeon will put the breast implant into a pocket above or below your chest muscle. After the implant is in place, the surgeon will close the cuts with sutures or surgical tape.

Recovery After Breast Implantation

Your breasts will be covered with gauze after the surgery. You may have drainage tubes, which will be removed in a few days. You may need to wear a surgical bra as you heal.

You'll need to take it easy for a few days after your breast augmentation surgery. For instance, you shouldn't do any heavy lifting for up to six weeks after getting your implants.

Over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen may help relieve discomfort. Your doctor may also prescribe pain medication for you.

You will probably have some swelling in the area where the surgery was done. Over time, the swelling should ease and the scars will fade.

Possible Complications

Although it is a cosmetic procedure, breast implant surgery can have risks, such as:

  • Breast pain
  • Changes in sensation in the nipple and breast
  • Scar tissue forming and hardening in the area around the implant
  • Scarring
  • Bleeding
  • Infection

Problems with the size or shape of the implants (for example, the breasts may not be symmetrical)

It is also possible for implants to rupture and leak. If saline implants rupture, the saline will be safely absorbed by the body. A silicone leak may stay inside the implant shell or leak outside of the shell. When a saline implant ruptures, it will deflate. But silicone breast implants may cause no obvious symptoms when they rupture. This is called silent rupture.

Maintenance

Breast implants are not designed to last a lifetime. You may need to have the implants replaced if you have complications or if the size and shape of your breasts change over time.

Women who have silicone gel-filled implants will need to get an MRI scan three years after the implant surgery and then MRI scans about every two years to check for silent rupture. If your implants rupture, you will need to have them removed or replaced.

Having breast implants can make it more difficult to get a mammogram, but special X-ray views can be done. There is a chance breast implants may make you more likely to get breast cancer. Breast implants also may make it harder for you to breastfeed.