Breast Augmentation
“I felt looked after and cared for from the initial consultation to the very end”
What is breast augmentation surgery?
A breast enlargement, augmentation or ‘boob job’ is one of the most frequently requested cosmetic procedures in the UK. Breast enlargement surgery involves placing breast implants between the breast tissue and chest muscle or behind the chest muscle depending on the patient’s desired outcome.
During your consultation Mr Akali will discuss the options available to you including the pros and cons of each, to enable you to make an informed decision.
Lots of women choose to have this procedure to increase the fullness, size and shape of their breasts and to enhance their overall appearance. Some women are naturally flat chested and want bigger breasts, while others have lost volume from their breasts following pregnancy or weight loss.
Whatever the reason is, we are here for you every step of the way to make sure you get the support and information you need
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Take a minute to download our free breast enlargement patient information.
Breast Augmentation FAQ’s
We have listed the most commonly asked questions about breast augmentation here. If you don’t see what you are looking for or want more information, bring all questions and concerns to your consultation appointment.
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Breast augmentation is a surgical procedure undertaken to increase and improve the size of a person’s breast. It is also called breast enlargement or ‘boob job’. Most people want the operation to improve their breast size, fullness, and overall shape with a resultant boost to their confidence. Cosmetic breast enlargement is most frequently achieved with the use of silicone implants due to the more predictable outcome after the one stage operation.
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For people who want to enhance their breast size and fullness, this can also be achieved using your own body fat through liposuction and lipofilling (fat transfer) to their breasts. This avoids the use of implants and has the added advantage of achieving a more natural look and feel to your breast. However, it will usually require two or three episodes to achieve a reasonable result.
Occasionally, breast uplift only can be sufficient for those who have a reasonable volume of breast tissue. It can also be combined with lipofilling to achieve a better result. We will explain all the options after your examination you to help you make informed decisions.
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Most people typically want to go up in size by about two cup sizes with breast enlargement surgery. Up to three Bra cup size increase can be achieved for most patients. However, it is important to understand that no specific cup size can be guaranteed due to variability of cup size with different manufacturers amongst other reasons. During your consultation, we will discuss your expectations, implant types and sizes and advise you appropriately.
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Silicone is the best-tested product within the human body with over 70 years of surgical use. It is used in many medical products with a very good safety record. Breast implants are safe with no proven evidence of connections to breast cancer or autoimmune or fatigue syndromes.
However, breast implants can create problems such as infections, hardening or rupture with some spread of silicone. These problems are not shown to be dangerous in themselves but may need further surgery.
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As with any surgical procedure, complications can and do sometimes occur following breast implant surgery. Short term complications are mainly pain and discomfort. Implant infection is rare (less than 1%) but could necessitate removal of the affected implants. Long term Silicone implants complications are mainly capsular contractures, implant rupture and change in shape.
With textured implants, the serious but very rare, treatable complication of capsular lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) is increasingly being recognised and occurs in about 1:30,000 patients.
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At your consultation, we will discuss the pros and cons of the different implants and consider any pre-existing preferences you may have and how appropriate they are for you. While we typically use safe and proven implants (Mentor) we are not aligned with any specific manufacturers, and we also use other makes when required. We will discuss the pros and cons different implants including: Round vs tear-drop, saline vs silicone gel fill, smooth vs texture envelope vs polyurethane, low vs high projection and placement under the breast vs under the muscle and your required size.
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Most young people with small volume breast do not need an uplift at the time of their primary breast enlargement since implants insertion uplifts the breast and improves small amounts of droop. However, if you have significant breast droop, you will likely also need uplift surgery with enlargement to achieve the best possible result. This is more commonly the case after childbirth, following weight loss or during revision surgery some years after breast enlargement due to the natural effect of gravity and aging. After your examination, we will confirm your specific needs and advise you on the best options at your consultation.
Breast enlargement can also be done with other cosmetic surgery to lessen your overall cost, recovery time and time taken off work depending on your requests and needs.
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The right time for surgery is when your feel physically and mentally ready. This is typically after you’ve researched the procedure, had adequate consultation(s) and planned appropriate time for recovery. It is also important to ensure you have adequate social support network in the first few days after your surgery. It is very important to receive adequate verbal and written information to enable you to make well-informed decisions. Cessation of smoking is advised six weeks before your surgery to minimise possible complications from your planned surgery.
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Breast feeding is both safe and feasible since the implant is placed outside the main breast structures and does not usually interfere with pregnancy and feeding. If you have imminent plans to start a family, then it is best to wait and complete your family before breast enlargement surgery since pregnancy and breast-feeding do have an effect on the breast shape and droop afterwards.
You can have breast scans and mammograms after breast enlargement surgery, and it is always helpful to pre-inform the radiology team to help with the interpretation of your results.
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Your operation is done under general anaesthesia. Most patients go home on the same day, but you may need to stay in overnight depending on the time of surgery and to ensure you are comfortable before being discharged on appropriate analgesics. You will be given a Bra after surgery and can also get your own comfortable non-underwired Bra at the time of your discharge to be worn most of the time for the first six weeks. We will call you within 72 hours after discharge to ensure all is well and arrange a wound check 7-10 days after your surgery and an out-patient consultant review four weeks after your operation. We will also give you contact details if you have any concerns.
Most people are recovered well enough to resume work two or three weeks after surgery.
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It is better to wait until you have finished breastfeeding for a minimum of 6 months although we would recommend that you wait until after 12 months.
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The inclusive care cost of Breast implant enlargement is between £5,800 and £6,500 depending on the specific hospital you chose and your specific need.
We will confirm and inform you of the specific cost (inclusive care) shortly after your consultation.
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Whatever your reasons may be, if you are thinking about breast enlargement, it’s a great time to sit down with your surgeon at your consultation, to critically discern what your expectations and hopes are from the procedure. We will listen carefully to you, answer your questions, and explain different options and their pros and cons to equip you with the ability to choose the right solution for yourself. We will always tailor our care and advice to your specific needs as we explore with you the options that are best for you, the results you can expect, and safest and least risky recommendations.
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Breast implants do not have a lifetime durability. The longevity varies from person to person, but they are expected to last between 10 and 20 years for most patients. They only need to be changed when they are either ruptured or causing a lot of physical symptoms because they have become encapsulated or hardened over time. They can also be changed at the time of uplift surgery for implants that have been in place for more than 10 years.
Why choose Restore?
Mr Akali is a fellowship trained, board-certified Plastic Surgeon with impressive academic and professional achievements. With over 20 years’ experience, he combines the very best knowledge and techniques gained through multi-disciplinary training with the experience of thousands of procedures, and applies them to address each patient’s needs.
Whatever advice, treatment or procedure you’re looking for, and wherever you’re based, Mr Akali and his team will provide the support and expertise you need for your journey.
What our patients tell us
“As a very nervous patient, I felt looked after and cared for from the initial consultation to the very end. Mr Akali answered all my questions and always put my mind at rest with a smile and a laugh along the way.”
— Mrs SG April 2021