If you are dissatisfied with your current cup size or if you want volume restored after one or more pregnancies, breast augmentation is the solution. In one sentence, breast augmentation is the placement of a prosthesis behind your own breast. At Flexclinics we know like no other that there is a lot involved. Our plastic surgeons all have extensive experience in (cosmetic) plastic surgery. During the intake, everything is discussed from A to Z and they take their time for the consultation.

Type of breast implant

Flexclinics uses mainly silicone breast prostheses. Silicone is a substance that is widely used in our immediate living environment. Artificial joints, lipstick and teats for babies are examples of this. In the case of breast prostheses, both the content (a gel) and the shell (the envelope) are made of silicone material. It is precisely the silicone prostheses that are used because this type of prosthesis best approximates the breast tissue. It feels soft and flexible, takes the temperature of the body and can last for years. Much research has been done on the safety of silicone material as a medical application. No clear negative effects can be demonstrated. An alternative may be water-filled prostheses, where the shell is of silicone material, but the content is a water-salt solution.

Round, drop shape or anatomical

We place both round prostheses, but there are also drop-shaped or anatomically shaped prostheses. Which ones are best for you depends on your needs and how much of your own breast tissue you have. The plastic surgeon can make a good assessment of this. Choosing the right size and shape prosthesis is very important. The plastic surgeon determines how much room there is under your own breast tissue. This determines the possible sizes, the shape and the way the prostheses can be placed.

Good and honest information about prosthetics

We guarantee that we will provide you with complete information about silicone breast prostheses. Our doctor will discuss all the information with you and also give it to you to take home to read again at your leisure. All our implants are officially approved for use both nationally and in Europe.

Placement of the breast prostheses

Our doctors will work with you to find the best shape and size prosthesis. The way the prosthesis is placed depends mainly on your body. The surgeon will discuss the options with you in advance so you know exactly what will happen before surgery. There are 2 ways to place the breast prostheses:

• Between your own breast tissue and your pectoral muscle
• Partly below your pectoral muscle and partly above it ('dual plane')

The prostheses can be placed directly behind your own breast tissue, on your pectoral muscle. If you don't have as much breast tissue, we usually place prostheses partially behind and partially in front of your pectoral muscle, the dual plane method.

On the pectoral muscle

If we place your prostheses on the pectoral muscle, they will come directly under your own breast tissue. This way is especially suitable for women with enough of their own breast tissue to cover the prosthesis. If your breast tissue is thin, you may find that the edges of the prosthesis would be visible or that there is not enough room to place the prostheses.

Dual plane - partly behind, partly in front

With the dual plane method, the prostheses are placed partly under the patient's own breast tissue and partly under the large pectoral muscle. If there is little breast tissue, the breast muscle also covers part of the prosthesis so that it is not or less visible. For thin women, this is therefore usually the preferred method.

Anesthesia

Breast augmentation is an operation under general anesthesia. This means that you will have to do some preparation at home. You can not go home alone after surgery and the first 24 hours someone must be near you.

Arrange transportation home and company for the first 24 hours. You cannot drive yourself or travel independently on public transportation

On the day of surgery, wear easy, loose-fitting clothing. It is most comfortable afterwards.

• Bring medication you use at home with you to the clinic
• Bring any prescribed medication with you to the clinic
• You must be sober for anesthesia
• Reception at the clinic

On the day of the procedure, you will report to the front desk. There we will check your information one more time. If everything is correct, the nurse will take you to your room. There you will change your clothes and receive an infusion for antibiotics. Pictures of your breasts will be taken and you can ask the doctor further questions. Then the doctor will take you to the operating room. The anesthesiologist will put you under anesthesia.

The operation

During the procedure, the doctor makes a 3 to 5 centimeter incision in an inconspicuous area such as the inframammary fold. Through this incision, he or she inserts the implant in its place and closes the incision properly. The procedure lasts approximately one hour in total.

Recovery

After breast augmentation surgery, you will need 6 weeks to recover. After that, you can resume your normal activities. The first two weeks are the toughest and you should not do much physically. The better your condition was before surgery, the faster the recovery. Also sufficient exercise, healthy diet and necessary rest will benefit the healing process. The day after surgery your breasts will feel sore and may be swollen. The result is already visible almost immediately. After 6 weeks the swelling has almost completely disappeared and after about 3 months you will see the final result. Then the skin has completely recovered.

The first days at home

Immediately after the procedure we will give you a sports bra. You will keep it on for the first 2 weeks, day and night. Of course you can take it off when showering. The first few days you will feel a slight swelling in your breasts and your arms may be extra sensitive. With the dual-plane method, where the prosthesis is partly behind and partly on top of the pectoral muscle, you may experience a little more post-operative pain during the first few days. This too will go away by itself. The stitches will dissolve by themselves.

Aftercare

The most important living rules right after breast augmentation surgery:

• The first 2 weeks you keep the sports bra on day and night
• After 2 weeks, wear the sports bra for another 2 to 4 weeks during the day
• After 24 hours you may shower again but the first 6 weeks you may not bathe
• After 2 weeks you may drive a car again and, if the doctor agrees, travel by plane
• For the first 4 weeks you should not do any heavy lifting
• The first 6 weeks you should not exercise intensively
• You can basically do anything that doesn't hurt. If you do not have a physically strenuous job, you can also return to work after about 2 weeks

Breast augmentation with your own fat:

Lipofilling involves removing body fat and placing it back under the skin elsewhere in the body to create extra contour and volume. The great advantage is that the method uses the body's own fat, making it completely safe and also giving a permanent result. However, it is often not possible to create the same volume in the breast as with a prosthesis. It is also true that there must be sufficient own fat present in other places in the body, such as the thighs and the abdomen. On average this will be about 50%.

A second surgery may be necessary.

Application of lipofilling

During an initial consultation, the complaints and wishes are discussed in detail. In addition, the overall health and the skin will be examined. Per person will be examined where the best fat can be removed and how much volume can be reduced.

How does lipofilling work?

Lipofilling is done with a thin hollow cannula with a blunt tip. The extracted fat is immediately separated with a centrifuge to leave only usable, living fat cells.These fat cells are evenly distributed drop by drop and inserted with a very thin cannula into the previously marked areas. In this way, at least 50% of the fat cells remain alive, provided that there is a sufficient blood supply at the site. It is therefore not a question of whether you have enough fat cells to move, but whether there are enough blood vessels available at the destination to keep the inserted cells alive.

A hybrid breast augmentation

Which means a combination of the above techniques. So there is both a prosthesis placed and own fat tissue added. This has the advantage that a smaller prosthesis can be placed and a natural upper pole (the area above the nipples) can be created. The plastic surgeon will discuss with you the possibilities, but also the limitations.

Breast Lift

A breast elevator is a procedure in which excess skin is removed from the breast and also the nipple and breast tissue are raised. Thus, tissue (skin) is removed and strictly speaking, the breast becomes slightly smaller. Therefore, for smaller breasts, the breast elevator is often combined with the placement of a small implant to get a breast augmentation effect as well. Women whose breasts have sagged due to weight loss, pregnancies, breastfeeding and gravity, for example, are eligible for this breast elevator surgery.

• A breast elevator produces a scar around the areola and in the vertical direction from the nipple to the breast fold and sometimes in the breast fold itself.
• These scars heal differently in every patient. This will be discussed with you in detail.
• Also, complications such as wound infection and wound healing disorder will be discussed with you in the consultation.

A breast elevator is always done under general anesthesia and takes about an hour. Through an incision (cut) around the nipple, downward and into the inframammary fold (like an anchor), the nipple is repositioned and the excess skin removed. If an implant is used, an incision in the inframammary fold is rarely needed and therefore the scar is considerably shorter. After surgery, your wounds will be taped and these will be removed at the first check-up. Immediately you will need to wear a sports bra. After a breast elevator you will receive soluble stitches.

The result

A breast elevator is a treatment with lasting results. Especially if the breast elevator is combined with placement of implants. However, it is true that a breast (with or without an implant) can always change under the influence of time, gravity, any subsequent pregnancy, weight fluctuations and changes in hormones.