Breast Augmentation as the Body Changes

Breast augmentation is the most popular procedure performed at Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery Center. Patients ask many good questions! Many women wonder what happens if they gain weight after having breast augmentation? Or what happens as they age? And whether they can breastfeed or not. So let’s take a look at these issues one by one.

• When you gain weight, your breast size increases, and of course, it may decrease when you lose weight. The size change depends upon the woman and the amount of weight lost or gained, but breast size changes with or without implants. Of course, a few pounds will not affect your breasts much, but any more than that will change the size and sometimes the shape of your breasts. If you lose too much weight, and your implant is above the muscle, there can be the possibility of rippling or folding. However, if placed under the muscle, this seldom happens. Placement is a consideration. Women who have more breast tissue are much less likely to experience rippling and wrinkling. So don’t lose too much weight; it is a good idea to be at your ideal weight when you have the procedure.

• As for breastfeeding, implants should not interfere with breastfeeding. Some women who do not have implants cannot breastfeed; this has nothing to do with whether you have breast implants. Pregnancy will change the size and shape of your breasts. Generally, a woman’s breasts swell with pregnancy so you may find your breasts much larger than you wanted during pregnancy. After breastfeeding many women lose volume in their breasts. This is usually in the upper portion of the breasts, and there is sometimes loose skin. Similar changes can take place after pregnancy, if you have breast implants. Many women have a breast lift after pregnancy. There is no evidence that your child can be harmed if you breastfeed with implants.

• Aging, it happens to us all! As women age their breasts tend to become more lax as gravity pulls at the body and skin loses its elasticity. If you have very large breast implants, this can be exacerbated if you do not wear a supportive bra. The implant can sink to the bottom of the breast over time, in this instance, from the weight of the implants themselves. Aging changes anyone’s body. As you lose glandular tissue and gain fat the implant can sag a bit, just as your natural breast would without an implant. The clock does not stop ticking when you have cosmetic surgery of any sort. Of course, there is always the possibility of a breast lift. Implants are not lifetime devices. They are expected to last 10 – 25 years.

So ultimately, breast augmentation will improve your looks, but like anything else, there is aftercare. The body changes with or without implants during aging, pregnancy, and with weight gain or loss. Much of the bodily change we experience has to do with genetics, therefore everyone is different. When you come to Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery Center for breast augmentation, we will discuss all of these issues during your consultation.

Dr. Branman

Call Melinda at the front desk to set up a consultation 501-227-0707