Five things to know about breast augmentation surgery

Celebrities like Victoria Beckham (allegedly!), Jordan and many more regularly improve their appearance with breast augmentation. Whilst slim might be "in", an eye-catching cleavage has always been the dream of every small-breasted girl. Clearly this is a common procedure but our clients do have questions and you may, too, so we've answered some of them here.

First of all, if you're wondering about where implants are inserted and scars remain, you should know that generally speaking implants are inserted from 3 different areas, under the breasts (infra mammary fold insertion), around the areola (peri areolar insertion) and the armpit or axilla (axillary insertion). Nowadays, most plastic surgeons prefer to place the implant from under the breasts in the inframammary fold. The best option really depends on your body type and your preferences. All methods, however, leave only a small scar which recedes into a fine white line after a few months.

Second, are the breast implants going to look real? Let's keep in mind that not everyone wants to have natural looking breasts. For some, the bigger the better. Whether or not your breasts will look natural after surgery or not very much depends on what you discuss with your surgeon.

At your consultation, your cosmetic surgeon will measure the width of your chest wall, shoulder and hips in order to recommend which size implant would fit your body type best.

Most of the time the unnatural look is the result of an over sized implant. Also, if you want your breasts to look as natural as possible, you may also consider having an anatomically shaped implant instead of a round one. The look is more natural and no one will be able to tell you have them.

Third, will they feel real? Well, they may take a bit of getting used to but, yes, in most cases, if you have enough natural breast tissue overlying the implants, they will feel real.

Fourth, will they burst - say from pressure in an aircraft? That's highly unlikely! Today's high quality, silicone gel implants are resistant to pressure changes associated with flying or diving. In the past, low quality or old implants have been known to rupture. With saline-filled implants occasional air bubbles can expand in low pressure, which can be felt, but poses no danger.

Finally, how long is the recovery time? Going back to normal activity is about 5-10 days depending upon the placement of the implant. Stitches are removed after 2 weeks and you can return to more vigorous activities like sports after 6 weeks.

This article on breast augmentation is brought to you by Dr. Randy Simor