Breast Augmentation

Breast augmentation, also called breast enlargement, is a plastic surgery procedure in which a breast implant or a fat graft implant is placed in the thorax to increase the size of the breasts, correct congenital defects of the breast and chest wall, or restore symmetry and a proportionate, smooth contour to the breast. The prosthetic breast approach is used for primary reconstruction of breast and chest tissue damaged by cancer, trauma or developmental defects, for the revision of complications from a previous breast operation, and for primary augmentation to enhance the aesthetics of the breasts, using a saline or silicone implant to establish the initial augmented shape for the surgeon to contour. In the fat graft approach the surgeon injects the patient's own refined body fat into the breast to correct contour defects, typically yielding a more modest increase, usually about one bra cup size, because the body resorbs much of the transplanted fat over time.