Breast augmentation is a surgical procedure for enlarging a woman’s breasts. To create a larger bust line, breast implants are inserted into the body. There are two main types of implants available for breast augmentation surgery in the United States: saline-filled and silicone gel-filled breast implants. Saline implants are made of a silicone shell and filled with a saline solution (saltwater), while silicone implants contain silicone gel. Last year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lifted its restrictions on silicone implants, allowing their use for breast augmentation in patients 22 years or older, and for breast reconstruction in patients of any age.

A great deal of social emphasis is placed on women’s breast size. This may influence why the number of women choosing to have breast augmentation increased by more than 700 percent over a 14-year period from 32,000 in 1992 to 329,000 in 2006, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

Breast augmentation is the most popular type of cosmetic surgery, according to the ASPS. The reasons for electing to have breast augmentation are varied, but most often include:

• Increasing breast size of a woman who may think that her breasts are too small
  
  
• Improving the appearance or size of breasts that have drooped or lost volume following pregnancy or breastfeeding
  
  
• Correcting deformities, such as asymmetry or different-sized breasts
  
  
• Reconstructing a breast after a mastectomy for breast cancer or injury

Breast augmentation is performed by a plastic surgeon, who will review the patient’s implant options (e.g., size, shape). Breast implant surgery often leads to a good cosmetic result, but complication rates are high. Common breast augmentation risks include:

• Rupture, leakage or deflation of the implants
• Hardening of scar tissue around the implants
• Bleeding
• Infection
• Increased or decreased sensitivity in the nipples
• Numbness near the incision
• Calcium deposits around the implants
• Increased difficulty in detecting breast lumps