Breast Augmentation

Breast augmentation increases breast volume and improves shape using implants, fat transfer, or a combination of both. It remains one of the most requested aesthetic procedures in the country — and one of the most frequently over-simplified.

At YCL Plastic Surgery, Dr. Low approaches augmentation as a problem of proportion rather than volume. The question is not “how big” but “what shape, on this frame, with this tissue, that will still look right in fifteen years.”

What Is Breast Augmentation?

Breast augmentation places an implant beneath the breast tissue or chest muscle to increase size, improve fullness, and refine contour. In selected patients, the breast’s own fat can be transferred to add subtle volume or soften implant edges.

Augmentation increases volume; it does not lift. Where the nipple sits low on the breast or the skin has stretched, a lift may be recommended alongside or instead — see Augmentation Mastopexy.

Augmentation may be performed alone or combined with:

• Breast lift (mastopexy)
• Fat grafting for contour refinement
• Correction of breast asymmetry
• Tummy tuck or liposuction as part of a mommy makeover

Benefits of Breast Augmentation

• Increases breast volume and upper-pole fullness
• Improves proportion between breasts, waist, and hips
• Corrects volume loss following pregnancy, breastfeeding, or weight change
• Improves symmetry between breasts
• Restores confidence in clothing and swimwear
• Long-lasting results with appropriate implant selection

Implant Selection

Implant choice is the single most consequential decision in augmentation, and it is made together — with sizers, with measurements of your chest wall, and with an honest conversation about what your tissue will support long-term.

Silicone gel implants

Cohesive gel that closely mimics the feel of natural breast tissue. FDA-approved for augmentation from age 22. The most commonly selected option, particularly in patients with thinner tissue coverage.

Saline implants

Filled with sterile salt water after placement, allowing a smaller incision and adjustment during surgery. FDA-approved for augmentation from age 18. Rupture is immediately obvious, which some patients prefer.

Placement

Implants may sit above the muscle (subglandular), partially beneath it (submuscular / dual-plane), or fully beneath. Dr. Low selects placement based on your tissue thickness, activity level, and the look you’re after. Thin tissue almost always does better with muscle coverage.

Incision

Inframammary (in the fold beneath the breast), periareolar (at the edge of the areola). The inframammary approach offers the most precise pocket control and the most predictable scar, and is used most often.

Who Is a Candidate for Breast Augmentation?

You may be a good candidate if you:

• Are in good general health with realistic expectations
• Have completed breast development
• Feel your breasts are small relative to your frame
• Have lost volume after pregnancy, breastfeeding, or weight loss
• Have mild asymmetry you would like corrected
• Are not currently pregnant or breastfeeding

Patients with significant sagging or a low nipple position may need a lift for a good result. Dr. Low will tell you this directly at consultation rather than let you discover it afterwards.

Recovery & Expectations

Most patients return to desk work within 5–7 days. Light activity resumes almost immediately; upper-body exercise is generally restricted for 4–6 weeks, particularly where implants sit beneath the muscle.

Swelling and tightness are expected for the first several weeks. Implants typically “settle” into their final position over three to six months, with submuscular implants taking longer than subglandular. Final shape should be judged at six months, not six weeks.

Dr. Low provides detailed post-operative instructions and sees patients personally through recovery.

Natural Breast Enhancement at YCL Plastic Surgery

The goal is not an obvious result. It is a breast that suits your body, moves naturally, and holds its shape — one that nobody can point to as surgical, even if they suspect something has changed.