Breast Augmentation (Breast Implants)

Welcome to Orange County’s best information resource for plastic surgery and, in particular, breast augmentation surgery. Dr. Cruise, board certified plastic surgeon located in Newport Beach, CA, has filled every inch of this site with the most comprehensive breast enlargement information available. Dr. Cruise was adamant that the information be highly relevant, easy to understand and, above all, include lots and lots of pictures.

To give you a brief overview, here are some of the important topics that will be discussed. This is in addition to the several hundred breast augmentation before and after pictures available for your review.

• Breast implant size and types
  Which breast implants are the best for you? Silicone implants vs Saline implants vs Gummy Bear implants; Smooth vs Textured implants. What is the difference between high profile, low profile, anatomic breast implants?

• Breast implant position
  Is under the muscle better than over the muscle? How do I get better cleavage, more breast lift? What is dual plane?

• Complications, risks, recovery and safety
  Here we discuss Capsular Contracture, Implant Rupture, Rippling, Asymmetry, etc.

• Breast augmentation cost
  What is the cost of breast augmentation surgery? Is financing available?

For those who wish a little breast augmentation history

In 1895, Czerny transplanted a benign fat tumor from a woman’s back to fill a breast defect created by removal of a breast cyst. Other accounts of fat transplantation for breast augmentation have been documented. All these early attempts led to disappointing results.

In the 1950s, many materials were injected into the breasts for augmentation purposes. This uniformly caused severe local reactions that left the breasts hard, painful, and distorted. As an aside, a common question is, “can we put the fat that was liposuctioned from other areas of my body into my breasts.” The answer is no. First of all, fat transplantation does not come close to providing the necessary volume. Second, fat transplantation my cause scar tissue with micro-calcifications. This is not dangerous but it impossible to determine on mammogram whether these micro-calcifications are from the fat transplantation or from cancer. Therefore, is it not performed.

The modern age of breast augmentation began in 1962 when plastic surgeons for the first time started placing silicone gel implants under the breast tissue. This was a significant advance but it still caused an unacceptably high incidence of breast hardening, otherwise known as capsular contraction.

In the 1980s, it was found that by placing the implant under the pectoralis major muscle, capsular contraction could be greatly reduced. Today, this is where the great majority of breast implants are placed.

In 1992, the FDA banned the use of silicone gel implants. On Nov. 17, 2006 they were re-approved. For 14 years patients had only saline as an option. What we have found is that saline implants, when placed under the muscle, have even a lower rate of hardening than silicone implants do. Silicone implants, however, have a more realistic feel. Since the ban, several major studies have shown rather conclusively that silicone implants are safe and that’s why they came back on the market. It should be pointed out that shells of the saline implants are made of silicone.