Breast Augmentation

Dr Colbert strives to minimise your visible scarring as much as possible:

• Placing your incision in the breast crease (also known as the inframammary fold, or IMF), resulting in a relatively inconspicuous scar.
• Inserting your breast implant through a sterile surgical funnel, resulting in your incision being kept as small as possible –  approximately 4-5cm in length.
• Your incision is closed precisely by Dr Colbert, using dissolving sutures and special surgical tape, helping ensure your wound heals without complications.
• It’s important to remain patient, as all scars appear raised and red early on, before flattening and fading with time.

Breast augmentation in Perth has the following risks associated with it:

• Infection: Infections can occur after surgery, and they typically manifest within a few days or weeks. Antibiotics may be prescribed to treat the infection, and in severe cases, the implant may need to be removed temporarily.
• Bleeding or haematoma: this is a collection of blood in the wound that would result in you needing to return to the operating theatre.
• Capsular contracture: This refers to the formation of scar tissue around the breast implant, causing the breast to feel firm and potentially altering its shape. In some cases, additional surgery may be required to correct this issue.
• Implant rupture or leakage: Breast implants can rupture or leak over time. Silicone implants may have a silent rupture, meaning there may be no obvious signs. Regular monitoring, including medical imaging scans are recommended to detect any implant issues.
• Changes in sensation: Alterations in nipple or breast sensation are possible after breast augmentation surgery. These changes can be temporary or permanent, and the degree of sensation loss or changes can vary from person to person.
• Abnormal scarring: while breast reduction scars generally heal very well, some scars may become lumpy or thick (hypertrophic or keloid scars).
• Changes in nipple sensation: while some patients may not have a change in nipple sensation, some may become either less sensitive or sometimes more sensitive.
• Anaesthesia Risks: General anaesthesia carries its own set of risks, including allergic reactions, respiratory complications, and adverse reactions to medications.
• Breast asymmetry: while Dr Colbert strives to make both sides as equal as possible, there may be some very minor differences between the two in either size or shape.
• Further surgery: breast implants are man-made devices that will very likely need to be replaced or removed at some point in time, resulting in you needing further surgery.
• Breast augmentation surgery is like any other surgical procedure in that it is associated with risks – therefore before deciding to have any operation you should always speak to an appropriately qualified health practitioner to discuss these potential risks.

Age alone is not a determining factor for whether someone is too old for breast augmentation surgery. Whether or not you are suitable for breast augmentation depends on factors such as your overall health, medical history, and specific goals and expectations. While Dr Colbert’s most common patient is the  younger Mum who’s been considering the operation for many years, many much older women have also undergone breast augmentation with great results.

Patients often feel that this might be one of the more difficult decisions, but Dr Colbert makes it much less stressful by considering your anatomy and aesthetics:

• The first decision to make is the width of your implant. Dr Colbert helps you choose an implant width that matches your chest width perfectly, helping you achieve the amount of cleavage and ‘sideboob’ that you desire.
• The second decision to make is the height (also known as the projection) of your implant. Dr Colbert helps you choose an implant projection that matches your own aesthetic goals and expectations.
• The height and width of your implant will give the size of your implant, and Dr Colbert uses a breast implant sizing kit to help you select the range of implants that fit your body best.
• A good guide to remember is that a cup size is approximately 150cc-175cc, meaning that going from an A-cup to a full C-cup will need 350cc implants.

It’s important to know that breast implants are man-made devices on loan to you, and are not lifetime devices. They are designed to last more than ten years, with the risks of rupture and other complications increasing each year.

After five years Dr Colbert recommends getting an ultrasound and breast implant assessment performed, and repeating every two years. If there is no rupture, no contracture, and you’re happy with the aesthetic outcomes, then there’s no reason to replace your implants.

In the vast majority of cases, breast augmentation should not interfere with your ability to breast feed.

This is because breast implants are placed behind your breast gland (and Dr Colbert usually places them partially behind your chest muscle as well), avoiding any damage to the breast ducts or mammary glands from which milk is excreted.

However in a small number of cases breast augmentation can result in reduced nipple sensation, making it difficult to trigger the milk let down reflex, resulting in difficulty breast feeding.

Breast augmentation surgery itself does not increase the risk of developing breast cancer – multiple studies and extensive research have shown no direct causal link between breast implants and breast cancer.

However breast implants can affect the detection of breast cancer during routine screenings. Implants can make it more challenging to see breast tissue on mammograms, meaning that ultrasound or MRI might be needed.

It is important to remain breast aware, which includes performing regular breast self-examinations, regular clinical breast examinations with your regular doctor, plus adhering to breast screening guidelines.

Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) is a rare lymphoma that develops around breast implants, and is a cancer of the immune system, and not a breast cancer.

BIA-ALCL develops on average 7-8 years after implant insertion, and usually presents with a sudden swelling of fluid around the implant, or pain in the breasts or armpits. It can be diagnosed by taking a sample of the fluid around the implant and getting it tested for abnormal cells.

If diagnosed early, surgical removal of the implant and capsule is generally curative. In advanced cases further treatment (such as chemotherapy) may be needed.

Please note that Dr Colbert uses breast implants with a smooth surface, which BIA-ALCL has never been associated with.

This is a controversial topic, with many patients and surgeons having differing opinions.

In most patients Dr Colbert prefers using round implants, for the following reasons:

• Round implants (especially if not high profile) that are placed under the muscle assume a teardrop shape. This has been confirmed on ultrasound studies.
• Round implants cannot rotate, while teardrop shaped implants can. A rotated teardrop shaped implant will create an abnormal breast shape, and require revisionary surgery.
• Round implants can be smooth surfaced, while teardrop shaped implants need to a textured surface to make rotation less likely. Textured implants have been associated with BIA-ALCL, while smooth implants never have.
• Many studies have shown that Plastic Surgeons cannot tell the difference between round or teardrop shaped implants in before and after photos.