--- title: "Breast Augmentation Questions Answered: Myths, Facts and Common Concerns" url: https://drturner.com.au/blogs/faqs-questions-about-breast-augmentation-answered/ date: 2022-01-11 modified: 2026-07-30 author: "Dr Scott J Turner" description: "Dr Scott J Turner | Specialist Plastic Surgeon (FRACS) Key Takeaways Much of what patients arrive believing about breast implants is out of date rather than wrong on purpose. The..." categories: - "Breast Augmentation" - "Breast Implants" tags: - "Breast Augmentation" - "breast augmentation approaches" - "Breast Augmentation FAQs" - "Breast Augmentation FAQs Sydney" - "breast augmentation procedures" - "breast augmentation recovery" - "breast enlargement consultation" - "breast implant" - "Breast Implants" - "Breast Surgery" - "Dr Scott Turner" - "Dr Scott Turner Sydney" - "how does skin stretch for breast implants" - "questions to ask post op breast augmentation" image: https://drturner.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/blogplaceholder-img.svg word_count: 2347 --- # Breast Augmentation Questions Answered: Myths, Facts and Common Concerns *[Dr Scott J Turner](https://drturner.com.au/dr-scott-turner-sydney-plastic-surgeon/) | Specialist Plastic Surgeon (FRACS)* > **Key Takeaways** > > > > > - Much of what patients arrive believing about breast implants is out of date rather than wrong on purpose. The ten year replacement rule, the breastfeeding myth and the autoimmune fear all trace to guidance or events that have since been revised. > - Implants are not lifetime devices, but there is no calendar that automatically requires replacement. The reasons for further surgery are clinical, not scheduled. > - Whether a result looks natural or obviously augmented is largely a function of implant size relative to the chest, placement and existing tissue, which is a set of choices made at consultation rather than a fixed property of implants. > - Most women can breastfeed after augmentation, and effective breast cancer screening continues with implants in place using an adjusted technique. > - Two implant related conditions, BIA-ALCL and breast implant illness, are genuine and belong in an informed discussion. Neither is a reason for most patients to avoid or remove implants, but both should be understood. > - This article covers the clinical questions. The process questions, GP referral, consultations, timeline and cost, are covered in the [consultation preparation guide](https://drturner.com.au/blogs/preparing-for-breast-augmentation-consultation-sydney/). Most patients arrive at a first consultation carrying a few pieces of received wisdom about breast implants, and a surprising amount of it is either out of date or was never accurate. A sister who says implants need replacing every ten years, a friend who mentions not being able to breastfeed, a relative worried about autoimmune disease. None of these is malicious. Some were true decades ago and no longer are. Some were never true. A few are half true in a way that misleads more than a plain error would. This article works through the clinical questions and misconceptions that come up most often. It does not replace a consultation, where the answers are specific to your anatomy and goals rather than general. For an overview of the operation, see the page on [breast augmentation surgery](https://drturner.com.au/procedures/breast-body/breast-augmentation/), and for patients in Queensland, [breast augmentation in Brisbane](https://drturner.com.au/locations/brisbane/breast-augmentation/). The logistical side, referral, consultations, timing and cost, is handled separately in the [consultation preparation guide](https://drturner.com.au/blogs/preparing-for-breast-augmentation-consultation-sydney/) so this article can stay on the clinical questions. ## Will implants make my breasts look fake? Whether a result reads as natural or obviously augmented depends far more on planning than on implants as a category. The two things that most often produce an artificial look are an implant that is too large for the chest wall it sits on, which creates upper pole rounding and a shelf like edge, and placement above the muscle in a patient with thin tissue, where the implant edge shows through. Careful sizing to the chest measurements, together with submuscular or dual plane placement where appropriate, generally produces a result that reads as breast tissue rather than as an implant. Placement under the muscle adds soft tissue coverage over the upper part of the implant, which softens the transition at the top of the breast where an artificial look most often shows. In patients with little natural tissue, that coverage is often what separates a natural result from a visible edge. The degree of upper pole fullness is also partly a choice rather than a fixed outcome. Some patients want noticeable fullness at the top of the breast; others want a result that is harder to identify as surgical, with a more gradual slope. Both are achievable, within the limits of what the tissue can support, and implant shape and profile are the levers that get there. Which direction suits you, and whether your anatomy supports it, is what the consultation is for. How size, shape and profile interact is set out in the [implant size, shape and profile guide](https://drturner.com.au/blogs/breast-implant-size-shape-profile-guide/). ## Do breast implants have to be replaced every ten years? No. This belief comes from a misreading of older manufacturer guidance, where a ten year figure was a study reference point rather than an expiry date. Modern silicone gel implants have no built in lifespan that automatically triggers replacement. What is true is that implants are not lifetime devices. They may need removal or replacement at some point because of capsular contracture, rupture, a change in the implant over decades, or because a patient wants a different size or shape. There is no calendar trigger. If the implants are in good condition, the capsule is soft and you are happy with the result, there is usually no medical reason to replace them on a schedule. Ongoing surveillance still matters, and the TGA recommends regular review and imaging for patients with implants, particularly because silicone rupture can be silent. The evidence on how long implants last is covered in the article on [implant lifespan](https://drturner.com.au/blogs/what-is-the-lifespan-of-breast-implants/). ## Will I lose nipple sensation permanently? Reduced sensation in the first weeks is common, because the nerves supplying the nipple and breast skin are disrupted during surgery and take time to recover. Most patients regain normal sensation over weeks to months. A smaller number experience longer term change, either increased sensitivity or reduced sensation, and a smaller number again have a permanent change to one or both nipples. The likelihood depends on anatomy, implant size, the incision used and individual nerve healing. If nipple sensation or future breastfeeding matters to you, it is worth raising specifically at consultation, because it can influence incision choice and implant size. ## Can I breastfeed after breast augmentation? Most women can breastfeed after augmentation. The factors that determine breastfeeding capacity are largely the same with or without implants, including milk duct anatomy, hormonal response after delivery and individual variation in supply. Some surgical choices carry a small effect. An incision around the areola carries slightly more potential to disrupt milk ducts than an incision in the fold beneath the breast. If breastfeeding is important, the incision approach can be planned with that in mind. What changes breast tissue far more than the implant, for many women, is pregnancy itself, and the implant does not alter those changes either way. ## Do silicone implants cause autoimmune disease? This concern has a specific history. In the 1990s silicone gel implants were temporarily withdrawn from the US market over a proposed link to connective tissue and autoimmune disease. Subsequent large studies did not establish a causal relationship, and the implants returned to market. The current picture is more nuanced than either "proven safe" or "proven harmful." There is a recognised presentation that patients and clinicians call breast implant illness, a cluster of systemic symptoms such as fatigue, joint pain and cognitive difficulty that patients attribute to their implants. The medical community is still working through what it represents, who is at risk and why some patients improve after removal while others do not. The responsible clinical position is to take these symptoms seriously and investigate them properly, which means looking for other treatable causes rather than assuming the implants by default, since conditions such as thyroid disease and autoimmune disorders can produce the same picture. It is a real phenomenon that belongs in an informed discussion, covered in the article on [breast implant illness](https://drturner.com.au/blogs/latest-update-on-breast-implant-illness-symptoms-and-treatment/). Separately, there is BIA-ALCL, a rare lymphoma linked to certain textured implants rather than to silicone as a material. The macrotextured devices associated with the higher risk are no longer used in Australia, and smooth implants carry substantially lower risk. The honest summary is that there is no established causal link to classical autoimmune disease, but there are recognised implant related conditions that should be understood before proceeding rather than discovered afterward. ## Is bigger always better? No, and this is one of the few myths that carries genuine clinical risk rather than just a misconception. An implant that is too large for the chest measurements and tissue thickness produces predictable long term problems: stretching of the skin over time, visible implant edges, a higher rate of certain complications, more pronounced movement with muscle flexion where the implant sits under the muscle, and sagging that is harder to manage because the tissue cannot support the weight. Implant selection is best guided by chest wall width, soft tissue thickness and skin elasticity, which together define a suitable size range for a given patient. The base width of the chest is the constraint most patients do not anticipate: an implant wider than the breast footprint has to go somewhere, and it goes to the side, which reads as unnatural and is uncomfortable when lying down. Tissue thickness sets how much the skin and remaining breast can drape over and conceal the implant, and skin elasticity determines how well the envelope holds a given weight over years rather than months. Going beyond the range those measurements suggest is possible, but it accepts the longer term consequences rather than avoiding them, and the point of raising it at consultation is to make that trade off a decision rather than a surprise. A size that looks appealing in the mirror on the day is not always the size that holds up a decade later, and the planning conversation is where those two time frames get reconciled. ## Will implants stop my breasts from sagging? Implants add volume; they do not prevent the natural changes that affect all breast tissue through gravity, pregnancy, weight change and age. If there is significant sagging before surgery, an implant alone will not correct it, and a lift may be needed alongside the implant. That combination is a larger procedure than augmentation alone, sometimes performed in one operation and sometimes staged across two. Which pathway suits which anatomy is set out in the [breast lift versus breast augmentation guide](https://drturner.com.au/blogs/breast-lift-vs-breast-augmentation/). ## How visible will the scar be? The scar is real and permanent, but its position and how it matures depend largely on the incision. The fold incision beneath the breast is the most common approach and usually sits hidden in the natural crease. For most patients it fades to a fine line over roughly twelve to eighteen months, though scar quality varies with skin type, healing and aftercare. Incisions around the areola or in the armpit have different visibility profiles, each with trade offs discussed at consultation. Practical scar management is covered in the article on [minimising scars after breast augmentation](https://drturner.com.au/blogs/ways-to-minimise-scars-after-breast-augmentation/). ## Is breast augmentation very painful? Most patients describe the first days as uncomfortable rather than severely painful, with tightness across the chest the most common sensation as the implant settles and the muscles respond. Discomfort typically peaks in the first two to three days and improves steadily. Many patients move off stronger pain medication within a week. A pain pattern that worsens rather than settles is not expected and should be reviewed. The recovery timeline is covered in the [recovery guide](https://drturner.com.au/blogs/recovery-after-breast-augmentation-surgery/). ## Can any doctor perform breast augmentation? Legally, any registered medical practitioner in Australia can perform cosmetic surgery, regardless of their surgical training, which is exactly why the distinction in qualifications matters. A Specialist Plastic Surgeon holds FRACS in plastic surgery, a protected qualification requiring accredited specialist training through the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. "Cosmetic surgeon" is not a protected title, and a practitioner without specialist surgical training can use it. This is not a hypothetical concern. Revision to correct an unsatisfactory primary augmentation is a recognised reason patients present, and revision is generally more complex than a well planned primary procedure. Before any cosmetic surgery, verify the surgeon's registration on the AHPRA register and confirm specialist registration in plastic surgery specifically. How to assess a surgeon in full is covered in the guide on [choosing a breast augmentation surgeon](https://drturner.com.au/blogs/best-breast-augmentation-surgeon-sydney/). ## Can I still have mammograms with implants? Yes. Effective breast cancer screening continues with implants in place, using a slightly different technique. Centres experienced with augmented patients use additional displacement views that move the breast tissue forward of the implant for better visualisation. Tell the imaging centre at booking that you have implants and confirm they are experienced with augmented patients. Ultrasound and MRI are available as supplementary tools where mammographic views are limited, and routine screening guidelines apply the same as for women without implants. ## Frequently asked questions **Will my breast implants set off airport security?** No. Modern breast implants do not contain metal components and do not trigger metal detectors. Some patients carry an implant identification card from their surgeon for their own reference, but it is not required for travel. **Can I have an MRI with breast implants?** Yes. Implants are MRI safe and do not interfere with MRI imaging of other parts of the body. MRI is in fact one of the methods used to monitor implant integrity over time, particularly for detecting silent rupture in silicone implants. **Will I be able to feel the implant under my skin?** Sometimes. Patients with thicker natural tissue and placement under the muscle usually cannot feel the implant edge in normal positions. Patients with very thin tissue, larger implants or placement above the muscle may feel it more, particularly at the outer edge or when lying on their side. This is assessed by a pinch test at consultation and factors into the size and placement recommended. **What is the difference between a cosmetic surgeon and a plastic surgeon in Australia?** Specialist Plastic Surgeon (FRACS) is a protected title requiring accredited specialist training in plastic and reconstructive surgery. "Cosmetic surgeon" is not protected and may be used by practitioners without that training. The distinction matters because revision to correct an inadequately performed primary procedure is consistently more complex and more costly than appropriate primary surgery. **What causes capsular contracture, and can it be prevented?** Capsular contracture is a tightening of the scar capsule that forms around any implant. Contributing factors include bacterial contamination of the pocket at surgery, bleeding within the pocket, and individual healing response. It cannot be eliminated, but surgical measures reduce the risk, and it is covered fully in the article on [capsular contracture](https://drturner.com.au/blogs/what-is-capsular-contracture-and-how-can-it-be-treated/). Dr Scott J Turner is a Specialist Plastic Surgeon (FRACS). A GP referral is required before an initial surgical consultation under the current Medical Board of Australia framework. To discuss breast augmentation against your own anatomy and goals, [contact the practice](https://drturner.com.au/contact-us/) to arrange a consultation.