Breast Implants are commonly used for breast augmentation, breast implant revision surgery, and breast lift with implants surgery. This page covers in detail the many different breast implant options patients have.
There are many different options for breast implants including your choice of Brand, Size, Shape, Projection, Surface Texture as well as Incision and Placement Location.
Breast Implant Brands
Dr Turner chooses to use Mentor & Motiva breast implants. Prior to breast augmentation (augmentation mammoplasty) surgery, you must have a clear understanding of the procedure. To help you choose, we provide an opportunity for you to have a hands-on experience, allowing you to touch and feel the breast implants.
Breast Implants Options
Before having a breast augmentation, you’ll need to consider the following factors.
1. SIZE – What’s the Right Breast Implant Size?
Tissue-Based Planning
Accurate measurements of your breasts, including width, height, volume, nipple position, and skin elasticity are recorded. Next, an analysis of your chest wall shape and the breast-torso ratio is performed to determine the dimensions of the breast implant that best suit your body shape.
Breast Implant Sizing System
With our Implant Sizing System, we can simulate the potential changes to the breasts. By utilising a series of unique implant sizers that fit over the natural breast, we can estimate the volume of the breast implant size.
3D Computer Imaging
With the latest VECTRA 3D camera system, we can preview the potential changes to the breasts after surgery. We can use different breast implant sizes and shapes during the simulation.
One of the most important aspects for patients seeking breast augmentation is choosing the correct breast implant volume that aligns with their aesthetic goals. Dr Turner will guide you through this process. During your consultation, Dr Turner will help you choose a breast implant that suits your body anatomy, lifestyle, and aesthetic goals.
2. SHAPE – What’s the Right Implant Shape?
During your consultation with Dr Turner, we will show you both round and anatomical (teardrop) breast implants and make a recommendation based on your specific needs.
Round Breast Implants
Round breast implants are spherical and have the same dimensions all around. They can be used to increase upper pole fullness, cleavage, and overall breast volume. This type of breast implant requires smaller incisions.
Anatomical Breast Implants
Anatomical breast implants, also known as teardrop or shaped implants, have a tapered appearance, with more projection towards the bottom of the breast and a gradual slope towards the top. They are made of cohesive silicone gel and are commonly used in patients with less breast tissue.
3. TEXTURE – What’s the Right Breast Implant Surface Texture?
While breast implants may be either silicone or saline to give the implant volume, they all have an outer shell made of silicone.
- Smooth Breast Implants
- Textured Breast Implants
- Polyurethane Breast Implants
How do we now classify breast implants?
- Surface Roughness
- Surface Area
Dr Turner uses either nano-textured (Motiva) or micro-textured (Mentor) breast implants with low surface roughness.
4. INCISION – What’s the Right Incision position?
To perform a breast augmentation, a small incision is required to allow the placement of the breast implant. The incisions are made in inconspicuous places to minimise scar visibility and there are 3 common incision locations:
Inframammary Fold (IMF)
This incision is in the breastfold. It may be visible when you are lying down.
Periareolar
This incision takes place around the areola. This allows the scars to be concealed by the shape and colour of the areola.
Transaxillary
This incision is created in the armpit, which means no physical scarring will take place on the breast itself. However, the scar will be visible when your arm is elevated.
Dr Turner prefers to use an inframammary fold incision as it provides optimal exposure to the underlying breast tissue and pectoralis muscle to allow accurate placement of the breast implant.
Contamination of the breast implant with bacteria during surgery has been shown to increase the risk of capsular contracture. To reduce the risk of contamination during surgery, Dr Turner will use IV antibiotics, breast pocket irrigation with betadine, nipple shields, and either a skin barrier protection sheet or introduction sleeve for a no-touch technique.
5. PLACEMENT – What’s the Right Breast Implant Location?
The breast implant can be placed either in front of the pectoralis muscle under the breast gland or behind both the breast gland and pectoralis muscle.
Subglandular Placement – Subfascial or Over the Muscle Placement
If you have enough soft tissue coverage around your cleavage area, this placement will likely be the best option for an implant. The breast implant will be placed between the breast tissue and the pectoralis muscle.
Dual Plane Placement – Submuscular or Under the Muscle Placement
Also known as submuscular/subpectoral placement, this involves placing the breast implant between the rib cage and the pectoralis muscle. With the customised dual plane technique, it’s only the upper half of the breast implant that is behind the pectoralis muscle and the lower half of the implant is directly behind the breast tissue. It is recommended for patients who have thin or little breast tissue.
Read more about Best Breast Implant Placement – Over the Muscle, Under the Muscle, or Dual Plane?
Using a Keller Funnel for Breast Implant Surgery
The Keller Funnel 2 is a sterile, cone-shaped device, which is the latest innovation in breast augmentation surgery. This allows a ‘No Touch’ technique to place the breast implant into the surgical pocket during the breast augmentation procedure. This is part of the ’14 point plan’ for Breast Implant Surgery adopted by many specialist plastic surgeons.
