Breast Augmentation in the Atlanta Metro Area
At Plastic Surgery Center of the South near Atlanta, breast augmentation is one of our top procedures with one of the best patient satisfaction rates. With new breast implant materials and more advanced surgical techniques, this highly personal surgery can benefit women of all shapes and sizes.
Our top board-certified plastic surgeon has many years of experience performing breast enhancement procedures. Dr. Corey Harkins can help you sort through your numerous surgical options and choose the best implants for your body and lifestyle. With his expert guidance, women who visit us for breast augmentation in Marietta from nearby cities, including Roswell, Brookhaven, and Sandy Springs, Georgia, will be on their way to the fuller, more beautiful breasts they’ll love.
Breast Implants vs. Fat Transfer Breast Augmentation
Breast enhancement surgery improves the size and shape of the breasts. Breast augmentation, the most popular type of breast enhancement, enlarges the breasts using either synthetic implants or your own excess body fat. Learn more about how each approach compares below.
Breast Augmentation With Implants
Breast implants provide predictable, long-lasting breast fullness. Women today have many options when selecting their perfect breast implant combination. Our skilled plastic surgeon will help you choose the options best suited to your unique anatomy and aesthetic goals by walking you through your choices, which include size, fill material (silicone or saline), shape, and profile. Visit our Breast Implant Options page for details.
Breast Augmentation With Fat Transfer (Natural Breast Augmentation)
Women who want softer, natural, more subtle results have the option of fat grafting, also called fat transfer. Our breast augmentation patients love fat transfer because it uses their own natural fat and slims another part of the body, such as the abdomen. This natural breast augmentation technique is a good option for patients who may be sensitive to silicone. For a comparison of breast implants versus fat transfer, review this blog post.
Who’s an Ideal Candidate?
Breast augmentation candidates are women who want to enlarge one or both breasts and meet the following criteria:
- • Are at least 18 (saline implants) or 22 (silicone implants)
- • Are in good health physically and emotionally
- • Have realistic expectations for their results
- • Will take time out from work, school, and exercise for recovery after surgery
The best way to find out if you’re a good candidate is to meet with our plastic surgeon for a private consultation.
Combining Breast Augmentation With Other Procedures
Not only do our breast augmentation patients frequently combine the procedure with a breast lift to reposition and reshape sagging breasts, but they also sometimes have body contouring treatments like:
- • Tummy tuck surgery
- • Brazilian butt lift
- • Liposuction
This customized combination of breast enhancement and body contouring is called a Mommy Makeover, and it’s meant to address the cosmetic issues often present after pregnancy and breastfeeding. Learn more about breast enhancement options for Mommy Makeover patients.
What Is a Breast Augmentation Revision?
Revision breast augmentation is performed to improve the results of a previous breast augmentation and can include either implant exchange or implant replacement. Women have a variety of reasons for considering this procedure, including:
- • Correcting complications such as capsular contracture or implant malposition (too low, high, or close together).
- • Improving unsatisfactory results.
- • Replacing a ruptured or leaking implant.
- • Exchanging breast implants for a different type or size (elective implant exchange).
If you are considering a revision procedure, Dr. Harkins will be happy to discuss your options during a private consultation.
How Much Does Breast Augmentation Cost in Atlanta?
The cost for a breast augmentation procedure at our practice near Atlanta depends on a variety of factors:
- • The type of implants you choose
- • The complexity of the procedure
- • Whether other procedures are performed in the same surgery
- • Physician fee
- • Fees for anesthesia and the operating room are comparable to those at other practices in the area
You will receive an estimated cost for your specific procedure during your consultation. We offer patient financing options to make breast augmentation affordable for most patients. Do keep in mind that your safety and results are what matter most, and it’s important to consider a surgeon with the right training and experience when evaluating the cost.
Meet Dr. Corey Harkins
Committed to the core values of ethics, integrity, honesty and education, our practice draws patients from Atlanta and across the U.S.
Credentials You Can Trust
Planning the Best Breast Augmentation for Your Body
During your consultation, Dr. Harkins asks you questions about your goals for breast augmentation. He creates a unique surgical plan for you in order to accommodate your preferences and body shape.
What Are Your Goals?
Some of the most common goals women have for their breast augmentation procedures include:
- • Achieving fuller, beautifully shaped breasts if their natural breasts are small
- • Restoring lost volume after pregnancy or weight loss
- • Balancing asymmetry
- • Renewing the shape of breasts that have lost firmness
- • Improving the appearance of breasts disfigured by congenital abnormalities, heredity, or trauma
- • Reconstructing one or both breasts after cancer
Customizing Your Procedure
During your consultation, Dr. Harkins asks you questions about your goals for breast augmentation. He creates a unique surgical plan for you in order to accommodate your preferences and body shape.
Incision Options
The most commonly chosen incision is the inframammary incision. This decision depends on several factors, including your anatomy, choice of implants, surgeon’s recommendation, and personal preferences. Some of the most common incision types are:
Implant Placement Options
During surgery, your surgeon creates a space behind the breast called the pocket in which the implants are inserted. The pocket can be located in 1 of 2 positions:
- • Directly behind the breast tissue, called subglandular placement (left). This over-the-muscle location can give a more attractive shape, particularly if your natural breasts sag a bit. This placement offers natural-looking movement, better cleavage, and less interference with muscle movement.
- • Underneath the pectoralis muscle, called submuscular placement (right). This behind-the-muscle pocket adds a layer of tissue over the implant to disguise the implant’s edges and make it less palpable. It also puts a layer between the breast tissue and the implant to help with mammography. This approach may decrease the risk of hardening (a complication called capsular contracture).
Breast Augmentation vs. Breast Lift
Breast augmentation can reduce minor sagging by creating fuller breasts. For many patients, combining a breast lift with breast implants is the most effective way to attain breasts that are both full and shapely. Here are the differences at a glance:
Breast Augmentation
- • Adds volume to the breasts
- • Improves the shape of the breasts
- • Corrects asymmetrical breasts
- • Creates cleavage
- • Uses a smaller incision
Breast Lift
- • Elevates sagging breasts
- • Reshapes the breasts
- • Repositions the nipples so they don’t point down
- • Slightly reduces the size of the breasts
- • Requires more extensive incisions
Before and After a Breast Lift
Before & After a Breast Lift Near Atlanta, Georgia, by Plastic Surgery Center of the South
Before and After Breast Augmentation
Before & After Breast Augmentation Near Atlanta, Georgia, by Plastic Surgery Center of the South
Before and After a Breast Lift With Implants
Before & After a Breast Lift With Implants Near Atlanta, Georgia, by Plastic Surgery Center of the South
What To Expect During Your Procedure
Breast augmentation may be performed while you are under general anesthesia or local anesthesia with sedation. After making the incisions, your surgeon lifts your breast tissue and skin to create a pocket for each implant. Your surgeon makes every effort to minimize the scars and keep them as inconspicuous as possible. Once the implants are positioned in each pocket, he closes the incisions with dissolvable sutures. Bandages may be applied over your breasts to help with healing. You will then either be wrapped in an elastic bandage or placed in a surgical bra. The surgery usually lasts 1 to 2 hours.
How Long Does It Take To Recover From Breast Augmentation?
You will return home from surgery wearing a soft, supportive bra that your surgeon puts on you immediately following surgery. You’ll likely feel tired and a bit sore throughout the first few days after your breast augmentation. Most of your postoperative discomfort can be controlled by medication until the pain subsides, normally a few days. At Plastic Surgery Center of the South, there are no sutures that need to be removed.
Recovery Milestones
While experiences vary, expect to reach the following common milestones along this timeline:
- • A few days: Return to non-strenuous work or school.
- • 2 to 3 weeks: Breasts and nipples may be sensitive.
- • 3 weeks: Return to most normal activities, including exercise.
- • 5 weeks: Swelling dissipates.
- • 3 to 6 weeks: Wear surgical bra as directed.
- • 4 to 6 weeks: Return to strenuous exercise and unrestricted lifting.
- • 6 weeks: Scars will be firm and pink.
Read our blog post for helpful information on resuming exercise after breast augmentation.
Staying Comfortable
To maximize your comfort after surgery, be sure to have these items on hand:
- • Soft, loose-fitting pajama bottoms and button-down tops
- • Moist wipes
- • Books, movies, magazines, or a tablet for entertainment
- • Fiber supplements
- • Nutritious, low-sodium snacks and drinks
Are Breast Implants Safe?
While complications after breast augmentation are extremely rare, risks do exist and depend on preexisting health conditions and lifestyle habits. During your consultation, your surgeon will ensure you are a good candidate for the procedure. After surgery, you should continue having routine mammograms and attend follow-up appointments as your physician directs.
Breast Augmentation FAQ
What is the difference between breast implants and augmentation?
While breast implants and breast augmentation may be used interchangeably, they are not the same thing. Breast augmentation is a surgical procedure that enlarges the breasts and enhances their shape. Breast implants are placed within the breast and are the most common method of augmentation.
What is the most natural looking breast augmentation?
The most natural-looking breast augmentation results add fullness to the breasts while maintaining proportion with the patient’s frame and anatomy. Dr. Harkins has specialized expertise in accomplishing this goal for his patients.
Is breast augmentation painful?
Discomfort is typically minimal for our patients who choose pain management with EXPAREL®. The surgeon injects this FDA-approved analgesic into the incision at the time of surgery and it is slowly released into the body over the following 3 days. EXPAREL can greatly reduce the need for other strong pain medications in the days following your surgery. It is a great alternative for patients who are sensitive to opioids.
Can I breastfeed after a breast augmentation?
Yes. Hundreds of thousands of women undergo breast augmentation in the U.S. each year, and almost every woman with implants who chooses to breastfeed is successful. A qualified surgeon makes breast augmentation incisions in such a way that they should not disrupt the normal function of the glands and ducts involved with milk production or delivery. Certain incision types, such as the inframammary incision, offer more distance from these structures. If this is a concern of yours, be sure to discuss it with your surgeon prior to surgery.
Does breast augmentation affect future breast examinations?
Having breast implants should not affect the accuracy of your mammography screenings, but you will need to inform your radiology technician that you have implants. These technicians are trained to use special techniques for women with implants.
Can breast implants fix my uneven breasts?
Asymmetrical breasts are actually much more common than many people realize, and this harmless condition can be easily resolved with breast augmentation. For patients with marked asymmetry, we typically use implants of different sizes to help even out the discrepancy. Learn more in our blog post about correcting breast asymmetry.
What kind of bra should I wear following breast augmentation surgery?
After surgery, you return home wearing a soft, supportive bra. You continue wearing this type of bra for 3 to 6 weeks as directed. It’s essential to wear a support bra during this time to ensure your breasts heal without complications. Once your implants have settled and the swelling is resolved, you can shop for more stylish bras. It’s often worth it to have a professional fitting before spending money on new bras.
How long do breast implants last?
Breast implants do not have a set expiration date. If you experience concerns or complications, or you want to change your implant size or fill material, Dr. Harkins can perform revision surgery. If you want to improve the shape of your breasts, you might consider breast lift surgery. If you are happy with the size and shape of your breasts, there’s no need to have another surgery.
If you’re ready to enhance the beauty of your breasts, request a consultation with Plastic Surgery Center of the South online or give us a call at (770) 421-1242.
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