For the fifth year in a row, more American women have had breast augmentation than any other cosmetic surgical procedure. The newest statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) show that the number of breast implant procedures performed in the U.S. in 2010 was 269,203 — a 39% increase over 2000.
“Women today have more choices than ever when it comes to enhancing the appearance of their breasts,” says Chicago-area plastic surgeon Allan Parungao, MD, FACS, author of A Woman’s Guide to Cosmetic Breast Surgery and Body Contouring.
“Since the FDA approved the newest generation of silicone gel breast implants in 2006, more and more women have been choosing this option over saline implants,” notes Dr. Parungao. Six out of 10 women who had breast augmentation in 2010 opted for silicone gel implants, according to ASPS statistics, compared to 50% in 2009.
Wendy, a 35-year-old Chicago-area woman, recently opted for silicone gel implants. “After I had my daughter in 2009, I wanted breast augmentation,” she says. “But with my job and all my workouts, I didn’t want my breasts to be so huge that people would be looking down at my chest.”
“An important part of getting natural-looking results from breast augmentation is choosing the right size and shape implants,” explains Dr. Parungao, who has Chicago-area offices in Oak Brook, Naperville and Vernon Hills, IL. “Based on Wendy’s measurements and her build, we selected implants that gave her both increased projection and the proper width for better cleavage.” Wendy went from a 34B to a 34DD.
“After getting breast implants, my breasts look so natural that I can wear regular clothes and look very presentable,” says Wendy, who does fitness modeling and swimsuit modeling as a hobby. “And if I want to up-do my breasts for a photo shoot, I can do that as well—so I have the best of both worlds.”
Achieving optimum results from breast augmentation sometimes involves changing not only the size, but the position of the breasts. “Some women, especially those who have had children, find that their breasts tend to sag over time,” says Dr. Parungao. “In these cases, we can combine breast augmentation surgery with a breast lift to counteract the effects of gravity and give the breasts a fuller, more youthful appearance.”
Recent improvements have also made recovering from breast augmentation surgery much easier. To ease patients’ post-operative discomfort, Dr. Parungao offers the On-Q pain pump at no extra charge. (Some plastic surgeons charge as much as $500 extra for the device.)
“On-Q is a simple system for delivering local anesthetic in the first few days after surgery,” Dr. Parungao explains. “It’s designed to give patients a more comfortable recovery—without narcotic side-effects such as breathing difficulties, nausea, constipation and that ‘knocked-out’ feeling.”
“I’d heard from friends who’d had breast augmentation that they’d had painful throbbing, but I had no pain in my breasts,” says Tasha, a patient who recently was treated with the On-Q pain pump after breast implant surgery.
“Every few minutes, the On-Q released the anesthetic medication,” she recalls. “I had my surgery on a Wednesday, and the pain pump was removed on Friday. It was a life-saver!”
For more information on breast augmentation, visit http://www.parungao.com/breast-surgery.
Allan Parungao, MD, FACS, is a plastic surgeon and author board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He has Chicago-area offices in Oak Brook, Naperville and Vernon Hills, IL. For more information, visit http://www.parungao.com.
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