Here at Royce Plastic Surgery, Dr. Royce is known for giving you the natural look, so it is essential for your implants to fit perfectly with your personal anatomy. Dr. Royce will consider your frame, body type, and personal goals to determine the appropriate sizing and range for you.

As the preferred surgeon for breast augmentation in Lakewood Ranch, FL to help patients reach their body and appearance goals, Dr. Royce will guide you through this process by offering a variety of options when determining your implants. There are a variety of shapes, sizes, and preferences you can choose from such as Gummy Bear, Silicone, Teardrop, and Saline implants. Breast implants are measured in cubic centimeters (cc), rather than cup size so during your one-on-one consultation, Dr. Royce focuses on your personal goals and anatomy to find the appropriate size for you.

Dr. Royce understands that no two women have the same requirements or desired results from their breast enlargement surgery, so thoroughly addressing every advantage of silicone and saline during your consultation is highly prioritized. 

Did you know the outermost shells of all breast implants whether silicone or saline are made from silicone? Silicone breast implants are filled with silicone gel and there are a number of advantages to silicone implants making them the most popular choice among patients.  

Some advantages of silicone implants include:

• Natural feel and appearance
• Most suitable for women with smaller breast tissue to cover the implant
• More likely to achieve a flawless result that can come with saline implants such as rippling and wrinkling
• Skin experiences less stretching
• If a silicone breast implant were to rupture, this would be difficult to detect and often require an MRI to diagnose.  **For this reason, regular MRI scans are recommended for women with silicone breast implants.

Saline breast implants are filled with a sterile saltwater solution after they have been placed in the incision and pocket made during the procedure.

Some advantages of Saline Implants include:

Less visible scarring with a smaller incision

A rupture in Saline Implants is easier to detect, however, the breast will have a deflated appearance when the implant ruptures.

Saline Implants tend to ripple and wrinkle under the skin and do not feel or look as natural as silicone implants. Additionally, they tend to be heavier and stress breast droop (breast ptosis) in patients.   Patients with Saline Implants are more prone to a complication called “double-bubble.”

Please Note:

Capsular Contraction is a complication of both silicone and saline. Capsular Contracture is a tightening of the normal and expected scar tissue that forms around the breast implant. The scar tissue is known as the 'capsule', and the tightening is referred to as 'contracture' or often known as 'hardening' of the breast due to breast implant surgery. Mild contractures can feel firm resulting in a less natural feel and appearance, but there are ways to resolve this.

The location of your surgical incision will determine the prominence of your surgical scars and Dr. Royce is known for her technical skills in achieving well-hidden and discrete incision scars. During the consultation, Dr. Royce carefully listens to you, taking into consideration your lifestyle, and individual physical characteristics before recommending an incision location.

There are three options for a breast augmentation incision:

1. Periareolar – hidden in the darker skin of your areola, around your nipple. This sounds like an odd option, but the advantage of this incision is that it is less noticeable in pigmented skin and allows good control over implant placement.  However, the disadvantage of this incision location is a potentially higher rate of infection and capsular contracture in the breast.

2. Inframammary – underneath your breast, naturally hidden in the fold underneath, where your breast and chest meet, the advantage to this incision is clear as this allows excellent access to the implant pocket, allowing optimal symmetry, and a barely visible scar. The disadvantage some may feel is a scar that is visible if the breast is lifted in an upward direction while disrobed.

3. Transaxillary – This is where the surgical incision and implant are introduced through your armpit. This allows the incision to be naturally hidden in the folds of your underarm, eliminating any scarring on your breasts. However, this placement has a disadvantage surgically of being distanced from the breast itself which makes it more difficult to control the implant pocket and placement.

1. Subglandular Breast Implant Placement

Subglandular implant placement is beneath your breast tissue, but above the muscle in your chest and this provides the most benefit as it minimizes the impact to your chest muscle, thereby lessening your recovery period. This placement allows Dr. Royce to utilize any of the incision options with any type of breast implant and is an ideal option for athletic physiques and people who desire less post-surgery downtime.

Disadvantages of this implant placement option that should be considered:

• A sub-glandular or above-muscle breast implant results in visibly rounder, less natural-looking implants tin those who opt for larger-size implants.
• Aesthetic imperfections such as rippling or wrinkling are easily more visible
• There is a higher risk for capsular contracture
• Above-muscle or sub-glandular implants are more likely to interfere with mammograms

2. Under-muscle or Submuscular Breast Implant Placement

Submuscular breast implants are positioned below the pectoral muscle providing all incision options and implant types.   This placement may increase the recovery time due to the additional stretching impact on your chest muscle.   However, most patients find the benefits of this placement below the chest muscles, far outweigh this minor inconvenience after it all is healed.

The many benefits of submuscular placement include:

• More natural feeling and natural-looking breast
• The contours of the implants are concealed better 
• Medical risks, such as capsular contracture are reduced 
• Suitable for women with smaller breasts or less breast tissue to cover the implant
• This option is optimal for mammograms and breastfeeding as they interfere less 

Dr. Royce and you will discuss more in-depth in your consultation and will collectively decide which incision option is right for you depending on your preferences. Dr. Royce takes great care to ensure your scars are minimal and well hidden providing optimal results.  We also provide excellent scar creams to minimize your postoperative scarring.

As the leading experts in breast augmentation in Lakewood Ranch, FL and surrounding areas, we're here to help with your recovery. Dr. Royce is a Board Certified Surgeon with extensive experience in breast augmentation and can help mitigate the symptoms often experienced in recovery, starting with your consultation, Dr. Royce will address how each surgical option will affect your recovery period. Dr. Royce and the team will advise you on the measures you should take to ease the recovery and assist you throughout your entire recovery period to ensure your experience is comfortable and safe.