This procedure to enhance and increase the size of a woman’s breast is one of the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures. It involves placing a soft breast implant containing either silicone gel or saline (salt-water) solution underneath the normal breast. The procedure can be done either on an outpatient basis or with hospital confinement, depending on the patient’s preference. The length of the operation varies from 2 to 5 hours, under local anesthesia with sedation.
A variety of breast implants are available, with corresponding price fees. Most of the breast implants available in the Philippines come from 4 countries: China, the Netherlands, France, and Ireland.
The cheapest silicone gel implants come from China. These implants have been chosen by many patients who have limited budgets. In the middle of the price range are the cohesive-gel implants made by the McGhan corporation in Ireland, Mentor Corporation in the Netherlands and another European company, the Eurosilicone company from France. The latest development in implants is the anatomical cohesive-gel implants with multi-layered silicone shells, made by McGhan and Mentor.
Usually, the breast implants are surgically inserted through either the inframammary incision (in the skin fold below the breast), the periareolar incision (along the edge of the colored area around the nipple) or the transaxillary incision (in the armpit). The implant either below the chest muscle (submuscular) or between the chest muscle and the breast tissue (subglandular).
With these various options in mind, each patient can come to a decision about the kind of implants, location of the incision and placement of the implants after discussing these options with her plastic surgeon.