Breast Implants Information & Articles

Whilst many believe in simply finding the right surgeon to perform their breast augmentation, others understand that the selection of choices involves far more. Other features that patients have to bear in mind include which type of anaesthesia will suit them best; local or general, or whether they would prefer silicone gel or saline breast implants.

Breast Implant Prices

Increased demand in breast implants has led to a highly competitive marketplace where it is now even easier to find cheap breast enlargement surgery. Prices for breast implants tend to start from around £2,750 with many clinics offering discounts, special offers and deals. It is also possible to spread the cost of the surgery over 1, 3 or even 5 years. These prices will vary due to a number of factors such as surgeon fees, the location of the clinic itself, the reputation of the surgeons performing the procedure and the type of breast implant used. Some patients are even tempted to look further afield for even cheaper enlargement where in places such as Cuba and Bolivia a boob job can be found for as little as £713 and £1,533 respectively.

Boob Job Finance Options

Due to the expensive nature of this cosmetic procedure and the constantly uncertain economic climate we are finding ourselves in, more clinics and even some third parties are offering a variety of options for breast implants on finance to help ease the financial strain of getting a boob job.

These various finance schemes include buy now pay later schemes, low interest cosmetic loans and monthly payment plans.

• ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ Schemes – With these schemes you can undergo a boob job procedure and receive a 6 month payment-free holiday. After this time you can either pay the balance in full or pay the outstanding balance with a fixed interest rate over an extended amount of time.
• Low Interest Cosmetic Loans – Many clinics now offer the opportunity for patients to take out a 0% interest loan to help fund cosmetic procedures. Typically these companies are willing to lend from £500 to £15,000 that can be paid back, interest free, over an agreed amount of time.
• Monthly Payment Plans – This option involves paying a substantial amount of the initial cost upfront and paying the remainder of the cost for the procedure through a series of monthly payments. Companies that offer this finance option typically do not add additional interest to the payments so the price remains the same as if you were to pay the total balance in full.

It is not only the clinics themselves that offer loans for cosmetic surgery and depending on the borrowers’ credit rating and that you have the appropriate documentation available funds can be secured within a matter of hours from a number of 3rd party companies. Due to nature of finance companies any information about procedure is met with complete privacy and in many cases you may not need to reveal any information concerning the procedure you are looking to fund.

Typically loans such as these are treated very much on a case to case basis and even if your credit history isn’t clean there still may be the option to take out an unsecured loan albeit at a higher rate of interest.

Getting your Breast Enlargement Abroad

Countries in Eastern Europe such as the Czech Republic and Poland are significantly cheaper than the UK for breast enlargement surgery. Even taking the cost of travel and accommodation in to account more exotic destinations such as Brazil or Thailand, offer patient's the chance to save vast amounts of money on the procedure in comparison to the UK. This has led to the noticeable increase in medical tourism over the past few years. It is advised that you do thorough research before spending money on procedures in foreign clinics. Try and do as much homework beforehand on the clinic itself, the surgeon that will be operating on you and the aftercare package that is available and whether it is provided in the initial cost. Most importantly you must ensure your health insurance provides adequate cover for your trip. A thorough check can prove the difference between an enjoyable cosmetic experience and being stranded in a foreign country after having undergone what could be a serious medical procedure.

The Types of Breast Implants Available

By their nature breast implants come in all different shapes and sizes however all implants share the same basic components of an inner filler and an outer shell. The outer shell is typically either smooth or textured and manufactured using tough silicone elastic. The two types of implant filler used in the UK at the moment are a Saline solution or a Silicone gel.

• Saline solution – These are usually inserted within in the breast before the outer shell is filled with a saline solution.
• Silicone gel – Generally acknowledged as giving the most natural solution to breast implants with regards to feel it consists of a silicone gel with a semi-liquid consistency that flows and shifts easily helping to provide a natural shape to the breast.

Another form of breast enlargement that is currently being offered by surgeons is the idea of increasing bust size through the fat transfer. This breast enlargement through fat transfer involves the patient undergoing liposuction on a part of their body and the surgeon transplanting this excess fat in to the breast tissue of a patient. This is however not a permanent procedure with results lasting anywhere from 6 months to 8 years and the scope of increase in the patients bust size is usually around one cup size.

The Procedure

After having administered a general anaesthetic the surgeon will generally start the surgery with an incision either under the arm pit or under the breast along the natural crease the skin provides, however in some cases an additional incision will need to be performed around the areola. The breast/s will subsequently be inserted and manoeuvred to produce the desired shape agreed by the surgeon and patient beforehand and the various incisions will be closed up using dissolvable sutures.

On average the whole procedure will take around 1-2 hours to complete.

Before and After Breast Augmentation

If the breast enlargement procedure is an out-patient procedure patients should consider making arrangements for a friend or member of the family to drive them to and from the appointment and to be with them throughout the first night post surgery. Patients will be required to refrain from drinking alcohol and smoking to reduce the possibility of complications occurring in surgery, which can include blood clots and infections. Medical professionals will advise patients to avoid anti-inflammatory medication or aspirin as this can also contribute to increased bleeding.

Breast augmentation patients will be expected usually to spend a night in hospital after undergoing a boob job procedure, sometimes a day case is possible however this is quite rare. The recovery time you will expect after undergoing breast augmentation will depend on a variety of different factors including the health and age of the patient as well as the clinic and surgeon involved. In general cases however light work (desk based) can be returned to within a few days and patients are advised to refrain from strenuous activities for up to 10 days with a complete recovery expected between 14 days and 6 weeks in some rare cases.

During this post-operative recovery stage women are encouraged to perform light arm exercises to relieve pain however in some extreme cases of post-operative pain medical aid is available in the form of analgesic indwelling medication catheters.

Breastfeeding After Breast Enlargement Surgery

Whether patients will be able to breastfeed post breast augmentation surgery will depend entirely on the type of surgery you have undergone. If the incisions where the breast implants look to be inserted are made in the breast fold or under the patients armpit then this should not cause complications and shouldn't result in problems when the patient looks to breastfeed.

Complications may arise when incisions are made around the areola due to the possibility that nerves may be damaged around this sensitive area during surgery. This may leave the patient able to nurse either partially or even fully with however the possibility of these complications must be discussed with a health professional or your surgeon prior to surgery.

The Risks and Complications of undergoing Breast Enlargement Surgery

Post-surgery, patients can potentially experience swelling, bruising and a slight burning sensation in the nipples however these are all part of the recovery process and this discomfort should subside after a week or so. The swelling experienced can be expected to last 4-5 weeks with any scars, although never completely disappearing, will begin to fade after a couple of months.

As with any surgical procedures there are risks and complications with regards to the surgery itself however a surgeon will talk prospective patients through these prior to the operation date.

Availability of Breast Implants on the NHS

It is extremely unlikely that the NHS would fund a cosmetic procedure such as a boob job for solely cosmetic reasons. The exception to this comes when a potential patient has lost a breast to disease or a trauma of some kind. The National Health Service has however made exceptions in the past in certain cases and it is advised, as when considering any form of major cosmetic surgery, to consult you GP beforehand for advice.

Natural Breast Enhancement and Breast Enlargement Pills

There a wide variety of pills, creams and even cereal bars now available on the market that all make claims that they can help increase bust size however these claims for a "miracle solution" are not based on reputable clinical or medical trials if any and should be considered with caution.

Both the contraceptive pill and some hormonal treatments such as HRT medication can produce a side-effect of a slightly increased bust size however it should be stressed that this is a side-effect of such medication and as such should never be taken purely to achieve such an effect.

Summary

Breast implants are now widely considered by the cosmetic industry to be one of the safest and most successful cosmetic procedures being performed in the UK and can be a life-changing operation for women who have either traumatically lost one or both of their breasts due to illness or have spent a lifetime feeling uncomfortable with their body.

As with any major surgical procedure there are considerable risks and complications which of course must be taken in to account before embarking upon this road. Is it also crucial that a potential patient takes time to research the procedure properly and spends time finding a surgeon and clinic that will ensure the experience and more importantly the results the patient is searching for. Finally it is essential that the patient gains a realistic understanding of not just the results that breast augmentation can achieve but also the fact that it is an investment that may require additional surgery in the future.

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