Women who consider breast implants often wonder if a future pregnancy will affect the results of their augmentation. As pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding can all cause the body to change in different ways, this concern is understandable. While swelling and weight gain are normal for most women during pregnancy, others may experience sagging or loss of volume in their breasts. At Romanelli Cosmetic Surgery in Huntington, NY, our premier aesthetic practice specializes in surgical procedures for the breasts and body.
Board-certified plastic surgeons Dr. James Romanelli and Dr. John Layliev and their talented team seek to educate patients about cosmetic procedures to provide the best results possible. Our skilled staff takes a closer look at the breast implant process and how the changes experienced during pregnancy may affect your augmentation.
Breast augmentation and implant surgery
The purpose of implants is to resize the breasts and create a fuller look, improving the shape and symmetry of your silhouette. At your private consultation with Romanelli Cosmetic Surgery in the Long Island, NY, area, we hope to create a natural-looking outcome by listening to and addressing your aesthetic concerns along with informing you about the options available. The best candidates have small breasts or breasts that have changed after pregnancy or weight loss. During your consultation, we will also make important decisions such as the incision location.
Breast enhancement is an outpatient procedure performed under general anesthesia. Afterward, patients are taken into the recovery area, where we will monitor your progress carefully before releasing you to rest at home. Romanelli Cosmetic Surgery may give you a compression garment to reduce side effects such as swelling. While recovery varies from person to person, you can generally return to everyday activities within the week. We generally recommend avoiding exercise or more intense activity until we have cleared you to resume these activities.
Pregnancy’s effect on breast appearance
The good news is that pregnancy does not affect the integrity of the implants. However, you should keep in mind that every woman responds differently to the stages of pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding. For instance, some women gain weight slowly during pregnancy or all at once, which is a factor that affects the overall size of the breasts.
Women who also plan to nurse should expect a higher risk of sagging in their breasts after augmentation. While the act of breastfeeding can change the shape of the breast, you should know this happens to women regardless of implants or augmentation surgery.
Your breasts may return to their original post-augmentation look after pregnancy, but it may take several months or more. In the event your breasts do change considerably after pregnancy, a breast lift (mastopexy) may be required to restore their shape and size. On other occasions, breast revision surgery can restore the implant’s position or shape to where it was before. We encourage you to bring up this possibility during your consultation at Romanelli Cosmetic Surgery for a better idea of how we can help.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Another common concern for women with implants is whether or not they can still breastfeed. There are many myths that incorrectly communicate how breast implants will prevent women from breastfeeding. In fact, at Romanelli Cosmetic Surgery in Huntington, NY, we have spoken with many patients who have experienced the joys of breastfeeding after breast augmentation and implants. Studies have also shown that silicone and saline implants do not affect a woman’s milk, which means there is no risk when breastfeeding your baby.
Your ability to breastfeed after implants is based on the location of the incision and what kind of surgery you had. In a traditional augmentation surgery, an incision is made in the inframammary fold, which is the crease under your breast. Then the implant is placed below the breast tissue, behind the pectoral muscle. In this case, the implant does not come into contact with the duct involved in milk production. You can breastfeed without worry.
There are other times when the incision is made elsewhere on the breast, which may affect milk supply. If you are concerned about the incision type impacting your ability to breastfeed, please inform us at Romanelli Cosmetic Surgery. We will be happy to personalize your breast augmentation and surgical plan based on your needs and future pregnancy goals.
Contact Romanelli Cosmetic Surgery
If you are in the process of deciding whether breast implants are the right choice for you, it is important to think about your goals and milestones. Achieve fuller, shapelier breasts without worrying that pregnancy may interfere with your decision. Meet our experienced, board-certified plastic surgeons Dr. James Romanelli and Dr. John Layliev and feel more confident in your skin. The professionals at our facility are here to help you. Call Romanelli Cosmetic Surgery for more information about implants, breast augmentation, and other surgical procedures in Huntington, NY, today.
