Patients considering breast augmentation at our Chandler, AZ, area plastic surgery center often ask for advice about timing for breast implants. As long as you’re in good health, there is no bad time to enhance your breasts, but we do recommend that you first think a little bit about your future. Specifically, you’ll want to consider whether you are planning on having children any time soon.
What happens to breasts during pregnancy?
Most women’s breasts go through some changes during pregnancy. However, the lasting effects are unpredictable. Some women’s breasts will return to their previous shape, regardless of how many pregnancies they have. Others remain changed after each pregnancy.
Additionally, it is not uncommon for a woman’s breasts to deflate post-pregnancy and breastfeeding. I advise my patients to keep that in mind when making their decision — especially if they have never been pregnant and plan to have children in the future. First-time moms simply cannot know how pregnancy will affect their breasts.
Having said that, as a general rule for my patients, I believe that if a woman is unhappy with her breasts, she should consider breast implants when the time feels right. A breast augmentation can help you to feel more confident about your appearance, which may be worth it sooner rather than later.
If that means there is a chance you will have children in the future, then so be it. A revision can be done if the pregnancy affects your breasts.
Do implants affect breastfeeding?
If you do decide to get implants before you are done having children, rest assured that you can still breastfeed after a breast augmentation. Breast augmentations have long been one of the most popular cosmetic procedures, and as long as the surgeon is aware of your desire to have children in the future, he or she can perform your augmentation in a way that preserves the ability to breastfeed.
Will revision surgery be necessary?
Only a fraction of women will need revision surgery after pregnancy. To all the women who do choose to have breast augmentation before pregnancy, though, I do caution them that getting very large implants can impact revision work post-pregnancy.
Very large implants can make chest wall deformities slightly more likely. Large implants can also put pressure on the skin and breast tissue, which affects elasticity. Correcting these issues is more difficult with larger implants. If you want to learn more about breast implant sizing, check out our previous blog post.
When women are unsure about getting breast implants and the only thing deterring them is future pregnancies, I ask them if they plan to get pregnant soon. If the answer is yes, then I tell them to enjoy their pregnancy and not rush into implants. If they are unsure when they will have children or have no plans to in the near future, then I pose a follow-up question: Why wait?
At this point, you must take everything into consideration; this is your body, so you must decide for yourself.
Before making this decision, I advise you to do as much research as possible, so you can be well-informed about the procedure. If you are considering breast augmentation, check out our Breast Implant Options page for more detailed information and review before-and-after photos of real patients. Then, once you have done preliminary research and pondered the idea of future children, schedule a consultation — and together, we can create a customized surgical plan that’s just right for you.
To request your consultation, please contact us online or call (480) 466-7355 (Gilbert).
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