BREAST AUGMENTATION by Guerra Plastic Surgery Center

Actual Patients, before and after breast implants

Actual patients of Dr. Guerra. See more photos »

Are you interested in bigger breasts? You’ve come to the right place.

Breast augmentation surgery is the most popular cosmetic elective procedure performed at Guerra Plastic Surgery Center. Dr. Aldo Guerra, a World Class Breast Surgeon, has been helping patients achieve beautiful results in Arizona since 2006. He specializes in breast augmentation surgery and also trains other surgeons from across the country every year on the latest breast augmentation techniques. The breast augmentation procedure is an elective cosmetic breast surgery designed to create beautiful breasts, a true breast enhancement. The procedure is performed using breast implants since the goal is to achieve breast enlargement. Dr. Aldo makes a conscious effort to establish the most beautiful breast shape possible by utilizing the latest FDA approved breast implants.

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Why do patients want to have a breast augmentation?

There are many reasons but here are some common reasons for choosing to have breast augmentation:

Patients who desire to have fuller breasts because their breasts are too small or do not have very much breast volume.
Women who desire to correct a loss of breast volume due to pregnancy.
Women who desire to have more fullness, perkier breasts and a better shape after pregnancy.
Patients who desire to correct asymmetry of the breasts.
Patients who desire to replace previously placed breast implants.

In order to give patients the most desirable breast augmentation results, Dr. Aldo has developed a liberal philosophy with regards to using different breast implants, sizes and shapes. At Guerra Plastic Surgery Center we use the latest Mentor® Breast Implants. We offer both silicone breast implants and saline breast implants. At our office in Scottsdale we have sample breast implants in a range of shapes and sizes for patients hold and inspect. Patients get an opportunity at their personal consultation with Dr. Aldo to feel the different types of breast implants. In addition, we use the Mentor Volume Sizing System for all breast augmentation consultations so patients can get a chance to see what the different cups sizes look like on their body. Patients have been known to take selfies during the breast implant sizing section of the consultation so make sure to bring a few cute shirts or tops!

Breast augmentation consultations in Scottsdale with Dr. Aldo Guerra are a pretty magical experience for patients since he does an excellent job of getting to know them and to try to achieve the most desired breast augmentation results they are looking for. Depending on the patient’s desired size, we have in our office, a wide range of Mentor Breast Implants to successfully give patients a breast enlargement. Breast implants start at a volume size of 120 cc and go up all the way to 880 cc. Most of our patients choose a breast implant sizes in the range of 300 cc to 550 cc.

Dr. Aldo’s philosophy for his breast augmentation technique also includes a belief that a breast enlargement should be proportional to the rest of the body. We feel that with proportional breast enlargement will usually give the desired long-term results and happiest patients. Breast augmentation surgery can be performed almost anytime during a woman’s lifetime. Women over the age of 18 who want breast enlargement can schedule a consultation with Dr. Aldo if they feel they are ready to proceed with surgery.

Breast Augmentation at a glance

Avg. Surgery Time

1 hour

Anesthesia

General

Location

Certified Outpatient Center

Recovery

Back to work: less than 1 week
Full exercise: 6 weeks

Improving the Experience

Mentor^® Enhanced Warranty

Am I a Good Candidate?

Healthy
Non-smoker
No medical conditions that reduce wound healing
Unhappy with size and shape of breasts
Realistic goals and expectations

Breast augmentation before or after having kids?

There is no need to wait until after pregnancy to have breast enlargement. Breast augmentation surgery is a very popular procedure for women that haven’t had any kids yet. In fact, Breast implants support the breast better and, in most cases, future pregnancy patients experience less sagging. Women who have children often undergo breast augmentation at our practice to restore volume that they have lost during the pregnancy. If you plan on having children in the near future it is always a good idea to wait until you are done having kids to augment your breasts since pregnancy can change the look of your breasts with or without breast implants.

Many of our patients choose to combine other plastic surgery procedures during a breast augmentation. The tummy tuck and liposuction are the most popular add on procedures. The breasts can also be lifted with a breast lift at the same time as a breast augmentation for patients that have lost volume, experienced saggy breasts or developed extra loose skin. This can frequently happen when from the after effects of pregnancy, weight fluctuations, aging or gravity. When we combine the tummy tuck with a breast augmentation procedure we call this a “Scottsdale Mommy Makeover”.

Want a shorter breast augmentation incision? We use a funnel!

At Guerra Plastic Surgery Center we use a funnel in all our breast augmentation cases. The funnel is considered to be state-of-the-art and was designed to ease the placement of silicone breast implants through standard breast augmentation incisions. The funnel gives breast surgeons 5 very important advantages when performing breast augmentation in the operating room:

Reduces local forces applied on the breast implant shell for achieving the most desired long-term results.
Helps to reduce incision length with silicone breast implants.
Reduces trauma to the patient’s breast tissue which improves the breast augmentation recovery time.
Lessens the breast augmentation surgery time and reduces physician fatigue.
Allows for a “no-touch” breast implant placement which has been shown to reduce the rate of capsular contracture.

Dr. Aldo Guerra is on the cutting edge of utilizing the latest state-of-the-art products and techniques for breast augmentation surgery to help all patients get the most desired long term results. He includes the funnel for all of his breast augmentation cases that use silicone breast implants. If you want to learn more about the funnel give us a call at (480) 382-4995 or schedule a personal consultation with Dr. Aldo!

Actual patient, after breast implants — Actual patient, had breast augmentation with Dr. Aldo Guerra.

Breast implant placement below the muscle or above the muscle?

During the breast augmentation surgery Dr. Aldo will have determined at the consultation whether to place the breast implant below the muscle or above the muscle. Yes, this is something that needs to considered when patients are interested in getting breast implant in order to achieve breast enlargement.

Below the muscle breast implant placement.

Let’s start with below the muscle breast implant placement during breast augmentation surgery. Patients that have small breasts, the breast implants can be seen under the tissues and in some situations, wrinkling and rippling can be observed at the breast surface when implants are placed under the breast gland. Therefore, at Guerra Plastic Surgery placement of the breast implants under the pectoral muscles is recommended in patients with under developed breast tissue to avoid these situations.

In general, breast implants placed under the muscle are supported better and experience less sagging with weight changes, pregnancy, gravity and aging. In our experience with thousands of breast augmentation surgery cases, recovery from sub-pectoral breast augmentation is similar to sub-glandular breast augmentation. Even though the recovery is similar there are advantages of placing breast implants under the pectoral muscle:

More breast tissue coverage resulting in less implant visibility.
A more natural-looking breast profile for our patients.
A reduced rate of capsular contracture or scar contracture.
Improvement in mammogram visualization.

Under the muscle implant placement diagram — Diagram: Under the muscle implant placement.

Above the muscle breast implant placement.

Let’s discuss above the muscle breast implant placement during breast augmentation surgery. Breast implants can also be placed under the breast gland or commonly referred to as “above the muscle”. Patients with adequate breast tissue can be good candidates for a breast augmentation with above the muscle breast implant placement. Here are some possible advantages of sub-glandular breast augmentation include:

Can create an unnaturally high, rounded and/or bubbly-looking breast.
Patients with mild saggy breasts, sub-glandular breast augmentation may help naturally lift the breast.

Sub-glandular breast augmentation can create bubbly-looking breasts that stand out and resemble those of many models, Hollywood personalities and other celebrities. For patients who wish to have this look, above the muscle breast implant placement is recommended. After breast augmentation surgery, sub-glandular breast implant placement patients are at greater risk of having scar contracture around the breast implants and may experience more sagging with aging.

Above the muscle implant placement diagram — Diagram: Abote the muscle implant placement.

What are the risks with Breast augmentation?

Actual breast augmentation patient before and after photo — Actual breast augmentation patient, before and after photo. See more photos »

Silicone gel moderate plus profile breast implants.

All surgical procedures carry certain risks associated with the procedure, anesthesia, scarring, and suturing. Breast augmentation, has certain additional risks due to the nature of the different type of breast implants.

Here are some common breast augmentation risks:

Breast pain
Potentially permanent changes in nipple or breast sensation
Bleeding
Infection
Asymmetry
Scar tissue that distorts the shape of the breast implant
Implant leakage or rupture
Being unhappy with your results, despite adequate surgery
Need for additional breast surgery

There are other less common breast augmentation risks that are discussed in the consultation.

Breast augmentation incisions.

Breast augmentation incisions by Dr. Aldo Guerra are made to be as inconspicuous as possible, usually under the breast or around the lower part of the nipple. Some doctors also use the armpit incisions or belly button incisions. All breast augmentation incisions are noticeable, although some are less noticeable than others. Some patients are better candidates for one type of breast augmentation incision versus another, because of genetics, skin composition, texture and color. With our vast experience of breast augmentation surgery we highly recommend a consultation with Dr. Aldo to determine your most appropriate incision options.

Under the breast crease incision is the most popular!

At Guerra Plastic Surgery Center most of our patients who get breast augmentation surgery undergo under the breast crease incisions. When the breast augmentation incision is made below the breast, in the crease, there are many advantages:

Incisions placed in the breast crease, when fully healed, will look like part of the crease, becoming almost invisible to the human eye. Dr. Aldo uses this principle in almost every breast augmentation procedure to help camouflage incisions as much as possible.
Under the breast crease incisions allows immediate access to the pectoral muscle for under the muscle implant placement. The breast surgeon can choose to place the breast implant either below or above the muscle creating minimal swelling and disturbance to the tissues. This allows for a smoother and more comfortable recovery.
In general, breast tissue begins above the lower breast crease incision. A breast augmentation incision placed here allows for the appropriate anatomical placement of the breast implant. The risks of the breast implant ending up too high in the chest, which can give patients an unnatural, operated-on look, are minimized.
Because the plastic surgeon is closest to the breast using this incision, the surgeon has greater control and command over the breast tissue. When the plastic surgeon has more control, results are much more predictable.

Breast augmentation incision diagram — Diagram: Breast augmentation incision markings.

Under the breast crease incision diagram — Diagram: Under the breast incision lines.

The armpit incisions.

Patients can consider the Armpit incision or transaxillary incision which starts high on the lateral chest wall and extends through the tissues to reach the inferior breast crease. While some patients believe that this procedure results in a breast augmentation without scars, in reality, this incision can be quite noticeable after the breast surgery. In some patients, the incisions can prevent the individual from shaving the armpit area where the armpit incision becomes tender. Additionally, because breast augmentation surgery takes place through the tissues and starts so far away from the ultimate placement location of the breast implant, there is usually more swelling and discomfort after surgery.

Nipple incision diagram — Diagram: Nipple incision lines.

The nipple incision.

Breast augmentation surgery with nipple incision is used in patients with a very distinct border between the nipple and the rest of the breast. In these patients, carefully placed nipple incisions become almost invisible after the healing portion of the recovery is complete. After the nipple incision is made, a tunnel is created that goes down to the level of the breast muscle. At this point, your breast surgeon can choose to create a pocket either below the muscle or above the muscle to place the breast implant. Because the breast augmentation with nipple incision involves surgery through the breast tissues, there is often more swelling when using this incision.

The belly button incision.

The belly button incision can be used to place breast implants under the breast gland also called above the muscle implant placement. Placement under the pectoral muscle also called below the muscle implant placement is usually not possible with this approach. The incision is made in the belly button and breast augmentation surgery is carried forward towards the breasts. Through a long, specially designed tube, the surgeon works to create a space under the breast gland. Once the pocket is completed, a breast implant is placed under each breast, with the same tube. This approach can be an option for some patients; however, the procedure requires such specialized equipment that the overall costs of the procedure are increased and we currently do not offer the belly button incision at Guerra Plastic Surgery Center.

Guerra Plastic Surgery Center reception area — Guerra Plastic Surgery Center in Scottsdale, Arizona.