The breasts can be an important part of a woman’s body image. Consequently, if a woman views her breasts as disproportionate with the rest of her body, if she feels her breasts lack symmetry, or if she simply feels her breasts are too small, it can impact her self-image. Those are great reasons to consider breast augmentation with Dr. Wiener.
When to consider breast augmentation
Our breast augmentation patients choose Dr. Wiener for this procedure for a variety of reasons. The most common ones include to:
- Enlarge a naturally small chest
- Correct asymmetrical breasts
- Restore lost volume due to weight fluctuations
- Address aesthetic changes following pregnancy and breastfeeding
Proven Results & Excellent Patient Satisfaction
Read what our patients are saying!
"Dr. Wiener is an amazing plastic surgeon!! I had breast augmentation and the natural outcome is beyond expectation. I highly recommend him and his office staff. I already scheduled my next procedure and will continue to refer friends and family to Dr Wiener."
Dr. Wiener & his staff are great...I had a breast augmentation 2 months ago and i am very happy with with the results
Planning Your Breast Surgery with Dr. Wiener
Breast surgery is a highly customizable procedure. Dr. Wiener will walk you through selecting your implants, incision location, size and more to ensure that your new figure is precisely what you’ve been envisioning.
Dr. Wiener discusses Breast Augmentation
Your Breast Implant Options
When undergoing a breast augmentation, you have two options: saline and silicone. In both cases, Dr. Wiener uses round, smooth, moderate-plus profile implants to ensure a full, feminine and natural-looking chest.
Saline: Mentor Implants
Saline implants are composed of sterile salt water. They are inserted into the body empty and then filled to your desired size.
Dr. Wiener uses Mentor moderate plus saline implants. They feel slightly firmer than silicone but still provide a full profile that looks natural. In addition, the volume can be adjusted during surgery, offering maximum flexibility and customization.
Silicone: Sientra Implants
Silicone implants are softer than saline and feel more like natural breast tissue.
If you opt for Silicone, Dr. Wiener will recommend Sientra round, smooth, cohesive gel implants. They are his preference because they maintain their shape against gravity and retain volume in the upper portion of the chest. As such, they are ideal for Houston women who desire a very rounded appearance.
Determining The Right Breast Size For Your Body
During your initial consultation at our Clear Lake, TX office, you will try on breast implants in a bra to determine your ideal shape and size. Once you’ve found an implant that you like visually, Dr. Wiener will make sure that its diameter is not excessively large or small in comparison to the diameter of your natural breast to ensure an ideal aesthetic outcome.
Your Incision Options
There are several incision options available for breast implants. However, there are only two that Dr. Wiener consistently recommends to our Houston, TX patients: the inframammary and the periareolar.
Inframammary
The inframammary incision is placed along the breast crease. This approach is recommended because it’s associated with a decreased risk of capsular contracture -- a serious complication that involves the abnormal hardening of scar tissue around breast implants.
Periareolar
This incision is placed along the lower border of the areola. The periareolar breast augmentation is preferred by many women because the scars are virtually imperceptible. The tradeoffs are a potential loss of nipple sensitivity and breastfeeding challenges in the future.
How should I prepare for my augmentation surgery?
There isn’t any special preparation required for augmentation surgery. It is surgery, so you’ll need to stop taking any anti-inflammatory medications, blood thinners, aspirin, and most herbal supplements for a few days prior to your procedure. If you smoke, you’ll need to stop for at least two weeks prior to and after your surgery, as smoking constricts the blood vessels, and this can hinder incision healing. Dr. Wiener will discuss these things with you during your consultation.
Is breast augmentation surgery painful?
Dr. Wiener performs breast augmentation surgery as an outpatient procedure in our AAAASF accredited in-office operating suite with the patient under general anesthesia. You will not feel any pain, and recovery is not overly difficult. Some of our patients from around the Houston area are surprised at how little pain augmentation creates during recovery, equating it to the soreness of a heavy upper body workout a couple days afterwards.
Will my incision scars be noticeable?
The answer is “it depends.” Dr. Wiener recommends two incision location options — inframammary and periareolar.
If you choose to have larger implants placed through the breast crease with the inframammary incision, there will be a visible scar on the underside of each breast. This can’t be avoided. They begin to fade much more quickly than you would assume, however.
Periareolar incisions made around the areola on each breast can be well hidden. They are virtually invisible due to that location. The drawback with this location with it comes to silicone implants is that it can limit the potential size of the implants that can be placed through this incision.
What are the risks involved with breast augmentation?
There are a variety of risks with breast augmentation. There are the usual risks that accompany any surgery, such as infection. But specific risks or side effects with breast augmentation are capsular contracture, rippling, rupture, and some loss of sensation, particularly in the nipples.
- Capsular contracture
Capsular contracture is simply a result of the body responding to the implant, which is a foreign object. The body reacts by forming a barrier, a capsule, around the implant. This is sometimes referred to as scar tissue, but it’s really simply collagen. The capsule, however, can sometimes continue to contract around the implant, compressing it and making it feel very hard. The implant has not hardened, just the capsule that is shrinking around it. In these cases, the implants need to be replaced and the capsule removed.
- Rippling
Rippling occurs with saline implants. Rippling can occur when saline implants, which are filled once in place in the breast pocket, are either overfilled or underfilled. It can also result when there isn’t enough tissue covering the implant. This is more often the case when the saline implants are placed atop the chest muscle.
- Rupture
Implants can rupture due to trauma (such as an impact on the chest), from damage during insertion, or as the implant reaches its lifespan and weakens. When a saline implant ruptures, the body simply absorbs the saline solution, but the implant deflates completely and quickly. This leaves the patient with one full breast and one deflated, flattened breast. Obviously, surgery to remove and replace the ruptured implant is necessary.
Silicone implants can also rupture, but modern silicone doesn’t leave the shell. This is in contrast to older forms of silicone implants, where the silicone was liquid and could leak out into the breast pocket. Modern silicone is highly cohesive and tends to want to adhere to itself. When you cut a modern silicone implant in half, the silicone stays together and doesn’t leak. Still, a ruptured implant, which is usually found during breast MRIs (recommended every 2-3 years), needs to be replaced.
- Loss of sensation
Loss of overall breast sensation is usually a temporary side effect after surgery, and the patient usually regains sensation. Nerves that are severed during placement of the implants can impact nipple sensation. This is more likely when the incisions are made around the areolae. Although some sensation may come back, some of this loss can also be permanent.
When can I get back to my exercise routine after augmentation?
There are significant restrictions after breast augmentation. There is no exercise of any kind for four weeks and no bra of any kind for six weeks after surgery. These restrictions are in place for your safety, as exercise too soon can cause a postoperative bleed requiring emergency surgery and a bra can erode through the incision if worn too soon. Dr. Wiener will be able to give you a good idea of which exercises you’ll be able to return in what timeframe.
How natural will my breast look after augmentation?
Dr. Wiener is a board-certified plastic surgeon who is known across this region for his expertise with breast procedures. The goal for these procedures isn’t simply to give you larger breasts, but to make your new curvier figure look completely natural. Otherwise, what’s the point?
Dr. Wiener has the training and extensive experience with breast augmentation to ensure you’ll love the look of your enhanced figure.
How long is recovery?
Plan on taking one to two weeks off work to recover. Your body needs to heal so you must not push yourself or engage in vigorous physical motions. No lifting, no stretching, and exercise is limited to the lower body. Full recovery is expected in about a month to six weeks.
What is the cost of breast augmentation in Houston?
Breast augmentation surgery is a customized surgery and varies in cost. An average breast augmentation cost can be $3,700 to $5,000 or more depending on the choice of implants and other factors The final cost depends upon what is needed in your case. It is important to keep in mind that the issue with breast augmentation is not cost, but the skill and artistry of your plastic surgeon.
Gallery
IMAGINE
THE CHANGE
The Main Events
What to expect during surgery
Your breast augmentation will be performed in Dr. Wiener’s AAAASF accredited in-office operating room, where a board-certified anesthesiologist will administer intravenous anesthesia. Dr. Wiener will then place local anesthetic nerve blocks around your ribs to ensure robust postoperative pain relief.
The entire surgery should take about one hour. To begin, Dr. Wiener will create an incision either in your breast crease or along the edge of your areola. Through that opening, he will form a small pocket and place a sizer to ensure that the area can accommodate your implant.
From there, he will place your breast implant and assess its size, symmetry and appearance. If you’re having a breast augmentation with lift, he will also remove excess tissue and elevate your drooping chest to a more youthful position.
Once your beautiful new chest has been created, Dr. Wiener will carefully close the incisions with absorbable sutures.
An unprecedented commitment to your comfort
One of our patients’ biggest concerns before undergoing cosmetic surgery is the pain they will experience. As such, Dr. Wiener goes above and beyond to maximize your comfort before, during, and after your procedure.
Prior to surgery, we take the unique step of placing local anesthetic nerve blocks around your ribs. Not only does this reduce the amount of general anesthesia that you require – but it also ensures a virtually pain-free 24 hours after surgery so that you can focus exclusively on healing and resting. This is just one of the many reasons Dr. Wiener is known for providing among the best breast augmentation surgery Houston, TX and its surrounding cities have to offer.
Dr. Wiener: Leading the way in breast surgery innovations
Dr. Wiener is known as one of the best breast augmentation surgeons in Houston. As such, he has published a number of important scientific articles in the journals Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, and Aesthetic Surgery Journal focusing on improved outcomes for breast augmentation.
These articles include “The role of betadine irrigation in breast augmentation” and “Relationship of incision choice to capsular contracture.” These two papers have become worldwide highly referenced and landmark articles in the plastic surgery literature regarding capsular contracture.
When You Wake Up
What to expect after surgery
Once your procedure is complete, you will awaken in the recovery room where our team will monitor you closely to ensure your safety. You will be free to return home shortly to begin the recovery period. In general, most of our Houston patients are able to resume sedentary work within a few days.
What is a breast augmentation with lift?
Our breast augmentation with lift surgery is recommended for women who want to both enhance their volume and elevate a sagging chest.
What can a breast lift procedure do for you?
- Elevate sagging breasts
- Reposition drooping nipples
- Reposition drooping nipples
- Create a full and perky chest
Who is a candidate for a breast lift?
Sagging breasts is a very common issue – especially as women age. It happens for a variety of reasons, including:
- Gravity
- Genetics
- Genetics
- Breastfeeding and pregnancy
- The natural aging process
Why combine your breast augmentation with a lift?
On its own, a breast lift does not add volume to your chest. Conversely, a breast augmentation can’t necessarily address excessive sagging on its own either. As such, our breast augmentation with a lift in Houston procedure not only improves the shape of your breasts, but also the placement of your chest and nipples – resulting in a full, balanced and youthful figure.
The Implants + Lift Procedure
Your breast implant and lift procedure will be performed in Dr. Wiener’s AAAASF accredited in-office operating room. The entire surgery should take about two hours.
Step 1: Anesthesia
Your procedure will begin with a board-certified physician anesthesiologist administering intravenous anesthesia. From there, Dr. Wiener will place local anesthetic nerve blocks around your ribs to provide maximum pain relief after your operation.
Step 2: The Implants
Once the anesthesia has taken effect, Dr. Wiener will perform your breast augmentation. After making an incision either around the nipple or along the breast crease, he will create a pocket and insert a sizer to ensure that the space can accommodate your implants. From there, he will place your silicone, saline or gummy bear implants and check them for size, appearance and symmetry.
Choosing Breast Implants For Your Procedure
Prior to surgery, you will need to complete the critical task of selecting your breast implants. In addition to choosing between silicone, gummy bear and saline, you will also need to settle on a cup size and decide whether you want round or shaped implants. Although Dr. Wiener will walk you through this process during your in-person consultation, Click on the link below for everything you need to know about your breast implant options.
Step 3: The Lift
Once the anesthesia has taken effect, Dr. Wiener will perform your breast augmentation. After making an incision either around the nipple or along the breast crease, he will create a pocket and insert a sizer to ensure that the space can accommodate your implants. From there, he will place your silicone, saline or gummy bear implants and check them for size, appearance and symmetry.
Standard
Ideal for small breasts, the standard lift requires an incision along the areola, down the front of the breast and along the breast crease.
Donut
The donut lift is best for Houston women with large breasts. A minimal incision is made around the areola, which results in very little scarring.
Lollipop
The lollipop technique provides a moderate lift. It involves an incision around the nipple and down the front of the breast.
The Recovery After a Breast Augmentation with Lift
A breast lift and implants combination surgery typically requires about two weeks of downtime for our Houston patients. During this period, it’s important to walk around the house frequently to prevent blood clots and avoid heavy lifting and strenuous activity.
Dr. Wiener will provide you with more specific instructions during your post-operative appointments.
Managing Your Post-Operative Pain
Dr. Wiener goes to great lengths to minimize any pain after breast surgery by placing nerve blocks around your chest. This ensures a virtually pain-free 24 hours so that you can focus exclusively on healing. Once the nerve blocks wear off, you can manage any residual discomfort by:
- Applying cold compresses
- Remaining elevated at all times – even when resting
- Taking your pain medication as directed
Why choose Dr. Wiener for your breast augmentation with lift procedure
Dr. Wiener can help you determine if you are an ideal candidate for our breast augmentation with lift in Houston during your initial consultation at our Houston office. In general, this procedure is recommended for women who want to elevate sagging breasts while simultaneously enhancing the size of their chest.
Frequently Asked Questions
When placed by a top breast augmentation surgeon in Houston, like Dr. Wiener, breast implants are very safe. To minimize the risks and potential complications, it’s important to disclose your full medical history to Dr. Wiener prior to your procedure. Additionally, breast implants can make it difficult to read mammograms. As such, you may need to have additional examinations or special tests to screen for breast cancer moving forward.
Although it varies patient to patient, a general rule is that vigorous physical activity cannot be performed for about six weeks to four weeks.
A: No bra of any kind can be used for six weeks postop until Dr. Wiener gives you instructions on this.
It requires time for your new breasts to settle into place. In the early stages of healing, they may appear slightly uneven, but don’t worry. As time passes, they drop into place in the surgical pocket, the muscles relax, and they should be looking normal at about the three-month mark.
As you will have to restrict your activities, you must avoid any activities that could shake, jar, or affect your breasts, so they heal as they should. Any sexual activity must very gentle during the first six weeks after surgery and should not be attempted during the first four weeks.
You may or may not be able to breastfeed after any breast surgery. Inform your plastic surgeon if you plan to breastfeed in the future.
Schedule Your Consultation Today!
For more information on breast augmentation or to schedule your consultation today, call Dr. Wiener at 281-488-5795 or click here to fill out one of our online contact forms and we will reach out to you as soon as possible. Our practice serves Houston and the surrounding areas of Texas.
