For a woman whose breasts are too small for their liking, breast augmentation surgery may be the answer. Breasts that are too small may have a significant psychological impact on a woman's self-esteem; these psychological effects are real, so breast augmentation surgery should not be discarded as a "vain" or "superficial" solution to the problem. In addition, some women may have breasts that are unequal in size and weight, creating a serious strain on the back that may lead to an abnormal curvature. So there are a number of legitimate medical reasons for breast augmentation surgery.

Breast augmentation surgery, simply put, is surgery to increase the size of the breasts.
This is accomplished by the placement of a silicon "sack" or implant behind the breast, underneath the skin. These implants consist of either a silicon gel or a saline (salt-water) solution inside of a thin silicon shell. There has been considerable debate over the safety of silicon gel type implants; believe it or not, this is still an open question. Unless you are participating in a formal study, however, the saline implants currently are the only available option.

During breast augmentation surgery, an incision is made in one of several inconspicuous locations: in the crease underneath; in the armpit; or around the nipple. The breast is opened up, the implant is placed underneath the natural breast tissue, and the breast is sutured with fine suture to minimize scarring. Breast augmentation surgery is most commonly performed by a plastic surgeon.

When considering breast augmentation surgery, it is important to evaluate your reasons for wanting it and to maintain realistic expectations about its outcome. Many plastic surgeons will refuse to perform breast augmentation surgery on a woman with an unrealistically negative body image, or one striving for "perfection." Breast augmentation can increase breast size by one or more cup sizes. It cannot make a body "perfect" because that is a purely subjective impression.

It is also important to know that, as with any surgery, negative outcomes are a very real (though infrequent) possibility. Breasts can become hard due to excessive scar tissue formation; infection or bleeding can result; and the resulting appearance may not be satisfactory. For these and many other reasons, careful consideration should be given prior to breast augmentation surgery.