Breast Augmentation in Northern Virginia

Breast augmentation, also called breast enlargement, enhances the size, fullness, and shape of breasts with breast implants.

For patients who’d like to restore volume after weight loss, pregnancy, or aging, a breast augmentation in Northern Virginia and Alexandria can give you a perfectly balanced figure*. This procedure is also an excellent option for women who’d like to enlarge a naturally smaller chest. Patients often enjoy boosted confidence, the ability to wear more clothing styles, and a general increase in self-esteem after breast enlargement. Learn how you can transform your look with this popular procedure, get the figure you’ve always wanted, and get back to normal quickly and safely with Rapid Recovery.

To discover the benefits of Rapid Recovery Breast Augmentation, contact Dr. Eric Desman at the Virginia Center for Plastic Surgery

recovered woman after a breast augmentation surgery

What is Rapid Recovery Breast Augmentation?

Rapid Recovery is an innovative approach that allows most patients to return to normal activity within 24 to 48 hours after their breast augmentation surgery, without the need for narcotics, pain pumps, or special surgical support bras.

The average recovery time from most breast implant procedures is about 7-14 days.  Think of it: missing a week or two of work, not to mention all the other things in your busy life! That’s a steep price to pay for most women, especially when it’s just not necessary for a proper recovery.  Our patients are usually back on their feet in half the time!

The Rapid Recovery approach to breast augmentation surgery involves a combination of rest, over-the-counter pain medication, and movement. The goal is to promote proper healing with less discomfort and downtime. We will send you home with detailed post-surgical instructions that include how to take care of your incisions, when to nap, and when to eat and take medications.

Most of the recovery required from implants has to do with how we treat the muscles around the implant. As the muscle adjusts to the implant, it tightens and may begin to spasm, just like a common pulled muscle.  If you don’t properly treat the muscle, you’re in for a prolonged and unnecessarily uncomfortable recovery. The key to quick recovery is properly treating the muscle so that it gets back to normal in just two to three days.  In fact, many women go out to dinner to celebrate the very night after they get their implants!

We recommend planning an outing the day after your breast enlargement surgery to get you out and about. We also suggest raising your arms above your head during your recovery process. The more you move, the faster you will heal.

Maximize the Results of Breast Augmentation

Video Cover
Part 1: Pre-Op Planning
Video Cover
Part 2: The 14 Point Plan During Surgery
Video Cover
Part 3: Post-Op Recovery Plan
vcps breast augmentation details flyer

Who Is Qualified for Breast Augmentation?

Candidates for breast augmentation should be over 18, unhappy with the size or shape of their breasts, live in Alexandria or Northern Virginia, or be willing to travel. Ideal patients should also be in good health, within their target body weight, and not pregnant.

Deciding on an ideal shape and size is very difficult while the breasts are still developing. If you are a younger woman thinking about getting breast augmentation, waiting until your breasts have finished growing will help you and Dr. Desman decide which approach is best for you.

The Breast Augmentation
Procedure Explained

Implant placement can determine the overall look and feel of your breast augmentation results. At your consultation, Dr. Desman will help you determine which implant location is ideal for you, choosing between submuscular and subglandular enhancement. While both options produce excellent results, the right one for you depends on your cosmetic goals and your anatomy.

Too many women simply choose an implant size without consideration of what will look best once the procedure is complete. Instead of asking, “What size do you want?”, your surgeon should assist you in determining the ideal size for your implants, based on three factors: your breast tissue, your body type (your build, height, and chest width), and your preferences.

Augmentation With Submuscular Implants

Inserting a breast implant beneath the pectoral muscle is known as submuscular placement. The implant is usually placed beneath two-thirds of the chest muscle, but a full submuscular placement is also an option. When a patient chooses this submuscular option, they remain eligible for all forms of breast augmentation.

Benefits

  • More natural appearance and feel since edges and ripples are covered by the muscle
  • Better results for women with small breasts
  • Will not interfere with mammogram results
  • Minimal risk of capsular contracture
  • Lower chance of implant bottoming out, which is when the implant is too low, and the nipple is too high

Disadvantages

  • Implant will sit higher until chest muscles relax
  • Athletic women may have a distorted appearance and chance of implant displacement during workout
Learn More

Subglandular Implant Placement

Meanwhile, subglandular breast implant placement is also known as a submammary or over-the-muscle strategy. With this method, Dr. Desman inserts the implants between the mammary glands and the pectoral muscle. Every incision type is available with subglandular implant placement.

Benefits

  • Better option for women who are involved in weight training because implant won’t shift when chest muscles are flexed
  • Easy to access if another surgery is needed

Disadvantages

  • Less natural appearance than submuscular placement
  • Pronounced roundness of breast
  • Capsular contracture more likely to occur
  • Difficulties in mammogram imaging
  • Rippling or feeling of rippling more likely to occur, especially in women with little natural breast tissue
Learn More

Breast Augmentation Incision Options

There are two main options for determining the location of an incision during a breast enlargement procedure: periareolar or inframammary fold placement.

Periareolar Incision Placement

A periareolar incision is made along the lower half of the skin, between the breast and the areola. It is sometimes called a nipple incision, and it is an open procedure. This breast augmentation method is optimal for minimizing the appearance of scars because the incision is in an area where the skin changes color and texture.

Additionally, clothes will cover any scarring that does occur. This incision can be reopened and used for additional procedures or adjustments in the future. Implants can also be placed very precisely due to the proximity of the implant placement area. Periareolar incisions are suitable for both subglandular and submuscular enlargement approaches.

Periareolar Incision Placement

A periareolar incision is made along the lower half of the skin, between the breast and the areola. It is sometimes called a nipple incision, and it is an open procedure. This breast augmentation method is optimal for minimizing the appearance of scars because the incision is in an area where the skin changes color and texture.

Additionally, clothes will cover any scarring that does occur. This incision can be reopened and used for additional procedures or adjustments in the future. Implants can also be placed very precisely due to the proximity of the implant placement area. Periareolar incisions are suitable for both subglandular and submuscular enlargement approaches.

Post-Op Instructions for Rapid Recovery Breast Augmentation

a doctor