While incisions made during the procedure will produce scars, they typically fade with time. Moreover, an important part of a skilled plastic surgeon’s job is making any scars as small and inconspicuous as possible. Your doctor will discuss with you their efforts to minimize the appearance of any scars.

FAQs Archive - Page 2 of 4 - West Empire Plastic Surgery

Q: What Should Patients Expect After Liposuction?

Immediately after the procedure patients are given instructions to ensure the best results possible before being released. It is crucial to follow all of the instructions. If you have questions about any of the directions we give you, please ask us right away. In the days that follow a procedure, patients can expect mild pain, bruising, and swelling. Compression garments are often needed and a drain may be placed to ensure that fluids clear. Pain relief medication is typically prescribed as well. Patients will most likely need at least a few days of rest before they can return to work, and up to a few weeks before they can resume more vigorous activity. Results will not immediately show and it's possible that the affected areas may look disproportionate at first, this is completely normal and generally comes as a result of the remaining fat repositioning itself. Provided that patients rest and follow all of our directions after the procedure, their enhancements should finally take shape within a few weeks to several months. At this point, liposuction results are typically long-lasting, especially with regular exercise and a healthy diet.

Q: How long does breast reduction take?

As with any procedure or surgery, operation time varies from patient to patient depending on multiple factors. However, breast reduction generally takes one to two hours to complete on average if not combined with other procedures.

Q: How is breast reduction performed?

As with other procedures, a breast reduction begins with sedation prior to any incisions. There are multiple options for incision sites that are generally determined by patient preference and recommendations by the surgeon. After the incisions come the most critical steps: removal of excess skin and breast tissue while reshaping the remaining portions. It is often necessary to reposition the patient’s areolas and nipples to a higher point on the breast. In most cases, this is done without stripping original blood and nerve tissues; however, some cases call for what is called a free nipple graft. This relatively rare procedure is performed only if the patient’s nipples and areolas sit too far down and must be transplanted to a higher point to maintain an aesthetically pleasing position. Once the removal and reshaping process is finished, the incisions are then closed with deep-tissue sutures and skin tape or adhesives.

Q: How long does a breast lift typically take?

On average, a breast lift takes around two to three hours to complete. Many physical factors can influence this timeframe. As you might expect, when patients undergo a breast lift and augmentation at the same time, it will take longer. Depending on circumstances, procedures may be done on an outpatient basis or with an overnight stay at the hospital.

Q: What happens on the day of a breast lift?

Patients are first administered anesthesia. From there, incisions are made in preparation for the reshaping phase. Next, the breast tissue beneath the skin is lifted and repositioned in a manner that increases firmness and improves the general contour of the breasts. This also includes raising the patient’s nipples to the desired position and, when desired, reducing the size of their areolas. Additionally, excess skin is removed to counter elasticity that could otherwise negate or mitigate the operation. Finally, the incisions are closed, usually with deep sutures and skin adhesives or tapes. It is worth noting that these incisions leave scars that the surgeons place as inconspicuously as possible and which usually fade with time. Our surgeon will discuss and determine incision points with patients before their surgery.

Q: How long does breast augmentation with lift take?

Separately, both procedures take approximately one to two hours to complete. A breast augmentation with a lift surgery naturally makes for a longer time spent in surgery. At the same time, there is some overlap between the two procedures so it’s difficult to give an accurate estimate of how long patients can expect the surgery to take. However, one to three hours is fairly typical.

Q: How is a breast augmentation with lift performed?

Because a higher number of changes are being made during the same session, the exact methods of this surgery tend to vary more from patient to patient, but here is a general outline: After anesthesia has taken effect, two sets of incisions are made. The first set of incisions enables silicone implants to be inserted and positioned for the augmentation portion of the surgery; the second group of incisions removes excess skin and adjusts the surrounding tissues to be firmer and more supportive, constituting the lift phase of the surgery. Once the operation is complete and the site heals, the patient’s breasts will be more voluminous, shapely, pert, and youthful in appearance.

Q: Does breast augmentation help sagging breasts?

Not on its own. There is some confusion because a breast augmentation and a breast lift are often conflated by laypeople into simply “a boob job.” However, an augmentation and a lift are two completely separate procedures, though often performed together. When combined, these procedures can create very dramatic results.

Q: How is a breast augmentation performed?

As with any surgery, the first step is administering anesthesia. Intravenous sedation and general anesthesia are the two primary options. The surgeon will make a recommendation based on what’s most appropriate for the situation in terms of safety and outcomes. Once the patient is sedated, an incision is made through one of four insertion points. Once the incision is made, an implant or purified fat can be safely inserted and positioned without harming muscle and breast tissue. When the implant or transferred fat is fully positioned, the incision is closed and the patient’s recovery begins.