"Perfection" is impossible - understanding your options will help you to achieve the best and longest lasting results.
INFORM YOURSELF...

Breast augmentation is a cosmetic procedure designed to enhance the size and shape of a women’s breasts. It’s important to understand that a breast augmentation will enhance the physical features you already have and that “perfection” is not possible. Your surgeon should comprehensively go through all aspects of the surgery so you understand your choices and you can make an informed decision regarding your results.

During your comprehensive consultation, the Doctor will discuss:

  • Your personalised operative plan
  • Type of implant
  • Whether you need a breast lift
  • Profile of implant
  • Implant size
  • Implant placement
  • Risks involved in the surgery
  • Recovery and aftercare post surgery

The key to achieving the best possible result, given the breasts you already have, is to develop an operative plan with a surgeon experienced in breast augmentation. Your surgeon will be able to help you make the right choices and show you realistic results of what you are likely to achieve.

The elements of the operative plan are:

  1. Type of implant
  2. Breast lift of no breast lift
  3. Shape of implant
  4. Profile of implant
  5. Position of implant
  6. Size of implant

There are 2 types of surfaces available for your breast augmentation surgery; smooth and textured silicone gel implants.

Smooth Covering: This type of implant doesn’t attach to the breast tissues. It causes less rippling and therefore might suit thinner women better than textured.

Textured Covering: The slightly roughened surface is designed to adhere in place, preventing complications related to implant slippage. Teardrop implants have a textured surface and are designed for women with a more difficult breast shape.

Breast implants alone can lift the breasts, but only so much. Some patients have too much sag for this to be a viable option.

Your surgeon can advise you at your consultation in regards to whether you need a breast lift in addition to your breast augmentation to achieve an optimal result.

A quick guide to check if you need a breast lift is below.

  1. Stand in front of a mirror with your breasts exposed.
  2. Place your hands on the back of your head so your fingers of each hand are touching.
  3. Your breast will lift as you do this and this is a good indication of the amount of lifting you can achieve with implants alone. If you do not think this is high enough you will probably need a breast lift.

There are some exceptions to this, so a consultation and examination is necessary for the final decision.


The profile is the distance that the implant projects from the chest. There is no ‘best’ profile, as your body type and your desired outcome determine the profile of your implant. During your consultation, you are able to try different profile implants in a crop top to help you make an informed decision.

Implant placement refers to where the implants are placed in relation to your breast tissue, muscle and skin. There are 3 options:

  • Under the muscle placement refers to an implant that is placed behind the pectoral muscles and the breast tissue
  • Over the muscle placement refers to an implant that is placed in front of the pectoral muscles but behind the breast tissue
  • Dual plane placement refers to a placement where the implants are placed half under, half in front of the pectoral muscles

There are advantages and disadvantages to all placement sites. The best placement site will vary depending on your body type and desired outcome.  Breast Implants Australia offers all types of placements and considers the description of your desired outcome to advise on which placement will be right for you.

Implants are sized by their weight, measured in grams, or by their volume, measured in ml or cc. The right size implant depends on your desired outcome and your existing body type. Sizing can be determined during your consultation by placing a sizing implant in a crop top, however using this method alone can be misleading.

Your Surgeon will discuss which size implant is best for you during your consultation. As well as utilising the method above, photographs of previous patients are used to show the outcomes of different sized implants in patients who were similar in size and shape pre-operation.

Choosing a surgeon can be very confusing and it’s important that you feel comfortable with the doctor you have chosen to perform your procedure. To help you, we have broken down some of the key misconceptions around choosing a surgeon and provided you with a helpful checklist of questions you should be asking during your consultation.

The Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery (ACCS) is the only organisation in Australia that certifies surgeons for breast implant surgery. For more information on their standards of training and experience needed to obtain this certification visit www.accs.org.au.

The Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) Members are surgeons who offer cosmetic procedures with recognised qualifications granted by the Australian Medical Council (AMC). However, this recognition doesn’t include any assessment by the AMC of training or expertise in cosmetic surgical procedures like breast augmentation.

Surgeons who have the qualification Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) aren’t plastic surgeons or Fellows of the ACCS. These are most often specialists in general surgery who now offer cosmetic procedures.

To help you determine whether your surgeon is the right fit for you, we have compiled a check list of questions to ask the practise or your surgeon during your consultation:

  • How many times have you performed cosmetic breast augmentation before? Make sure it is hundreds, if not, thousands of times.
  • How many times have you performed it in the last 6 months?
  • Are you a Fellow of the ACCS and are you specifically certified by it in breast surgery?
  • If you are a plastic surgeon, do you have any extra training in cosmetic breast augmentation?
  • If you are a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS), do you have any extra training in cosmetic breast augmentation?
  • What is your own complication rate?
  • Can I see photos of your own work on patients similar to me?

Make sure you are being provided with the information to make your own informed decision and avoid surgeons or clinics where your initial consultation is not with the surgeon. If the surgeon himself is not willing to spend time with you to make sure you get all of the correct information to help you make one of the biggest decisions of your life go elsewhere and find one who will.

Finally, take your time and do your research when investigating a surgeon, as it is one of the most important decisions you can make.