Aesthetic surgery
Breast augmentation
Implants are medical devices with a service life, not a one-time purchase. Planning the first operation means accepting that there will probably be another.
What this treatment involves
Breast augmentation increases breast volume, most commonly by placing a silicone implant. Implants are placed either behind the breast tissue alone (subglandular), behind the chest muscle (submuscular), or in a dual-plane position that combines the two. Which plane suits a patient depends on how much of their own breast tissue there is to cover the implant: thin tissue over a subglandular implant shows its edges.
The incision is usually in the inframammary fold under the breast, sometimes around the lower border of the areola or through the armpit. Each has different scar visibility and different access.
Fat transfer is an alternative in a narrow set of cases. It uses liposuction to harvest the patient’s own fat and injects it into the breast. The volume change it achieves is modest, an unpredictable proportion of the transferred fat does not survive, and it usually requires more than one session — so it is not an equivalent to an implant for someone wanting a substantial size change.
An implant does not lift a breast. If the nipple has descended below the inframammary fold, adding volume produces a larger breast in the same low position. That case needs a lift, with or without an implant.
Who may be suitable
Considered for adults whose breast development is complete, who are in good general health, at a stable weight and not pregnant or breastfeeding.
Breast screening appropriate to age is arranged before surgery. Existing breast disease, a strong family history, or an undiagnosed lump are all assessed before an aesthetic operation is planned.
The most important part of the consultation is measurement, not choice of size from a catalogue. Chest width, existing tissue thickness, skin quality and the position of the fold set the range of implant dimensions that will actually fit. An implant wider than the chest base sits badly and puts long-term pressure on tissue; one chosen purely by cup size ignores all of this.
Smoking impairs healing and raises the risk of wound problems and infection, which around an implant is a serious complication.
Why patients choose it
The change in volume and shape is immediate and is the most predictable part of the operation, provided the implant has been sized to the chest rather than to a number.
Implants can also correct significant asymmetry between the two breasts, and are used in reconstruction after breast surgery.
Where the goal is a small increase in fullness in someone who also wants fat removed from elsewhere, fat transfer can achieve both in a single operation, without a device and without a service life.
How treatment works
Consultation and measurement
Day 1
Chest width, tissue thickness, skin quality and nipple position relative to the fold are measured. This determines the range of implants that fit, and whether a lift is needed as well.
Implant selection and planning
Day 1–2
Size, profile, plane and incision are agreed. Sizing is done against your measurements, with trial sizers rather than by cup size alone.
Pre-operative tests and screening
Day 2
Blood tests, ECG and anaesthetic review as indicated, with breast imaging appropriate to your age and history.
Surgery
Day 3
Under general anaesthetic, usually one to two hours.
First night and review
Day 3–5
One night in hospital is usual. Dressings checked, drains removed if used, and the supportive bra fitted.
Fit to fly
Day 7–10
Wound check and confirmation from the surgical team before you travel.
Settling
3–12 months
Implants settle into position over about three months; scars continue to fade for a year or longer.
What happens in Istanbul
Breast surgery requires a stay of seven to ten days. Consultation, examination and pre-operative tests take the first day or two, followed by surgery and usually one night in hospital. You then remain in Istanbul for review, wound checks and removal of any drains before flying. Departure is confirmed by the surgical team rather than by your booking — flying too soon after surgery raises the risk of blood clots.
Recovery
A supportive bra is worn continuously for several weeks. Pain is most significant in the first three to five days and is usually greater when the implant is under the muscle, because the muscle has been lifted.
No lifting, no arms above the head, and no strenuous exercise for four to six weeks. Chest and upper-body training waits longer, and is reintroduced on the surgeon’s advice.
The implants sit high initially and appear tighter and more separated than the final result. They settle into the pocket over roughly three months as swelling resolves and the tissue relaxes — a process patients often describe as the implants "dropping". Judging the shape before three months means judging something that has not finished moving. Scars are pink and firm for several months and fade over a year or more.
Risks and considerations
General anaesthetic carries its own risks. Specific to implants: capsular contracture, in which the scar capsule that forms around every implant tightens, is the most common long-term complication and can distort shape and cause pain. Severe contracture requires further surgery.
Implants are not lifetime devices. They can rupture — a silent finding on imaging for silicone implants — and most patients will need replacement or removal at some point. Planning the first operation means accepting the likelihood of another.
Infection around an implant is uncommon but serious and may require removing the implant and waiting months before replacing it.
BIA-ALCL — breast implant associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma — is a rare cancer of the immune system that has been linked to textured implants in particular. It usually presents as late swelling of one breast, and is generally treatable when found early. Its rarity is not a reason to leave it out of a consent discussion.
Breast implant illness describes a constellation of symptoms — fatigue, joint pain, cognitive difficulty — reported by some patients with implants. It is an area of ongoing research without a diagnostic test, and some patients report improvement after removal. A clinic that dismisses the term entirely is not being straight with you.
Other recognised risks include changed or lost nipple sensation, rippling visible through thin tissue, asymmetry, malposition of the implant, bleeding, and interference with mammography — which is why the radiographer must be told implants are present.
This information is general and educational. Whether a procedure is appropriate for you can only be determined by a qualified medical professional after an individual assessment, including your medical history and an examination.
Common questions
Do breast implants need replacing?
Implants are not lifetime devices. There is no fixed expiry date, and no clinic can tell you in advance how long yours will last — but the longer they are in place, the higher the chance of rupture or capsular contracture, and most patients will need a further operation to replace or remove them at some point. Manufacturers supply a warranty on the device; that is not the same as a guarantee that no further surgery will be needed. Anyone planning a first augmentation should plan on the basis that it is unlikely to be their only operation.
Can I breastfeed after breast augmentation?
Many women can, but it cannot be guaranteed. The risk to milk supply depends mainly on the incision used and how much glandular tissue and duct is disturbed — an incision around the areola carries more risk to the ducts and to nipple sensation than one in the inframammary fold. Tell your surgeon if you plan to breastfeed in future, because it is one of the factors that should influence where the incision is placed.
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