Dr. Zewert:  Just marking a really small incision, about on the order of an inch, which will be really well-hidden.

Pfianna Cline:    I’m excited, and I’m ready for this.

Dr. Zewert:  Breast augmentation, or breast enhancement patients are some of my happiest patients. And it’s the cosmetic procedure, if done by an American Board of Plastic Surgery Certified Plastic Surgeon, has the highest satisfaction rate of any cosmetic procedure.

Pfianna Cline:  The surgery was amazing. It was probably one of the best things I could have ever done. And I’m so glad I did it. I had no second guesses and I have no regrets that I’ve ever done this.

Narrator:  Breast augmentation surgery involves using implants to fulfill your desire for fuller breasts, or to restore breast volume that has been lost after weight reduction or pregnancy. This cannot correct sagging or drooping breasts. And in this case, a breast lift is necessary and can be performed in conjunction with a breast augmentation.

Dr. Zewert:  In general, my patients want to be bigger. They want to have larger breasts. They want to fit into their clothes better. They want to have more superior fullness to their breasts, often they want to have more symmetry. One breast might be slightly larger than the other. It’s very important to choose the right size. Not to be too big, not to be too small. But more important than anything, to look very natural.

Pfianna Cline:  I did want to go bigger. I wanted to go to a full 400cc’s, but Dr. Zewert advised against it saying that it would look really unnatural. It would sit extremely high, and they would-- it would just look like there was soccer balls in my chest. And that’s something I didn’t want.

Dr. Zewert:  Because it blends in so well with the breast.

Narrator:  There are two types of implants for you to choose from. Saline or silicone.

Dr. Zewert:  Silicone gel filled implants need essentially more monitoring. The Food & Drug Administration recommends an MRI be performed every two to three years after placement of the implant. Also the FDA recommends that the implant be replaced every ten years. These are not the recommendations with saline implants. Essentially saline implants can be placed, and if there’s no problem with the implant, they can remain for the life of the patient.

Dr. Zewert:  We really have the lowest amount of medication we need to make the operation go well.

Dr. Zewert:  There are two main places where we can put the breast implant. The first place is underneath the breast muscle, which is also underneath the breast gland itself. This is called a sub-muscular, or sometimes a sub-pectoral approach. And this is the approach that I used with the majority of my patients.

Dr. Zewert:  We are putting the implant deep to the pectoralis major muscle. And that will give her a more natural look. Okay, so let’s start filling it up.

Nurse:  One on the right?

Dr. Zewert:  One on the right.

Narrator:  Another approach is the sub-glandular approach. This is when the implant is placed on top of the muscle, and deep to the breast gland.

Dr. Zewert:  This is a pretty rare approach, but it can be beneficial in certain patients who have a little bit more sagging of their breast to begin with. Some of my patients prefer having the implant placed in through an incision in the underarm. Others prefer having the incision in a small crease underneath the breast. And others like to have the incision placed around the areola, the pigmented area right by the nipple.

Dr. Zewert:  It’s a really big part of it, trying to make things as symmetrical as possible. Needs a little bit more fill here on this side, so we’re going to add 20cc’s of saline to the left side here, and I think this looks really, really good.

Narrator:  The surgery takes about an hour to perform, but typically patients will be asked to arrive one hour ahead of time and stay about two hours afterwards to ensure proper monitoring post-operation. All surgeries take place in a licensed, accredited and certified surgery center, and the patient is allowed to go home the same day.

Pfianna Cline:  If there was any questions, I knew I had a 24-hour service if I needed anything. If there’s any emergencies or any worries or concerns I had. But the surgery went so well, I had no need to call them. I was doing perfectly fine, and I was extremely happy about that.

Dr. Zewert:  Most of my patients are very surprised how quickly they recover from breast augmentation.

Dawn Marie Owens:  Nine days later. Doing nails, you know, I’m using my arms all day long. And I was fine! I was fine!

Dr. Zewert:  Typically, I’ll let my patients do household chores, and even go back to work about five to seven days after the breast augmentation.

Pfianna Cline:  I wanted to keep moving and make sure everything was going good, and I think that kind of helped me in the long run to heal a little bit quicker, and a little bit better.

Dr. Zewert:  Another thing that’s very surprising to a lot of my patients is there’s very little bruising associated with breast augmentation. Now the breasts do appear a little bit swollen at first, and they need a little bit of time for the implants to settle into the appropriate position. And myself and my office staff guide the patient with appropriate massage exercises to obtain the final balanced and natural result.

Pfianna Cline:  From the time I had my surgery to now I can definitely feel that it’s gone from a rock hard to a normal feeling breast, and that’s been kind of cool.

Dr. Zewert:  It really takes an artist’s eye to get the best result.

Pfianna Cline:  It is an artist that has to do it. Because they are sculpting and shaping a breast, or shaping a body. They are just breasts, but it has to blend in with the picture. You’re ready to take on the world when you feel perfect, when you feel more happy. And I mean, other than that, I never can notice that there’s an implant in me in there. To this day, I actually forget that I actually got my breasts done.