Natural-Looking Breasts
For years, breast augmentation (augmentation mammoplasty) with silicone or saline implants has helped women achieve beautiful, natural-looking breasts. Advances in implant design have continued to evolve. While all implants feature a silicone shell, the filler material differs. A recent innovation involves a thicker, gel-like silicone filler encased in the silicone shell. This denser consistency delivers natural-looking results and maintains integrity if the shell tears. When cut in half, these implants retain their shape, earning them the nickname "gummy bear implants."
Safe Implants
Many women worry about the safety of modern silicone breast implants. These concerns are valid, which is why Dr. Jules Feledy at Belmont Plastic Surgery uses only implants approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
New and Improved Implants
Earlier silicone implants had a silicone shell filled with a thinner gel compared to modern implants. If these older implants ruptured or leaked, the gel could escape the implant pocket and spread through the body. Due to this risk, the FDA halted their use in 1992 pending further research. In 2006, the FDA approved an updated version of silicone breast implants. Today, five types of FDA-approved silicone implants are available, including the innovative form-stable cohesive-gel implant.
Saline vs Gummy Bear Breast Implants
Saline implants feature a silicone shell filled with sterile saltwater, known as saline. They create a rounder breast appearance compared to gummy bear implants. If a leak occurs, the implant collapses, and the body naturally absorbs and expels the saline. Since the saline implant is inserted empty and filled after placement, the incision is typically smaller than for pre-filled silicone implants. Saline implants offer consistent firmness, shape, and feel.
The FDA approves saline implants for women aged 18 and older. Advances in surgical techniques and training have reduced complaints about saline implants, but the most frequent concern is that they feel less natural than silicone implants.
Gummy bear breast implants - feature a thicker, form-stable cohesive gel compared to traditional silicone gel implants, maintaining their shape even if a leak occurs. Unlike circular implants, these are anatomically shaped, resembling a teardrop with a tapered top and greater projection and slight curvature at the bottom. This design provides upper pole fullness and mimics the natural breast contour.
The pros of gummy bear implants:
Get the Breasts You've Always Wanted
Breast augmentation can help a woman dissatisfied with her breasts' size, shape, or contour achieve her desired look. Reasons for choosing breast augmentation include:
Ideal Candidates
A woman seeking breast augmentation to enhance size but preferring to avoid the rounded appearance of traditional implants might consider anatomically shaped, form-stable cohesive-gel implants. Additionally, women with minimal breast tissue, including those with prior augmentations, are often ideal candidates for gummy bear implants due to their reduced risk of rippling. Dr. Feledy assists patients in selecting the implant that best aligns with their treatment goals.
Consultation
At Belmont Plastic Surgery, Drs. Jules Feledy and their medical team encourage patients to ask questions, believing that understanding the details of their chosen procedure empowers patients to make informed decisions about their plastic surgery. Northern Virginia gummy bear breast implant surgeon, Dr. Feledy, is always available to guide patients in selecting the surgical options best suited to their needs. To alleviate anxiety from the unknown, Dr. Feledy ensures patients feel confident about their transformative journey. The doctors at Belmont Plastic Surgery thoroughly explain what to expect during gummy bear breast implant surgery and recovery to ensure patients are well-prepared.
When patients arrive for their consultation, they need to have information regarding:
During the consultation, Dr. Feledy will assess the patient's breasts, possibly taking measurements to record the size and position of the nipple-areolar complex (the nipple and surrounding darker skin). They will evaluate the size, shape, and proportion of each breast relative to the patient's hips. If the patient chooses to proceed with augmentation mammoplasty, a personalized surgical plan will be developed. Dr. Feledy may also order lab tests and recommend a mammogram prior to the breast augmentation with gummy bear implants.
Visualize Your Ideal Breasts
Determining the overall look and shape you are trying to achieve can be helped by finding photos of women who have a body type similar to yours. The before and after gallery on the Belmont Plastic Surgery website may be helpful, Dr. Feledy encourage patients to take some time to review these photos. If you find a picture of a woman elsewhere, please save it to your phone, or print them out. These photos are very useful because they give the doctors and their medical staff a visualization of what you want your breasts to look like. During your presurgical appointment, you will be able to try on a variety of implant sizers. These sizers make it easy to see how your breasts will look with the new volume.
A Breast Augmentation in Northern Virginia, with Gummy Bear Breast Implants
Breast augmentation with gummy bear implants typically takes about two hours. As anesthesia is required, patients cannot drive post-surgery and must arrange for a licensed driver they trust to accompany them. Dr. Feledy advises that patients not be alone on the night following the procedure, so a caregiver is also needed for the day of surgery. For safety reasons, public transportation or ride-sharing services are not allowed after procedures involving sedation.
Before Your Operation
Dr. Feledy will visit the patient as she is being prepped for her surgery. A surgical marker is used to draw patterns on the patient's breasts. These patterns help to guide him as he performs the breast augmentation with form-stable cohesive-gel implants. Please feel free to ask questions at this time.
Breast implant surgery is performed while the patient sleeps; therefore, general anesthesia is used.
The size of the implant is determined at the pre-surgical appointment.
Gummy bear implants are only available in the anatomical shape.
Due to their teardrop shape, these implants are textured to help hold them in proper position.
The inframammary incision is used for the gummy bear breast implant. This incision is created at the bottom crease of the breast.
The incisions are closed using surgical tape, skin adhesive and/or sutures. A surgical bra or bandage may be placed over the breasts. This ensures they remain in the best position possible as the patient heals.
Potential Complications
As with any surgery, complications can arise; however, choosing an experienced, board certified plastic surgeon like Dr. Jules Feledy can decrease the likelihood of a complication and/or future problem. Surgical risks associated with breast implant surgery include:
Recovering After a Breast Augmentation with Gummy Bear Breast Implants
Every patient is unique and heals at her own pace. The general guidelines below are designed to help you as you recover. Patients who do not have a strenuous job can return to work as long as they are not required to lift anything weighing 10 pounds or more. Most Northern Virginia gummy bear implant patients are able to return to their normal activities within five days of their procedure. As soon as the patient can turn the steering wheel of her car without feeling pain, she can begin driving again. For the majority of Dr. Feledy’s patients they typically return to driving within seven days of their breast augmentation with gummy bear implants. Three weeks following a breast augmentation with gummy bear implants, patients can resume a normal exercise program.
Most patients state that they feel sore after their procedure and the breasts are tight and itching. Once two weeks have gone by, patients can begin sleeping without the bra they received in post-op; however, patients must continue to wear the bra during the day. After six weeks, patients can usually remove the bra for good. At this point, patients can begin to wear their own brassieres. No bras that have underwires should be worn at this stage of the healing process. Strenuous exercises may be permitted at this stage of recovery; however, patients should share their exercise program with Belmont Plastic Surgery's medical team. Patients should always speak with the doctors before they begin any exercise programs immediately after surgery.
You will see results directly after your breast augmentation procedure; however, due to the inflammation that occurs following surgery, these are just preliminary results.
Once the inflammation subsides, you will have a better idea as to the actual size increase achieved with your gummy bear breast implant enhancement procedure. The results achieved during a breast augmentation with gummy bear implants will be evident for a long time; however, as the body ages, the skin on the breasts may begin to wrinkle and the implants may start to sag. If this happens later in life, many patients decide to have their implants adjusted. While these adjustments are available, they are not required.
Follow-Up Consultation
During the initial six weeks following your surgery, you will need to return to Belmont Plastic Surgery once a week or every two weeks so that Dr. Feledy can evaluate your progress. After the initial six weeks have passed, you will return once a month or once every two months for an evaluation. This evaluation process continues for the next six months.
If you are interested in finding out the cost of gummy bear implants, we encourage you to call the office to set up a consultation with Dr. Feledy to see if it is right for you!
Does Health Insurance Cover Breast Implant Surgery Near Northern Virginia?
Health insurance only covers the procedure if it is necessary to reconstruct the breasts following breast removal due to cancer or because of some kind of breast injury. Our doctors want people in and around Northern Virginia, to attain the physical characteristics they desire, which is why Belmont Plastic Surgery accepts CareCredit and Alphaeon and our staff is happy to help you apply.
If you are considering a breast augmentation with gummy bear breast implants, or any other type of plastic surgery, please contact Belmont Aesthetic & Reconstructive Plastic Surgery by calling or clicking here to schedule an initial consultation with Dr. Jules Feledy.
If any of our patients need it, we are happy to offer CareCredit. For financing from $300 to $25,000, CareCredit offers several plans with low minimum monthly payments that should be able to fit into most budgets.
EXPLORE FINANCING OPTIONS
Schedule your consultation today
Belmont Plastic Surgery's surgeons are eager to assist you to make the next move in your cosmetic journey. Our surgeons will guide you in making the best possible decisions for your treatment and achieve exceptional outcomes, whether you wish to preserve what has been lost or improve on what you currently have. Every day is a new chance to live a better life. Take advantage of this opportunity by scheduling a consultation with Belmont Plastic Surgery now.
2071 Richmond Highway, Stafford VA 22554
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