Receiving a breast augmentation procedure in Fort Worth can give you a full, feminine, proportional, and natural-looking enhancement. For many women, breast size and fullness are an important part of their self-confidence and femininity. If you have always wanted larger breasts, or if life changes such as aging, pregnancy, or weight loss have reduced your size, a breast procedure can help. Dr. Matthew Steele is expertly equipped to help you reach your goals.
At our practice in Fort Worth, breast augmentation is one of the most frequently performed procedures. If you are ready to learn more about how breast augmentation can improve your look, request a consultation online with Dr. Steele or call our office. We serve patients in Fort Worth, TX, and surrounding communities and we welcome patients who wish to travel from outside the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
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Every woman has her own personal reasons for pursuing breast enhancement surgery. These reasons typically include:
Dr. Steele takes great pride in helping his breast augmentation patients in Fort Worth achieve their desired aesthetic goals and improved self-esteem. He provides an unhurried, comfortable setting for your initial breast augmentation consultation in which you can talk openly about your body and feel comfortable asking questions. Dr. Steele takes the time to understand your goals from a breast enhancement surgery and helps you develop realistic expectations for your results.
Most Fort Worth patients can get back to an office job within 2-3 days after their breast augmentation. We advise plastic surgery for breast augmentation patients to avoid strenuous activity that increases blood pressure or heart rate for 3-4 weeks, at which time it is safe to resume cardio exercise. No lifting more than 15 lbs. is advised for the first 6 weeks after your breast enhancement surgery. In submuscular implants, no pectoral (chest) muscle exercises are advised for at least 8 weeks to minimize the risk of implant displacement. Patients are able to drive as soon as they are no longer taking any sedative medications (pain pills and muscle relaxants).
During your Fort Worth breast augmentation consultation, Dr. Steele will guide you through your breast implant and surgical options to help determine the right combination for your unique enhancement. These decisions will include:
Dr. Steele and his staff are the best!! He is like an artist and his medium is skin and fat.😀. I wouldn’t go to anyone else.
Saline implants are filled with a sterile saltwater solution. These implants may be appealing to some Fort Worth breast augmentation patients because they are cheaper than silicone implants and can be placed through a smaller incision. Disadvantages include increased firmness and more visible wrinkling/rippling compared to silicone implants. Silicone gel implants are very popular due to their more natural look and feel. Modern silicone gel implants are very safe and are filled with a sticky silicone gel (cohesive gel) that will not migrate even if the surface (shell) of the implant is cracked or ruptured.
The FDA recommends the cosmetic use of silicone gel implants in patients over the age of 22 and recommends periodic MRI screening to rule out silent implant rupture (rare). Silicone gel implants require a slightly longer incision compared to saline and are more expensive. All modern saline implants are round in shape with a smooth silicone elastomer shell. Silicone gel implant shells may be either smooth or textured. Smooth silicone gel implants are often placed under the muscle with low risk of visibility.
Disadvantages of a smooth implant include a potentially higher capsule contracture rate. Texturing of an implant surface appears to decrease the risk of capsule contracture, particularly when placed above the muscle. Additionally, texturing is necessary when using a shaped implant to minimize the risk of implant rotation. Disadvantages of implant texturing include the risk of traction rippling and the very rare breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) that has been strongly linked to device texturing (see FAQs below). There is no perfect implant for every woman, and Dr. Steele will help you make the best implant decision for you based on your anatomy, personal preferences, and desired goals.
This decision is highly personal and should be based on your underlying anatomy, as well as your desired goals. It is important to pick an implant that is proportional to your body, while delivering a size that is comfortable for you. Implants that are too small will not deliver a proportional result, while implants that are too large can cause complications and accelerated breast sagging. During your consultation, Dr. Steele will utilize the Crisalix 3D imaging system to assist you in your size selection and help provide you with the most realistic preoperative simulation of your postoperative results.
Silicone gel-filled implants may be round or anatomic in shape. For many Fort Worth women with adequate existing breast tissue, using a round silicone gel implant for their breast augmentation will often provide a very nice, natural-looking enhancement.
In some cases, anatomic implants often referred to as “gummy bear implants” may be a better option. Common reasons to choose these particular implants include a very slender physique with a long torso and narrow chest, chest wall asymmetry, constricted/tight lower breast shape, or patient desire for a more natural-looking upper breast.
Disadvantages associated with these implants include increased firmness, higher cost, small chance of implant rotation, and potential for breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) that is strongly associated with implant texturing (see FAQs below).
The inframammary incision (under the breast) is the most commonly used incision by Dr. Steele. A small incision during your breast enhancement surgery is made in or just below the breast crease on the underside of the breast. It heals very well and is not visible when looking at the chest. This incision allows for the best access to the breast/chest anatomy and allows for optimal implant placement. Additionally, there is a lower rate of breast encapsulation (hardening of the breast implant) with this incision location. The peri-areolar incision is made along the bottom half of the areola. This incision allows direct access to the chest wall and can be useful in patients with an indistinct breast crease, patients with tuberous breasts, and patients undergoing a circum-areolar breast lift. When performed properly, the incision generally heals well, but is still visible when looking directly at the breast. There is also evidence to suggest that this technique increases the risk of capsule contracture.
If you’re unhappy with the size and shape of your breasts, a Fort Worth breast augmentation surgery may prove to be the solution you’ve been seeking. During your consultation, you and Dr. Steele will discuss your medical history and the possible results you’ll achieve from the surgery. Good candidates for breast augmentation are those who are in good health and have realistic expectations.
As an experienced Fort Worth breast augmentation surgeon, Dr. Steele will want to meet with you in his office to discuss associated costs. There’s no one size fits all approach to plastic surgery. Every surgical procedure is tailored to fit the needs of each individual patient. After you talk about your aesthetic goals, you’ll develop a surgical plan to help you reach them. He’ll also discuss the cost of your breast augmentation and the financing options available to you.
Few cosmetic procedures have set price tags. That’s because each procedure is customized to each plastic surgery for breast augmentation patients and may be affected by implant type and need for other procedures. The typical price for breast augmentation will range between $6,000-$7,000. As an experienced breast augmentation surgeon, Dr. Steele will meet with you in his Fort Worth office to discuss all options and pricing. During your consultation, you will be given a quote that reflects your specific breast enhancement surgery.
Breast enhancement surgery patients sometimes ask about the safety of silicone gel implants due to lingering concerns generated by poor, biased reporting in the early 1990s. Silicone gel breast implants are the most studied medical device in history, and the FDA has repeatedly confirmed their safety. There has never been evidence linking silicone gel to breast cancer, autoimmune diseases (like lupus), or any other illness. Our practice uses these silicone gel implants during our breast implant surgery almost exclusively for cosmetic augmentation and universally in breast reconstruction patients after mastectomy.
Both are FDA approved for use in breast augmentation. Some similarities:
And some differences:
Patients often focus on cup size when determining their desired result from their breast augmentation. However, breast implants are not sized by bra cup size. A breast implant with a given volume may give one woman a C cup and another woman a DD cup. This is because the final cup size depends on the starting breast volume, the implant size, the chest/breast circumference, and where the patient buys her bras. We encourage patients not to focus too much on a certain bra size, but rather look at the volume and the proportionate increase in size. Dr. Steele will take various breast measurements and use the Crisalix 3D imaging system to assist you in your size selection and give you with the most realistic preoperative simulation of your postoperative results.
Finally, review your surgeon’s before and after gallery and find patients with a similar height, weight, and preoperative breast size.
Breast implant projection is how far the implant sticks out from the body. Women tend naturally to choose an implant volume that is in proportion with body size and breast diameter for their breast augmentation. In a high-profile implant, the volume is the same, but the diameter is narrower, and the projection is greater. If the diameter of the implant size you select is about the same or smaller than your measured breast diameter, then a standard implant is appropriate. If the diameter of the desired breast implant is larger than your breast diameter, then you should consider high profile breast implants.
Yes. All incisions leave scars. Plastic surgeons are especially trained to leave scars that heal very well and are almost imperceptible after one year. Additionally, Dr. Steele uses the Keller Funnel™ to insert his breast implants, allowing him to make a smaller incision during breast implant surgery.
Typical breast implant surgery through an inframammary incision lasts between 45-75 minutes. The time variations are due to differences in patient size and anatomy.
We recommend the use of general anesthesia when performing breast augmentation. This allows for greater patient comfort and allows the anesthesiologist to give a muscle relaxant which paralyzes the chest muscles making implant placement easier and reduces bleeding from the muscle. At the time of breast enhancement surgery, a long-lasting local anesthetic is placed along the chest wall and in the breast, tissues to help with postoperative pain relief.
Absolutely. We often combine breast augmentation with body contouring procedures such as liposuction or a tummy tuck during a mommy makeover procedure. Facial procedures can sometimes be combined with a breast augmentation as well.
Most patients can get back to an office job within 2-3 days. We advise patients to avoid strenuous activity that increases blood pressure or heart rate for 3-4 weeks, at which time it is safe to resume cardio exercise. No lifting more than 15lbs is advised for the first 6 weeks. In submuscular implants, no pectoral (chest) muscle exercise are advised for at least 8 weeks to minimize the risk of implant displacement. Patients are able to drive as soon as they are no longer taking any sedative medications (pain pills and muscle relaxants).
Yes. Most Fort Worth patients can still breastfeed without any difficulty after breast augmentation, even when placed on top of the muscle. This is because the breast ducts connected to the nipple are not disturbed with routine breast augmentation. Some patients will have difficulty, however, after breast reduction or a breast lift (mastopexy) procedure.
Breast implant surgery will improve breast size and fullness but will not correct breast sagging (ptosis). Breast implants will provide a slight elevation of the breasts and may be enough in patients with borderline breast ptosis. Patients who have significant breast sagging with loose skin, who also desire enhanced upper pole fullness, are great candidates for a breast lift with implants.
It is normal to have some altered nipple sensation for a temporary period after breast enhancement surgery. This is because the many nerves that run through the breast tissue are under significant stretch due to the volume of the implant and associated swelling caused by plastic surgery for breast augmentation. Some patients report increased sensitivity after their breast augmentation, while others note some level of numbness. These sensations will generally resolve by 2-4 months after breast enhancement surgery. It is quite rare to have permanent numbness after breast implant surgery.
The answer will actually depend on whether you are breastfeeding or not. We generally recommend waiting 3-6 months after lactation has ceased for a breast augmentation. This will allow the breast to recover and return to their pre-pregnancy size.
In addition to risks of cancer and heart disease, smoking can impair wound healing and increase your risk of infections. Smoking causes the blood vessels in skin to constrict down, thus reducing the blood flow. This can result in wounds that are slow to heal and scars that are wider and more visible. Additionally, chronic smoking will accelerate skin aging and loss of elasticity; which explains why smokers look much older than their age. For the breast tissue, this can result in more sagging and drooping with the implants “bottoming out.” It is best to stop smoking 4 weeks before and after breast augmentation surgery for optimal healing.
Implants placed above and below the muscle will block a small portion of the breast from being visualized on a mammogram. Placing the implant below the muscle will increase the amount of breast tissue visualized. With modern ultrasound and MRI technology, this is much less of an issue but is still a concern for many women. Patients over the age of 40 are usually advised to get a mammogram prior to proceeding with breast enhancement surgery if they have not had a previous mammogram within the past 12 months. Patients with a strong family history may need to start at age 30.
While breast implant technology has improved over the last 30-40 years, they are not perfect and will not last forever (like any medical implant). Saline implants have a 1-2% chance of rupture each year and this adds up to a roughly 15-20% chance of rupture at 10 years. Silicone gel implants are sturdier with rupture rate of approximately 8-12% at ten years. Most patients will need to have some sort of revisionary breast enhancement surgery (for a variety of reasons) around the 15-20 year mark.
Capsular contracture describes hardening and distortion of the breast due to shrinking or contraction of the scar capsule around the implant. The scar capsule is important because an inadequate capsule will result in early stretching and bottoming out of the implant (1- 2% of patients). The opposite of this is encapsulation. In its mildest form, the breast feels firmer to the touch. More aggressive cases of capsule contracture will result in narrowing of the breast with implant malposition (generally moving superiorly). In the most severe form, the breast is distorted and painful. Early capsule contracture can sometimes be treated with the off-label use of montelukast (an asthma medication), breast massage, and the use of a breast band. If this does not work, revisionary breast implant surgery to remove the implant and scar capsule with placement of a new implant may be necessary. Symptomatic capsule contracture occurs in roughly 10-12% of patients at the 8-10 year mark. Placing the implant under the muscle through an inframammary (under the breast) incision seems to decrease the risk of encapsulation, as does the use of a textured implant.
BIA-ALCL is a very rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that has been recently tied to the use of textured silicone breast implants. There have been roughly 400-900 cases reported in the world literature, with a lifetime estimated risk of around 1: 30,000. The overwhelming majority of cases have been associated with a textured implant, and the cause is unknown. Typical symptoms include delayed (8-10 years) presentation of an enlarged breast with fluid around the implant. Treatment begins with obtaining a fluid sample for pathological examination and removal of the implant and implant capsule. Most cases are cured with capsulectomy alone, but more advanced cases may require chemotherapy and radiation.
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Results are BEAUTIFUL!
By: Christina T.
5656 Edwards Ranch Road Suite 202
Client Description: I absolutely love everything about my experience with Dr. Steele and his amazing team. Everyone made me feel confident in my decision with going through with my breast lift/ augmentation. My results are BEAUTIFUL! I strongly recommend you choose Dr.Steele as your surgeon!!! Thank you sooo much Dr.Steele and team for being such awesome people.
Rating: ★★★★★ 5 / 5 stars
