The breast implant industry has definitely come a long way since the 90s until now, not just in terms of quality and safety, but also in terms of trends. After all, as a cosmetic procedure, breast augmentation is a reflection of society with all its whims and fluctuating beauty standards.
What was considered attractive in the early 2000s may be a faux pas today, but at the same time we are seeing a comeback of the 70s and 80s trends. 2018 will definitely be an interesting year for plastic surgeons, as patients change their views on the ideal breast augmentation procedure and new technologies allow them to achieve more than they’ve ever done before.
Big breast implants are no longer a trend
Gone are the days when the ideal female body was abnormally busty and with a tiny waist. More and more women are after the androgynous look and, if they do want to get breast implants, they’re more interested in a natural effect, not an excessive one. If a decade ago women would ask their surgeons to get them from B to a double D cup, now the trend is to go only one or two cups higher. In addition to that, patients are finally taking surgeons’ advice that the size of the implant should match their figure, so we are seeing less and less petite women going for extra-large implants.
Instead, when asking for a breast augmentation procedure, women want natural looking, perky, athletic breasts that can match an active lifestyle. They want breasts that give them confidence and at the same time the freedom to work out without compromise.
The Mommy Makeover
For many years, women have resigned themselves to the idea that giving birth, as elating as it may be, takes a toll on their body and that they will have to change their fashion habits for good. During pregnancy, the breasts increase in size to allow breastfeeding and sagginess is more often than not a side effect. In some cases, breasts reduce in size a few years after breastfeeding, but for many women the increase is permanent, especially after the age of 35.
Sagginess occurs because during pregnancy and breastfeeding the skin stretches to allow breast growth. Unlike fat, sagginess is impossible to remove with exercise, so more advanced measures are required. Plastic surgery is a great investment from this point of view, because it offers a quick fix as well as lasting results.
Unlike the past decade, when most breast augmentation and plastic surgery patients were young women in their 20s who wanted to look better, more and more women after 35 resort to the mommy makeover solution. In most cases, the aim of the procedure is to restore breast firmness and augment them slightly, but it’s not uncommon for women to also ask for buttock augmentation, liposuction, tummy tuck or even vaginal rejuvenation. In any case, patients seem to be more open minded and are no longer ashamed to recover their pre-birth body through surgery.
Technologies that reduce scarring
Scarring is inevitable after the breast augmentation procedure but thanks to new technologies surgeons can now achieve great results with minimum invasiveness. Silicones are pushed into the breast pocket through a very small incision, which means that the scar will be barely visible and will heal much faster. This automatically implies less down time after surgery. You can get back to wearing a swimsuit and no one will be able to tell you’ve had surgery because you can’t see the scar!
A new type of saline implant
Saline implants have been a great alternative to silicone implants for many years now and they have clear benefits for everyone wishing to enlarge their breasts:
- Saline implants are much more affordable than silicone ones
- They are very versatile and they can be adjusted depending on your needs. These implants are delivered empty and they are filled with a sterile saline solution at the moment of the surgery based on what you’ve established with your doctor.
- Saline implants can be placed through an armpit incision so that there is no breast scarring
- They increase breast volume but still give a natural look
- In case the implant ruptures, the saline solution is absorbed into the body.
In addition to the existing saline implants on the market, which were already very popular, there is now a newer option: IDEAL Implants. The technology is quite new and not all plastic surgery clinics are certified to do it yet, but those who are report amazing results. IDEAL Implants are basically saline implants, but they have almost the same look and feel of silicone implants, offering the best of both worlds. The implant gives fuller looking breasts, but maintains the natural look that saline implants are popular for.
Fat transfer for a natural look
Although many women want to have larger breast, they don’t always get to have the procedure because they don’t like the artificial look or fear that they might end up with permanent scarring. Fortunately, there is one way of doing breast augmentation that solves both of these problems: fat transfer breast augmentation. During this procedure, the surgeon takes part from one part of the body where there is enough fat and transfers it in the breast. This way, the new enlarged breast feels natural and the patient gets the peace of mind that it was all done with a substance found naturally in the body, not a foreign one.
Until not long ago, fat transfer breast augmentation wasn’t very popular because in time the body metabolizes the fat by 50%, so the effect slightly wears off in time, but today this is exactly what women want: a natural solution with realistic results.
