Breast Augmentation

Women who come to our Harrisburg plastic surgery practice from Lancaster and York, PA, for breast augmentation want fuller, more feminine breasts to boost their self-confidence. If you’ve been considering breast enhancement surgery to increase the size of your breasts or to improve their shape, board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. John Stratis specializes in cosmetic breast surgery. He takes pride in creating beautiful, natural-looking results that exceed his patients’ expectations.

Breast Augmentation
 Before & After Photos

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What Is Breast Augmentation Surgery?

Breast augmentation surgery adds volume to the breasts using silicone or saline implants. Women choose to get breast implants for various personal reasons, such as:

  • Filling out naturally small breasts
  • Restoring breasts to the size they were before weight loss or breastfeeding
  • Balancing uneven breasts
  • Enhancing cleavage
  • Improving appearance and confidence in a variety of clothing

Do I Need Breast Augmentation Surgery or a Breast Lift?

Breast augmentation adds fullness to the breasts but does not correct moderate to significant sagging. A breast lift removes lax skin to raise and reshape the breasts. It can also make the size of the nipples in proportion to the breasts. Women who have been pregnant, breastfed, or undergone significant weight changes often need a combination breast lift with implants.

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The Right Surgeon
for Any Body

Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. John Stratis specializes in breast and body procedures is a leader in modern body contouring methods.

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Choosing Breast Implants

During your consultation, Dr. Stratis helps you understand what to expect during breast augmentation surgery. He will use VECTRA® 3D Imaging and Mentor Implant Sizers to visually simulate your possible results from breast augmentation surgery with your chosen breast implants to ensure he understands the size and shape desired.

Breast Implant Options

Your decisions about implants will be pivotal to your breast augmentation. For these reasons, it is important to choose a surgeon with extensive breast augmentation experience to help you make these very important decisions. Dr. Stratis will take the time to understand your goals and desired outcome so that, together, you can determine which implant is right for you.

  • Breast implant material: Breast implants are made with a silicone outer shell and filled with either saline (sterile salt water) or silicone gel. See section below for the advantages of each type.
  • Breast implant size: Implant sizes are measured in cubic centimeters (cc) rather than bra cup size. Generally, a 130 to 150 cc breast implant will increase your breast size by one bra cup.
  • Breast implant profile: An implant’s profile relates to how far it extends from the chest from a side view. Low-profile breast implants are wider at their base and project more modestly from the chest than a high-profile implant that has a narrower base and projects more prominently from the chest. Dr. Stratis will recommend an implant profile that addresses your goals while ensuring it fits the breadth of your chest and your body’s proportions.
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Drs. Stratis & Gayner are now offering Vectra® 3D Imaging, an innovative system that lets you visualize your problem areas and truly customize your cosmetic experience.

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Are Silicone Breast Implants Better Than Saline?

Most patients choose silicone gel breast implants at our Harrisburg practice, although both types have advantages.

SILICONE IMPLANT ADVANTAGES

Silicone implants have been used in breast augmentation for years and the latest generation of silicone gel implants look and feel more like natural breasts than ever before. For many, just one look and feel of silicone implants versus saline implants convinces them that silicone will produce better results for their breast augmentation. There is also generally less rippling than with saline implants.

Today, silicone implants have extensive oversight from the FDA and are only approved for breast augmentation in women over 22. It is recommended that all patients with silicone implants have an MRI scan 3 years after breast augmentation, and every 2 years thereafter. If an implant cracks or ruptures, it should be replaced.

SALINE IMPLANT ADVANTAGES

All breast implants have the potential to eventually leak. When a saline implant leaks, your body harmlessly absorbs the leaked saltwater. The patient will also likely recognize the leak right away, as the breast will shrink. When a silicone implant leaks, however, the patient may not be able to tell. Although most silicone leaks pose no problems, some women can get small areas of inflammation called granulomas. These may present with pain or a mass.

Replacing a silicone implant is more difficult than removing a saline one. Dr. Stratis can simply slip out the leaky saline implant through the original incision that was made during your breast augmentation surgery, after which he can replace the implant with a new one. But a silicone implant needs to be removed along with the scar tissue around it to remove all the leaked silicone. This takes a larger incision and more surgery.

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Breast Implants At a Glance

Saline Breast Implants Silicone Breast Implants
Patients 18 years and older Patients 22 years and older
Filled with saline Filled with silicone gel
May ripple No rippling
More noticeable feel Feels more natural
Immediately evident when ruptured Not immediately evident when rupture occurs
Smaller incision Larger incision

How Do I Choose the Right Size Breast Implant?

Dr. Stratis suggests you do the following to help you choose your breast implant size:

  • Showing him pictures of women with breast proportions you admire (such as in his online photo gallery)
  • Trying on implant sizers in his office
  • Using the VECTRA 3D imaging system to explore different implant sizes

These and his years of experience with breast augmentation procedures make it easy for Dr. Stratis to determine what size, shape, and style of implant can best achieve your specific goals.

Which Incision Is Best for Breast Augmentation?

Breast augmentation incision options include (see illustration):

  • Around the nipple/areola
  • In the crease below the breast
  • In the armpit

Your choice of implants will dictate the best incision options for you; this decision also involves your personal preference.

Breast Incision Options

  • Saline implants require a very small incision because they are rolled up, inserted under the breast, then filled for breast augmentation; therefore, they can be placed through any of the above incision types.
  • Silicone implants are prefilled prior to the breast augmentation surgery, so they are best placed through an incision under the breast or below the nipple.

Breast augmentation patients who want to breastfeed in the future should avoid a nipple incision. An armpit incision is concealed and avoids having incisions on the breasts. Dr. Stratis will listen to your priorities before recommending a suitable option.

Is It Better to Get Breast Implants Over or Under the Muscle?

The best implant placement depends on your personal anatomy, preferences, and choice of implant. Dr. Stratis will recommend one of the following placements for you:

  • Below the chest muscle is the most common location and is the best choice for most women because it provides natural-looking results even if the patient has thin skin, minimal breast tissue, or low body fat. For this placement, Dr. Stratis carefully creates a space beneath the breast tissue and chest muscle for the implant.
  • On top of the chest muscle is best for breast augmentation patients who have enough of their own breast tissue, and those who choose silicone implants. Recovery is usually quicker and more comfortable because the chest muscle is not lifted or stretched.

What Our Patients Are Saying

"I had a wonderful experience at Stratis Gayner and would recommend them to anyone. I loved that the staff was friendly and made me feel comfortable in an awkward situation. I called several times with questions and never felt like I was bothering anyone. And best of all, I have an excellent result that is very natural. Thanks a bunch."

Read more testimonials from our real patients.

Breast Augmentation Recovery

Recovery Timeline

While experiences vary, most breast augmentation patients progress along the following recovery timeline:

  • 48 hours: OK to take a shower.
  • 3 to 5 days: Discomfort starts to subside.
  • 2 weeks: Resume work, school, and nonstrenuous activities.
  • 3+ weeks: Surgical bra no longer needed.
  • 4 to 6 weeks: Resume strenuous exercises and activities.
  • 6 to 12 weeks: See final results as implants soften and settle.

The Stratis Gayner team carefully follows your progress for about 3 months after your breast augmentation surgery.

Breast Augmentation Results

Although your breasts temporarily swell after surgery, you will see right away that your breasts are larger and fuller. Women who aren’t prepared for this are sometimes shocked and express concern that maybe their breasts are “too big.” However, Dr. Stratis has found that after the swelling subsides and the implants settle into place, most women are extremely happy with the choices they have made.

Will the Scars Be Noticeable?

In terms of scarring, how noticeable any scars are will depend on the type of incision used. Dr. Stratis typically uses one of three incision patterns that leave well-concealed scars after breast augmentation is completed. Which one he chooses depends primarily on the type of implant and the woman’s body type and personal preference. If the incision is made under your breast the scar will be hidden within the breast crease. If the breast augmentation incision is made in your armpit the scar will be concealed and not on the breast itself. In some cases, the incision is made on the areolar border which produces an almost undetectable scar, particularly as it fades over time.

Beautiful Combinations

Dr. Stratis often combines breast augmentation with other procedures to help women attain multiple improvements within a single recovery period. Popular combinations include:

  • Breast lift and augmentation to increase breast size while improving breast shape. Women who want fuller breasts and are bothered by sagging attain even more satisfying results with this combination.
  • Mommy Makeover procedures to help women renew their bodies after pregnancy and breastfeeding. You can combine breast augmentation with a variety of surgeries such as a tummy tuck and liposuction or non-surgical treatments such as fat-reducing CoolSculpting® or cellulite treatment with Cellfina™.
  • Facial plastic surgery procedures such as rhinoplasty or  facelift surgery can be performed simultaneously by our board-certified facial plastic surgeon Dr. Gayner.

Dr. Stratis is a body-focused plastic surgeon with years of experience performing breast augmentation procedures for women from Harrisburg, Reading, and Lancaster, PA, and other surrounding communities. To learn more about breast augmentation options, send an online message to request a consultation with Dr. Stratis or call his office at (717) 728-1700.

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