Breast Augmentation

For many women, the size and shape of their breasts can cause unhappiness and insecurity. Breast enlargement can provide a safe and convenient solution, restoring confidence to thousands of women each year.

Whatever your personal reasons, Breast Augmentation at the Cadogan Clinic will provide the leading UK consultants, techniques and facilities for your treatment. Our expert team is acutely aware that the appearance of your body can affect your confidence and everyday happiness, and as such we handle each case with sensitivity and discretion.

Silicone implants offer the most natural look and feel of all the available breast implant options. We use implants made from cohesive medical-grade silicone gel, which mimics the feel of natural breast tissue. To ensure the most natural appearance possible, the chosen implant must be the right shape, size, volume and profile to suit the woman’s size and body shape. An implant with a lower profile will ensure the most natural result. Your surgeon will help you decide on the best option to suit your physique.

Our surgeons typically aim for natural breasts when it comes to breast enlargement surgery, unless otherwise specified by you.

Natural breasts can be achieved by selecting the right implant size and shape for you and your existing anatomy. Natural breasts can also be achieved by selecting the right position (above or below the muscle) for the implant. Your surgeon will provide his or her recommendation.

In addition, we also offer advanced fat transfer breast enlargement procedures that employ fat injections into the breast in order to transfer fat to the breast region and deliver more natural breast contours. This can be performed in conjunction with breast implants or as standalone breast augmentation surgery to naturally increase the breast size.

There are several different types of implant used in breast enhancement surgery. The main distinction is between saline and silicone implants. There are also textured and smooth implants.

The external appearance of these different types of implant are broadly similar regardless of material. Silicone implants remain the most commonly used implant material in the UK due to silicone’s preferred properties as the safest, most inert of prosthetic materials and slightly more natural feel following procedure.

We only use the very best breast implants for breast enhancement at the Cadogan Clinic and safety is of utmost importance to us. Your surgeon will explain the various different types of implant available to you at your breast enhancement consultation, and will give an informed, expert view at your consultation as to the optimal material, brand, size and shape of implant for your particular body shape and type, in light of the results you are hoping to achieve

We have never used PIP implants and continue to only use FDA-approved materials in all of our procedures.

You can have a breast augmentation and a breast lift (mastopexy) at the same time. A breast lift is a surgical procedure designed to lift and/or reshape breasts that hang low over the chest and have the majority of their volume at their base. It is an effective procedure to restore firmer, more youthful-looking and voluminous breasts. Breast augmentation with implants is concerned with increasing the size of the breasts. If you are considering combining the two procedures, you should factor in that a breast lift has a longer recovery time than breast enlargement on its own.

Different surgeons have different protocols, but it is common for a garment to be worn in the immediate post operative phase. The wounds are generally closed with stitches under the surface, which then dissolve over a few weeks. You may have a strip dressing or reinforcement paper strips over or along the wound. There may also be gauze and stretchy Mefix paper dressing covering the wound and also supporting the breasts.

A compression garment is then generally worn to support the breasts and protect the wounds. Although some surgeons do not use them at all and recommend a sports bra instead, it is most common to wear a lycra compression bra made specifically for breast surgery of which there are many types. The team will fit the one most suitable for you and your surgery. There is one other lycra dressing, occasionally required, and that is a stretchy strap worn across the upper breast to hold the implant low.

The sports bras or lycra garments will be worn day and night for 3 weeks or more and then during the day for a longer time, particularly during exercise or sporting activity.

Although scarring is kept to a minimum, you should expect some scarring following a breast enlargement procedure.

The extent of the scarring will depend upon the types of incision used in the surgery. Scars can be expected where the underwire on a bra would sit, around the nipple area or in the armpit. Scarring will be at its most noticeable during the first few months following surgery. Scars will be raised and a different colour to your skin. They will eventually flatten and fade. The scars may not take on their final appearance until a full 18 months after surgery.

Breast augmentation recovery time is relatively swift, and you will usually feel your normal self within a week. After one week you can return to work if you have a desk job, but it may be longer for more active occupations.

You should expect to be off heavylifting, gym, steam and sauna for 6 weeks, and be wearing your compression garment 24/7 for 6 weeks minimum also.

Breast augmentation recovery stages tend to be fairly predictable between patients, and significant variation from this schedule is unlikely.

Breast augmentation recovery time is reduced when the procedure is performed as a day case at the Cadogan Clinic, due to the advanced sedation techniques that allow for quicker initial recovery.

The aim of breast augmentation surgery is to make the breast implant look as natural as possible, so the position of the implant is important and does matter.

This will be confirmed by surgeon at your breast augmentation surgery consultation following an assessment of several different factors including your existing anatomy and physique, whether you have plans to breast feed or not, and the amount and quality of your existing breast tissue.

Breast implants do not have an expiration date. They only need to be replaced in the very rare case in which they break or rupture, usually a result of the use of sub-standard implants or sub-standard surgery. This is not serious or a health risk, but may cause a change in shape or feel of the implant necessitating its removal.

Other causes for replacement include infection which occurs in about 1-2% of cases, usually within the first 10 days of surgery, capsule formation, occurring in about 10% of individuals and involving the straightforward removal of a fibrous layer that the body forms around the implant making it hardened and unnatural to the touch, and implant rippling, most commonly occurring among people with little breast tissue and thin skin. Additionally, some patients decide in time that they want they the implant replaced or removed for cosmetic reasons like wanting to go bigger, smaller or completely natural.

Cadogan Clinic has become a well-known provider of implant replacement services as our reputation as a trusted cosmetics provider has been enhanced following the PIP scandal that implicated so many of our competitors. It remains one of our most commonly performed procedures.

In order to get the best results from your breast augmentation, it is vital that you follow the aftercare instructions issued by your surgeon.

You should take part in minimum physical activity after your boob job. You should take one or two weeks off work, refrain from driving for one week, only resume restricted sexual activity after four weeks and avoid exercise, including the gym, for four to six weeks.

It is important that you keep your wounds clean. Our nursing team will issue instructions on how to do this. You should avoid using the shower until a week after surgery.

It is also important that you protect your scars from sunlight for six weeks following surgery. After this time you may start moisturising and massaging your scars with a non-perfumed moisturiser. By doing this, it will help to soften and hydrate scar tissue. 

You must wear a surgical garment for six weeks following breast augmentation.

Breast enlargement surgery is a popular procedure and generally very safe. That said, as with all surgery, there are risks with breast enlargement surgery that you need to be aware of.

The best means of mitigating risks is to ensure that your surgeon is properly qualified and highly experienced in breast enlargement surgery, and we ensure this is the case with all of our patients by only choosing to work with the very best surgeons.

Choice of a high quality implant is also crucial, and again, we only work with FDA-approved implants at the Cadogan Clinic.

Typical risks include, but are not limited to:

• Asymmetrical breasts
• Haematoma/bleeding
• Capsular contracture
• Implant moving
• Rippling
• Nipple sensation / numbness
• Rupture
• Infection

As a standalone specialist plastic surgery day-case unit only admitting healthy, elective patients the risk of cross – infection are significantly reduced at the Cadogan Clinic in contrast with competitors who utilise general hospitals.

Breast implants are safe and we only use the best breast implants available on the market. That said, breast augmentation surgery is not without its risk and we recommend you read our FAQ on this question.

Your surgeon will also discuss risks in full at your breast enhancement consultation.

The Cadogan Clinic does accept breast enlargement finance but we do not currently offer it ourselves. Speak to one of our advisors who can direct you to a cost effective third party high street provider.

Finance for breast implants is simple and straightforward to organise, and regularly chosen by our patients.

Opting for breast augmentation surgery is a big decision to make, so it is important that you find a reputable surgeon who is experienced and qualified to carry out your breast enlargement.

You should check that your surgeon is a specialist in breast augmentation. A good surgeon should be able to explain the procedure in great depth, as well as the recovery period and any potential risks or complications. They will also be honest about potential outcomes and help you to manage your expectations.

Your surgeon should discuss the pros and cons of each type of breast implant with you along with the size and shape of your implants and whether they will be placed behind the breast or the muscle. A good surgeon will be able to suggest which type of implant is best suited to your body shape and size. A good breast augmentation surgeon will always strive for the most natural results possible. When you have your initial consultation, make sure the surgeon has an extensive portfolio of before and after photographs that they can share with you so you can get a good idea of how the results of your breast augmentation will look. Be sure to check out testimonials from previous patients.

If you are not physically and psychologically fit and healthy, an ethical surgeon will not attempt to perform the procedure.

Only registered doctors can perform cosmetic surgery in England. You can check if a surgeon is a registered doctor or surgeon on the General Medical Council (GMC) online register.

Some surgeons may be members of professional associations, such as the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) or the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS). However there are some qualified surgeons who are experts in their field but choose not to sign up to a trade body for their own reasons.