Breast augmentation

Yes, with planning. We ask you to stay about 5 days and clear you for the flight home around day 5, once drains are out and swelling is stable. Flying too soon raises the risk of clots and delayed bleeding, so we defer clearance rather than rush you onto a plane.

Plan on 5 to 7 days for a desk job, and 3 to 4 weeks for anything physical. You will feel functional before you look it, but pushing the timeline tends to prolong swelling rather than shorten recovery.

No — that is a persistent myth. Implants have no fixed expiry, but they are not lifetime devices either. Most people need a revision at some point, often between 10 and 20 years, for rupture, contracture or a change of preference.

Most people can, especially when the incision sits in the breast crease or the armpit. An incision around the areola carries a slightly higher chance of affecting milk ducts or nipple sensation.

Yes. Under the muscle gives a more natural slope and less rippling, but a longer recovery. Over the muscle heals faster and adds upper-pole fullness, and is generally kept for patients with enough natural tissue cover.

Sizing follows your chest measurements, tissue quality and lifestyle — not just a cup number. We use sizers during consultation, and going too large for your frame is the most common regret.

Implants can hide some breast tissue on a standard mammogram, so the radiographer adds extra displacement views. Tell your imaging centre in advance and keep to your normal screening schedule.

Less sharp pain than most people expect, and more pressure. You wake with tightness across the chest and soreness whenever you move your arms, and it is at its most intense through the first 72 hours, then eases noticeably through weeks two and three. Prescribed medication covers it. Under-muscle placement feels tighter early on, and the discomfort and activity restrictions last longer than they do over the muscle.

Yes — the implant stays the same, but the breast around it does not. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, weight swings and normal ageing all change breast volume and skin support, and can leave the breast sitting lower or looking emptier at the top. Many people choose to complete their family first; if the shape does change later, a lift with or without an implant exchange restores it.

Most people arrive having compared “300cc vs 400cc” online, but a volume in cc only means something against your own body. Sizing follows your breast base width, the projection you want, your skin elasticity and how you use your body — not a cup number. We use sizers during consultation and a 3D simulation before surgery to preview sizes on your own frame. The right size is the one your tissue can still carry in five years, and going too large for your frame is the most common regret.

Often, but not with a standard implant alone. Tubular and constricted-lower-pole breasts need the tight tissue at the base released and reshaped before an implant will sit properly, and marked asymmetry may need a different implant size on each side, sometimes with fat transfer to blend the difference. It is planned as a corrective operation rather than a straight volume increase, so the assessment matters more than the implant choice.

Round implants add upper-pole fullness and stronger cleavage; teardrop (anatomical) implants are built for a natural slope and suit patients with very little tissue of their own. Ergonomic designs sit between the two — rounder lying down, naturally sloped when standing. The right shape follows your anatomy and the look you want, and is settled during planning.

Most often in the crease under the breast — the inframammary approach — where the scar hides in the natural fold. The alternatives are periareolar, along the edge of the areola where the colour change disguises the line, and transaxillary, in the armpit, which leaves the breast itself unmarked. How well any scar fades also depends on genetics, aftercare and sun protection.

A technique used with Motiva implants that combines minimal implant handling with controlled, consistent pocket creation to reduce tissue trauma. It suits patients choosing a Motiva implant who want a natural result; it is not the right route if you need a breast lift or plan a very large size increase.

Usually not. Modern cohesive gel implants rarely need routine massage, and massaging at the wrong time can do more harm than good. Follow your surgeon's protocol rather than generic advice online.

Often, yes — liposuction and tummy tuck are the most common pairings. Whether a combination is sensible depends on your health, total operative time and how much recovery you can take on at once, so it is decided case by case.

The main drivers are implant type and size, placement (over, under or dual plane), and whether your anatomy needs extra work such as asymmetry correction or a hybrid fat-transfer approach. A final price follows your medical review and surgical plan.

At first the breasts sit high and feel firm — swelling and muscle tension hold the implants up, especially with under-muscle placement. They settle into a more natural position over 6 to 12 weeks, with softening continuing up to six months. Larger implants and under-muscle placement tend to settle more slowly.