- Anatomical: The most commonly used implant. It's shaped like a teardrop for a more natural contour.
- Traditional: The classic implant, which looks like a half-grapefruit. It's likely to be used to create dramatic cleavage or when the patient has thin skin, as it is less likely to be visible through the skin.
Risks of Surgery
Getting a Baywatch-ready bikini body is not a day at the beach. The timeline below describes the recovery process for the typical patient. As with any surgery, there's a chance of complications from the anesthesia as well as blood clots and infections. Patients risk ending up with misaligned nipples, ruptured implants, incorrectly rotated implants, and other problems. Some women experience over-sensitivity in the nipples following surgery, while others report temporary or permanent numbness (getting larger implants increase the likelihood of nipple sensitivity).
The most common complication of breast augmentation is capsular contracture, or what most people call hardening. In this situation, the scar or tissue around the implant tightens, causing the breast to feel hard. Daniels estimates that between four and eight percent of patients will experience hardening. In all, he says that around one in 20 will require corrective follow-up surgery, whether for hardening, placement adjustment, or removal because of an infection or other problem. The timeline below describes the recovery process for the typical patient.
| In surgery | 1-2 hours |
| Feeling tired and sore | 1-2 days |
| Burning feeling around bruises on nipples | First few days |
| Initial swelling | 3-5 days |
| Patient returns to work or school | 3-10 days |
| Stitches are taken out | 7-10 days |
| Breasts sensitive to direct touch | 2 weeks |
| Soreness | 3-4 weeks |
| Patient can stop wearing special support bra | 6 weeks |
| Scars are hard and pink | 6 weeks or more |
| Scars fade | After several months. |
