Breast Enlargement

Dr. Richard Hamilton performs breast enlargement surgery at his practice in Adelaide, Australia.

Dr. Hamilton: “Breast enlargement is actually my favorite operation, and I’m doing it all the time, I’m doing several cases of it each week. What the process involves is, first of all, an initial consult, which might actually be preceded by a nurse consultation where the patient can dip her tongue in the water and get a feel for what it’s like. They’ll then come and see me, and I’ll listen to the patient. I want them to tell me, and I want to take on board just exactly what they’re looking for. I’ll then do an examination. The examination these days is quite complex, as I want to assess what their chest frame is like. I want to asses what their breast characteristics are, and then I can come up with a formula, if you like, an idea in my mind, of what they want and what size implant and what shape implant is going to be best for them. Then we can do a sizing session, using a dummy implant in a bra. The patient can slip this on, put on a top, look herself in the mirror and get a feel for what it’s like, and that’s really beneficial. We have gone on to using this Web-based three-dimensional technology whereby we can help to predict what the results might be in the after phase. W can take some digital photographs, submit them, and they’ll come back with a 3D image of what the patient looks like now. We can select those implants that I’ve decided upon off the catalog and slip them in, and another 3D image will come back, showing the patient what they will look like afterwards. Broadly speaking, there are two types of fillers for implants. We’ve got the silicone gel implants and the saline implants. And then, of course, we have two types of shapes: teardrop, or anatomical, and the round implants. This is really a mater of patient choice. I’m here to guide the patient as to what is going to suit her in her situation, I’ll certainly give her my recommendation, but in the end, the patient chooses what is best for her. Recovery is very quick after the procedure, they can certainly go back to work within one or two weeks, they can get back to the gym in 3 or 4 weeks, they’re doing their household duties in two weeks. Recovery is very, very quick indeed. It’s really fantastic to see patients come back for their long-term follow-ups, because in many cases, it’s just changed their life. They can fill out a bra. They’ll often say, ‘I feel so much more feminine, I feel womanly again.’ They can buy nice clothes and look good in those clothes. They can wear a swimsuit, they can go to the gym, it makes them feel so much better about themselves. My patients do this operation for themselves, they’re not doing it for anybody else. On the whole, they’re a very, very happy group of patients, and I love to see them when they come back and they are so happy. We usually give each other a big hug.”