An Interview with Dr. Richard Moss on Breast Augmentation
Dr. Richard Moss is a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Here the Doctor has answered some of the common questions Bizymoms visitors have about Breast Augmentation.
Q. What is breast augmentation?
Breast augmentation surgery is an electivecosmetic procedure performed for the purpose of making a women's breasts larger. This is accomplished by placing breast implants within the patient's breasts. There are many surgical variations to this surgery and a variety of breast implants to choose from. The two main category of breast implants that are FDA approved for sale within the United States are saline filled breast implants and silicone gel filled breast implants. Both have an outer silicone elastomer shell.
Q. How is a breast augmentation surgery performed?
There are a variety of ways to perform this surgery. I perform this surgery under general anesthesia (you're asleep) and utilize two choices of incisions: inframammary incision which is underneath the breast and peri-areolar incision which is around the areola (part of the nipple structure). Two placement sites are available commonly referred to as under the pectoralis muscle or over the pectoralis muscle. I perform both placements and provide patients adequate counseling as to which placement would be best for them.
Q. How can one find a qualified board certified plastic surgeon?
Please visit the website of The American Society of Plastic Surgeons at: http://www.plasticsurgery.org/ for a complete listing of Board Certified Plastic Surgeons. Whenever you visit a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon they should have their certificate available to show you. Most hang it on their walls.
Q. What are the possible longer-term, local effects in breast augmentation surgery?
Patients should consider that they may very well have to have revision surgery in their lifetime. Silicone gel patients should also consider that periodic MRI's are necessary to detect any rupture in the implant shell and that health insurance may not pay for these tests. Also if a patient gains large amounts of weight later in life, some of this weight may be in their breasts and the woman may find that her breasts are now larger than she would like. This can be remedied by either replacing with a smaller implant or removing altogether if the patient has found that her breasts have grown much larger with weight gain.
Q. Who is a good candidate for breast augmentation?
A woman who is in good health and desires to increase her breast size is a good candidate. If she is 40 years of age or older she needs to have a current mammogram with a negative finding as well. She also needs to be able to financially afford this surgery which in my office costs approximately $5400 to $6400 depending on whether she wants saline filled or silicone gel filled breast implants.
Q. What are the risks associated with breast augmentation?
I spend 15 to 20 minutes completely reviewing complications during the consultation. Two of the complications that do need to be considered are post operative bleeding, or infection. When treated properly these complications are not life threatening but they could require further surgery. There could also be a device deflation or implant malposition/shape and while the decision to fix either of these problems is elective, another surgery would be required to rectify the situation. It is important when a patient chooses a plastic surgeon that she is comfortable that should she have a complication her surgeon can handle the situation with confidence.
Q. How much does breast augmentation cost?
In my office our best price for saline filled breast implants is $5400. For silicone gel filled breast implants our best price is $6400. This price includes surgical fee, hospital fee, anesthesia fee, breast implants, state of the art pain suppression pump and 2 bras. Prices can vary from surgeon to surgeon and hospital to hospital. It is not uncommon for pricing to be $2000-$2500 more in my local. We have secured favorable hospital and anesthesia pricing and we manage my practice using sound financial strategies. It is my belief that a physician's office needs to be clean, uncluttered, and attractive but it does not need to be extravagant. Patients want friendly and attentive staff. They want to be able to have personal time with me. They want good medical care. I can provide that and still provide attractive pricing.
