Breast surgery encompasses a range of cosmetic and reconstructive procedures designed to enhance or restore the appearance of your breasts. Whether you are looking to increase volume, correct asymmetry, lift sagging breasts, or undergo reconstruction after a mastectomy, breast surgery offers various options to achieve your desired results. Procedures such as Breast Augmentation, Breast Lift, Breast Reduction, and Breast Reconstruction can help improve both your physical appearance and confidence.
Clear Living partners with leading surgeons and clinics to help you find the best breast surgery options that align with your goals, preferences, and budget.
Common Types Of Breast Surgery
- Breast Augmentation (Enhancement): Increases breast size and fullness using implants or fat transfer.
- Breast Lift (Mastopexy): Raises and reshapes sagging breasts, giving them a more youthful appearance.
- Breast Reduction: Reduces the size and weight of large breasts to alleviate discomfort and create a more proportionate figure.
- Breast Reconstruction: Restores the shape and appearance of the breast following a mastectomy or injury.
Benefits of Breast Surgery
Having breast surgery is an individual choice, and everyone’s motivation is different. These are some of the reasons why people might consider breast surgery:
- Customisable to your needs: Breast surgery is personalised to the individual, allowing you to choose the size, shape, and look that best suits your body and aesthetic preferences. Surgeons work with you to create a bespoke plan that aligns with your goals.
- Enhanced appearance: Breast surgery allows you to change the appearance of your breasts in the way that you want, enhancing size, shape, symmetry, and overall contour. Whether you want to increase volume, lift sagging breasts, or reduce size, these procedures can help you achieve your ideal look.
- Relief from physical discomfort (breast reduction): For women with large, heavy breasts, breast reduction surgery can alleviate discomfort such as back, neck, and shoulder pain. It can also help improve posture and make physical activities more comfortable.
- Reconstruction after mastectomy: Breast reconstruction provides a way for women who have undergone a mastectomy, for example for cancer treatment, to restore their breast shape and appearance.
- Restore appearance after weight loss: Significant weight loss can cause breasts to sag or lose their shape. Breast surgery can help to correct these issues.
Breast Surgery Risks
Breast surgery may not be the right choice for everyone. And if it is the best option for you, it’s still important to understand the risks and drawbacks before you commit to a significant medical procedure. These are some of the drawbacks you should consider:
- Recovery time: You’ll need a few weeks to recover, and in most cases you’ll be advised to take a week or two off work. Your mobility will be restricted at first. You might need to wear a sports bra 24 hours a day for up to three months afterwards (follow your surgeon’s instructions).
- Cost: In most cases you’ll need to pay for breast surgery. Breast implants, for example, tend to cost between £3,500 and £8,000. This usually does not include consultation, follow-up care, or surgery that you may need later on. In some circumstances, such as after a mastectomy, or you have very uneven breasts, or the size of your breasts is causing you health issues, you may be able to get breast surgery on the NHS.
- Risk of surgery complications: These can include infection, bleeding, build-up of blood under the skin (haematoma) or blood clots in your legs or lungs.
- Risk of problems from the surgery: These can include the risk of raised or hardened scarring, nerve damage in your nipples, or complications with breastfeeding.
- Implant complications: Breast implants come with a small risk of later complications, such as rupture or leaking, or becoming displaced.
- Need for revision surgery: Breast implants won’t last a lifetime. Some women need surgery after about 10 or 15 years.
What Does Breast Surgery Involve?
Here’s how the process typically works:
- Choose the right surgeon. Choosing the right provider or surgeon is an important step. Your surgeon should be registered with the General Medical Council (GMC), on the specialist register and have a licence to practise. Usually, cosmetic surgeons should also be members of either the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) or the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), or other professional association.
- Initial consultation: You should always have an initial consultation with the surgeon before the surgery. This should cover your goals, medical history, and the type of breast surgery you are considering. The surgeon will evaluate your needs and help determine which procedure is right for you.
- Choose the right procedure: Based on your goals and the surgeon’s recommendations, choose the breast surgery procedure that best meets your needs, whether it’s augmentation, lift, reduction, or reconstruction.
- Personalised surgical plan: The surgeon will create a customised surgical plan tailored to your body type, desired outcome, and overall health. You will also discuss implant options, incision techniques, and recovery expectations.
- Schedule the surgery: Once you’ve decided on the procedure and plan, schedule your surgery at a time that works best for you. Your clinic will provide you with pre-surgery instructions to ensure you are fully prepared.
- Undergo surgery and recovery: On the day of your surgery, you will undergo the procedure at a clinic or hospital. Recovery times vary depending on the type of surgery, but most patients can expect to return to normal activities within a few weeks. Your surgeon will provide detailed post-operative care instructions to ensure optimal healing.
If you’ve decided to have breast surgery, whether that’s augmentation, a lift, reduction or reconstruction, Clear Living can connect you with trusted surgeons and clinics. Complete our form to get matched with a leading breast surgery provider through Clear Living and take the first step towards a more confident you today.
Learn More
