Pregnancy changes your breasts. Another pregnancy will change them even more. No other 9 months period will change a healthy woman’s body so rapidly and usually to the worse compared to the ideal body appearance according to our culture.
Why then will so many frown upon women who consider breast augmentation after pregnancy? Beats me!
Sure we all should learn to love our bodies just the way they are, but a poochy belly and deflated breasts, both covered with stretch marks are not much fun. My opinion is that everyone has the right to decide for themselves. Love and accept your body the way it t, or do something about it.
This article is for all women who consider breast augmentation after pregnancy and who wish to understand the differences between different methods and expected results.
A few things to consider before scheduling a consultation for a breast augmentation after pregnancy:
- Allow at least 6 months after giving birth and quitting breastfeeding before you evaluate the appearance of your breasts. After 6 months, the breast tissue will have taken as much as it will of its earlier fullness and appearance.
- Wait until you think that you are done with having children. Each pregnancy will affect your breasts, so there really is not much point with spending your savings on implants if you are planning for another pregnancy. (Some of the temporary solutions, such as Macrolane, can of course be used between pregnancies.)
- Remember that it is the pregnancies, not the breastfeeding that make your breasts saggy. You can read about the connection between pregnancies, breastfeeding, and saggy breasts here. That said, the breasts will not start gaining their regular shape back until after weaning, so right after your breastfeeding stopped, your breasts will not have recovered at all.
- If all you want is to feel that you are not alone in your misery, then reading all the comments to this article about the post-pregnancy breasts is definitely going to help!
Guide To Breast Augmentation After Pregnancy
- Breast Lift And Breast Implants
- Fat Injections
- Macrolane Fill
- Brava Breast Enhancement
- Breast Enlargement Pills
Breast Lift And Breast Implants
PinWhen you consider breast surgery, you’ll need to decide on type of implants, placement of the implants and whether to do a breast lift at the same time. You also need to accept the general risks of surgery and anesthetic, reduced sensation in your nipples, hematomas, capsular contracture and discomfort. Worth it or not? Your choice!
Breast implants can be done with our without a breast lift. If your breasts are only a bit droopy and the nipple is not too low, you can do an implant without a lift.
The picture to the left shows silicon implants.
PinA breast lift without implants, as shown in the picture to the left, will bring your nipple back up and tighten the breast tissue somewhat. This can be a great option for someone who still has breasts, but they sag. For those of use with deflated breasts, this is not likely to be a great solution. Also, the upper area of the breast will not improve by this.
A combination of a breast lift and implants will result in the most dramatic improvement, should you need it. The shape, size, fullness and nipple location will all improve.
Fat Injections
PinA new, less invasive, but also less known and researched option is breast augmentation with fat injections. With this method no general anesthetic is needed. The doctor uses liposuction to take fat from your belly or thighs, for example, and insert it to your breasts.
Sounds like a dream come true for anyone with the ordinary post-pregnancy body; poochy belly and deflated breasts…
So what are the drawbacks?
First of all, since this is a fairly new method, the long-term effects of it have not been researched. Some doctors raise concerns for cancer, calcification, and that the fat is reabsorbed by the body. The cancer risk is the most alarming, of course. This has not been confirmed in any way, but some doctors mean that since stem cells are injected into the breasts, this could speed up the biological process for anyone susceptible to breast cancer.
The advantages of this procedure are many. You get rid of belly fat. You don’t put foreign substances in your body. Breastfeeding is not likely to be affected, nor your nipple sensation. Since the mom’s own fat is used, the risk of an allergic reaction is minimal. Finally surgical fat transfer is certainly not a new procedure for reconstructions; it was developed already in the 19th century. It is the use of it for breast enhancement that is new.
If I was considering breast augmentation, this is definitely one method I would ask the doctors about.
Macrolane Fill
PinYet not available in the US, European women are increasingly using Macrolane fillers for instant breast enhancement. This is a fairly new method and not a permanent solution. Macrolane was developed by Swedish scientists as derma filler especially for breast augmentation. It requires only local anesthetic, the effect is immediate and the healing takes no time.
Drawbacks – well, if you live in the US for example, you’ll have to plan for a trip. The method is quite expensive – almost as breast implants, although the price is coming down – and you’ll need continuous top-ups, probably at least once per year. (A top up is less expensive, though.) It is not clear whether this method will ever be approved by FDA in US. There have been reports of difficulties reading mammograms for patients who have had a Macrolane breast augmentation carried out, which of course is a serious drawback of the method!
The advantages are that the substance is quite natural and the incidences of allergic reactions are few. Some women really like the fact that this is a temporary solution too, if they can afford it. Less risks for infections, not problems with breastfeeding or nipple sensations. The breasts will also feel and look much more natural than with implants. But if your breasts are extremely deflated, this method may not work. It requires some breast tissue to look good.
Brava Breast Enhancement
Have you heard of Brava Breast Enhancement? This involves enlarging the breasts by using vacuum pressure. It is supposed to be harmless and without side effects – except maybe for the slight embarrassment of using this device; it isn’t exactly invisible. I can’t even imagine how I would explain to my daughter that I need to suck my breasts larger… That’s a tough one!
It works by vacuum pressure signaling to the breast cells that they need to multiply. You need to use the device 10 hours per day during 10 weeks to achieve a half-cup increase. But then the result is permanent. A lot cheaper and less invasive than implants or fat injections and cheaper and more permanent than Macrolane. Maybe the perfect solution for someone who mainly works at home, and have young or old enough children to not care about mom’s weird bra.
The Brava device is FDA-licensed.
Breast Enlargement Pills
This is one method for breast augmentation after pregnancy that I am very skeptical about. Breast enhancement pills generally contain estrogen-compounds that are meant to trigger growth of new breast tissue. I find it a scary to play with estrogen since it is known to increase the risk of cancer for women who use it to mitigate menopausal symptoms.
I have searched high and low for research confirming both the effectiveness and the safety of using breast enhancement pills, there really seem to be none published. So even if this is a non-invasive and therefore tempting method, I would think twice before trying it. Who knows what it triggers in your body (if anything)?! So at least when it comes to estrogen-based pills; save your money for one of the other methods instead.
There is, however, one type of pill that is making me slightly interested. It is a progesterone-based pill, called Bountiful Breast. Progesterone is involved in breast growth, as well as in your menstrual cycle; being the dominant hormone during the second part of your cycle. Progesterone then trigger the growth of your milk glands to prepare for pregnancy.
I think it is fair to say that if anything, progesterone based breast enhancement pills are likely to be a lot safer to use than estrogen-based pills. Whether they work or not? I have no idea! If you try – please let us know the results! You can visit the website of Boutiful Breasts here.
You should know, though, that the impact of progesterone in our bodies is not fully understood yet. I would certainly hold off any breast enhancement pills until after breastfeeding and probably also after having already given birth to as many children as I think that I want to in the foreseeable future.
More about the Body Afer Baby
- What happened to my post-pregnancy breasts?
- Your post-pregnancy body – what you don’t want to know
- Safe and sensible post-pregnancy exercising
Image courtesy Macrolane image: Angelica Kavouni at Cosmetic Solutions
Paula Dennholt founded Easy Baby Life in 2006 and has been a passionate parenting and pregnancy writer since then. Her parenting approach and writing are based on studies in cognitive-behavioral models and therapy for children and her experience as a mother and stepmother. Life as a parent has convinced her of how crucial it is to put relationships before rules. She strongly believes in positive parenting and a science-based approach.
Paula cooperates with a team of pediatricians who assist in reviewing and writing articles.
