Breast Implants, Answered by the Surgeon

What a breast implant actually is

A breast implant is a soft shell designed to add size and shape to the breast. The shell is filled with one of two materials: saline (sterile salt water) or silicone gel. Both have been used for decades. Each has a different feel, a different failure mode, and a different set of trade-offs we walk through with you in person.

The implant sits in a pocket your surgeon creates during the procedure. That pocket lives either behind the breast tissue or behind the chest muscle. The right location depends on your anatomy — how much natural breast tissue you carry, the thickness of your soft-tissue coverage, and the shape you are hoping to achieve.

No implant lasts a lifetime. Every patient who chooses augmentation should plan on additional surgery at some point in the future, whether for replacement, removal, or revision. We discuss this timeline honestly at your consultation so there are no surprises.

How we choose size and placement together

Size selection is a conversation, not a catalog order. We evaluate your chest width, the position of your natural breast fold, your skin elasticity, and the proportions of your frame. The goal is a result that fits you — not a number on a spec sheet.

Placement behind the chest muscle can offer additional soft-tissue coverage over the implant, which matters when a patient has thinner tissue to begin with. Placement behind the breast tissue alone may be appropriate for other body types. We make this decision with you, explaining the reasoning so you understand the plan before you ever reach the operating room.

At Tulsa Surgical Arts, this sizing conversation happens in our AAAHC-accredited surgery center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Patients also travel from nearby communities such as Broken Arrow, about five miles away, and from across the country.

What happens in the operating room

The procedure begins with anesthesia to keep you comfortable. Your surgeon places the incision most commonly within the natural fold beneath the breast, keeping the resulting scar as discreet as possible. A precise pocket is then created for the implant in the location you discussed together beforehand.

Once the implant is positioned, your surgeon evaluates placement, symmetry, and overall proportion before closing the incisions in layers — typically with dissolvable sutures. Breast augmentation is an outpatient procedure. You return home the same day with detailed recovery instructions. A responsible adult must drive you home and stay with you for the first twenty-four hours.

Our surgery center includes a private overnight guest suite for patients who are traveling in or who simply prefer the added comfort of on-site observation after their procedure.

Risks we discuss before your consultation

Every surgery carries risk. We go over all of them with you in person, but here are the main ones in plain words. A firm scar shell can form around the implant — called capsular contracture. It can change the breast shape and cause discomfort. Surgery can correct it. An implant can also leak or rupture over time; broken implants are replaced or removed.

Nipple sensation can change after augmentation. It may increase, decrease, or in some cases go away. Breastfeeding may be affected for some patients. A very rare cancer of the scar tissue around certain implants has been reported. We encourage you to ask us about it at your visit.

Some patients report body-wide symptoms they associate with their implants. We take those concerns seriously and discuss them openly. Understanding risk is part of making a confident decision, and we would rather you hear it from us than piece it together online.

See real results, then schedule your visit

Our patient gallery shows real patients photographed the same way before and after surgery. You can compare outcomes from multiple surgeons on our team. These images are the most honest tool we can offer — they show what augmentation looks like on actual human frames, not idealized illustrations.

If you are considering breast implants, the next step is a consultation. We will examine your anatomy, discuss your goals, review every risk, and build a surgical plan sized to your frame and decided with you. Call 918-392-7900, text us, or book online. We look forward to the conversation.

Individual results vary. This article is general education, not medical advice.