If you are considering having implants and might want to breastfeed in the future, or you already have implants, you might be wondering whether you can breastfeed with implants. Dr. Kole hears this question frequently: it is possible for most women with breast implants to breastfeed normally. While Dr. Kole discourages getting breast augmentation surgery if you are planning on becoming pregnant in the near future, there are no risks in breastfeeding your child if you already have implants. If you are considering getting breast enhancement surgery and want to become pregnant and breastfeed in the near future, you should consult with your surgeon. Dr. Kole does not recommend undergoing breast augmentation while currently breastfeeding or pregnant.
If you are considering implants and want to breastfeed in the future, the placement of the incision should be considered carefully by you and your surgeon. Incisions around the areola may increase the risk of breastfeeding difficulties, so it is generally advised that those incisions are avoided. Because the milk ducts are connected to the nipple, any incisions near the nipple increase the risk of damage to milk ducts or nerves that are essential to breastfeeding. Dr. Kole prefers making the incision for a breast augmentation in women who plan on breastfeeding under the crease in the breast or the axilla (armpit) in order to best hide any scarring and not damage the milk ducts. For women who may breastfeed, this type of incision is the preferred method, and Dr. Kole is expert in performing this procedure with both silicone and saline implants.
It is a myth that implants will rupture and seep into the mother’s milk as they breastfeed. In fact, experts assure that there is no risk in breastfeeding with implants; both silicone and saline implants are developed to be sturdy and should not interfere with the milk ducts or other anatomy involved in breastfeeding. If you still have concerns about the material of implant in regards to breastfeeding, Dr. Kole will consult with you individually to answer your questions and guide you to pick the option that works best for you.
Dr. Kole reminds all of his patients considering breast augmentation that pregnancy and breastfeeding can change the shape and volume of the breasts. If you have breast implants and then breastfeed, the breasts will naturally stretch a bit depending on the post pregnancy increase in size of your breasts, weight gain, and the length of time you decided to breastfeed.
If you elect to defer your augmentation until after you have completed your children and breastfeeding, then depending on the looseness of the skin, some patients will choose a large implant to fill up the volume of the breast. This implant can be inserted with a minimal scar, but this procedure will leave the patients a large final breast size as all the lax skin needs to be completely filled with breast implant or misshapen droopy breasts will result. For some women, this volume to fill up the breast will result in a final breast size that will be too large for their frame. These women elect to have a breast augmentation and a breast lift together, in order to improve the consistency, aesthetic, and position of the breast after childbirth. In this procedure an implant is placed that can vary in volume and the remaining breast tissue is repositioned over the implant to achieve the new and improved breast size and shape. In the breast implant and breast lift combination procedure, the final breast size is not determined by the breasts laxity but by the final volume of breast volume (breast implant volume plus breast tissue volume)
If you elect to become pregnant or nurse after getting implants, you might consider a breast lift or upgrading your implant size surgery post-pregnancy.
For a complimentary private consultation with Kole Plastic Surgery to discuss which option is best for you call 215-315-7655 .
