Breast Augmentation

Richmond and Arlington, Virginia; Annapolis and Baltimore, Maryland; Washington DC

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Inframammary Incision

In making decisions about your breast augmentation procedure, one of the more difficult ones can be deciding on a surgical incision site. It's not something most of us are used to thinking about, and it can be hard to weigh the options and decide which one is best. Most of the time, we are used to doctors making this type of decision for us. The information on this page can serve as a basic primer, but is not enough to really make an informed decision and cannot be customized to your situation.

The best way to decide which incision is right for your breast augmentation is to have a personal consultation with one of the experienced surgeons at the Austin-Weston Center for Cosmetic Surgery. You will get expert guidance that will help you make the decision that is best for achieving the results you desire. To talk about your surgical options, please call or email us today for a consultation.

Breast Augmentation Incision Options

There are three incisions commonly used for breast augmentation:

• At the breast crease (inframammary)
• At the edge of the areola (periareolar)
• In the armpit (transaxillary)

The inframammary incision is the most common, being preferred by doctors and patients alike.

Inframammary Incision Advantages

The inframammary incision has a number of advantages, including:

• Gives best visualization of breast tissue
• Allows for quicker procedures
• Easy to make longer incision for insertion of silicone breast implants
• Less likelihood of complications
• Incision site typically well-concealed

For these reasons, many women and plastic surgeons prefer the inframammary incision. Most breast augmentations are performed using inframammary incisions.

Inframammary Incision Disadvantages

There are no real disadvantages of the inframammary incision, but it is not right for every woman. If you have a small amount of natural breast tissue, it may be harder to conceal the inframammary incision site. However, the periareolar incision site is naturally concealed in the change in color and height from the areola to the breast skin. Also, there may be a possibility to use the transaxillary (armpit) incision for women who want breast augmentation that will leave minimal scars.

To learn more about all your options for breast augmentation surgery, please call or email the Austin-Weston Center for Cosmetic Surgery today.