In today's figure conscious society, greater attention is directed towards size and shape. Breast augmentation is the most popular cosmetic procedure requested by women. It involves an operation where artificial means are used to increase the size and/ or improve the shape of the breasts. Estimates suggest that over 3 million women have had breast implants in the last 35 years, and each year tens of thousands of women continue to have breast augmentation surgery. Many women consider having breast augmentation to improve their size or shape because they think the breasts are too small, uneven in size or shape, or unattractive. Some women have breasts that do not fully develop or have significantly changed in size or shape after pregnancy, weight change or aging.

The decision to undergo breast augmentation should be a personal one and not to please someone else. As with any cosmetic procedure, breast augmentation will not resolve any of life's major problems, but may help to boost a patient's own body image and self-esteem. All the potential benefits will be discussed and assessed at the time of your consultation.

These days a woman wishing to have a breast augmentation has a number of options and choices open to her. These should allow her to achieve the appearance and result that she wants. Some of these choices and options are: implant type, size, placement as well as incision.

Do Breast Implants cause Breast Cancer?
There is no evidence that silicone in breast implants causes cancer in humans.

Does a Breast Augmentation affect the means to detect Cancer?

Perhaps the most significant concern over breast implants is the possibility of delayed detection of breast cancer with silicone and saline filled breast implants. Both of these are radiopaque, meaning the implants obstruct the breast tissue viewing to varying degrees on mammogram. Mammography techniques however have improved over the last few years enabling the radiographer to minimize the amount of breast that is hidden by the implant. It is important however to realize that 10-20% of breast cancers are invisible to x-ray, and therefore most breast cancers are still being discovered by self or physical examinations. In this respect, interestingly enough, some clinicians feel that the implant can actually increase the ease of palpation.

A woman with breast implants should be on the same schedule of routine mammography as all other women. The radiographer should be informed that she has implants and therefore special displacement (Eklund) views will be required for proper radiological evaluation.

In conclusion, implants make the job of the radiologist more difficult but they do not prevent him from carrying it out.