What You Need to Know

 

If you want extra large breast augmentation and you live in the UK you may decide to travel to the U.S.A to have your breast augmentation procedure. This is more likely if you want to have saline filled breast implants, overfilled beyond the breast implant manufacturer’s recommended maximum cc volume. 

 

 

International travel to the USA for fully vaccinated individuals

 

If you have had both COVID-19 vaccines, you will need to wait till 14 days after having the second COVID-19 vaccine before you are considered fully vaccinated.

If you are fully vaccinated or you were diagnosed with COVID-19 within the three months before travelling and have a negative COVID-19 test, you do not need to quarantine upon arrival into the USA.

Prior to travelling to the USA fully vaccinated people are required to have a negative COVID-19 test result no more than 3 days before travelling.

You are required to wear a mask when travelling by plane.

You will need to comply with any individual COVID-19 restrictions in the state in the USA you are visiting, you can check the state requirements at the CDC website.

 

Extra-large breast augmentation with saline filled breast implants

 

Extra large breast augmentation can be performed in various ways with different types of breast implants including:

 

Silicone or saline filled breast implants

The maximum cc volume currently available for pre manufactured, silicone or saline filled breast implants is 800cc. Bespoke, large breast implants with a greater volume of silicone or saline can be made, however, they will cost considerably more.

 

Silicone and saline filled breast implants

Mentor produce a range of breast implants in the Becker range, that contain 2 separate chambers. The largest breast implant is available is the SILTEX™ Round BECKER™ 25 Expander/ Breast Implant Cohesive I™. This breast implant consists of  a chamber filled with saline and another chamber filled with silicone. The largest breast implant volume is 1000cc compromising of, a 200cc silicone filled chamber and an empty chamber that can be filled with up to 800cc of saline. The outer shell is made from silicone and has a textured surface.

The inner chamber can be filled to the maximum of 800cc with saline in one go during a breast augmentation if your skin allows for this. If your skin can not stretch to accommodate 800cc then it can be partially filled and additional saline can be added. This is injected through a port normally located in your armpit a couple of days after the procedure, although you may need to wait longer. You may need to have saline added on multiple occasions, normally 2 days apart, to fill the saline chamber to the maximum 800cc volume. Your plastic surgeon may be willing to overfill the saline chamber, although it is unlikely, they will be prepared to fill it over 1000cc as per manufacturers instructions.

 

Saline filled breast implants

Standard saline breast implants can be overfilled to a higher cc volume, however, if they are overfilled by more than 10 percent this will void any warranty they come with. I have located plastic surgeons in the USA who seem to be willing to overfill saline implants and saline tissue expanders, often referred to as expandable breast implants to volumes as high as 3000 cc. Unless you have a lot of loose, spare skin it is likely you will need to have tissue expanders filled gradually to achieve a higher volume than 1000cc. This means you will need to remain in the USA for longer.

Although your plastic surgeon will be able to advise how many repeat appointments you may need to achieve the cc volume you desire, it is important to understand that you could need more than they expect. How often and the amount of saline that can be added will depend on how your skin and tissues respond to the tissue expander and each additional fill of saline. It is also advisable to remain in the USA for a minimum of 7 days after the port is removed when your breast implants have been filled to the desired size. This is to ensure you don’t need any additional care due to the risk of both necrosis (death of skin cells) and infection. The last thing you want is to be happy with the size of your breasts and then have to have the breast implants removed shortly after returning to the UK!

 

How big is big enough?

 

This is a question that only you can really answer, 150cc to 200cc is considered to be approximately 1 cup size. Therefore if you want to go up by 5 cup sizes you would probably need breast implants that were between a 750cc and 900cc. For example, if you are a 34 A cup and want to be a 34 E cup you will probably need a breast implant between 750cc and 900cc.

There is no definite way to know how many cup sizes a breast implant will take you and it can vary depending on your skin and breast tissue, shape of breast implant and placement option. This is one of the reasons tissue expanders may be more suitable as they can be filled and overfilled if desired (although most plastic surgeons will not overfill by more than 10%). Tissue expanders may also be required if your skin will not stretch enough to accommodate the cc volume you want. Tissue expanders enable your skin to stretch gradually to accommodate the cc volume you want when extra-large breast implants are desired.  

 

Will I need my breast implants replaced in 10 years?

 

It is generally agreed that breast implants do not need to be replaced every 10 years and many breast implant manufacturers now provide lifetime warranties. If you choose to have tissue expanders or saline breast implants overfilled, then they are far more likely to need replacing within 10 years. This is because the breast implant shell is stretched when the breast implant is overfilled with saline and this makes the breast implant weaker and more likely to rupture. The advantage of saline filled breast implants and tissue expanders is that you will know if they rupture, as your breasts will deflate relatively quickly as the saline is absorbed by your body. The main problem is if your breast implants rupture you will need to have custom made breast implants to replace the ruptured ones, or you are taking the risk of your next overfilled saline breast implants or tissue expanders rupturing. If you decide you want to have smaller breast implants you are likely to also need a breast lift to achieve a nice breast shape.

 

Why are there more risks with large breast implants?

 

        Large breast implants carry a higher risk of complications for various reasons including:

 

• When skin is overstretched it is more likely to suffer from atrophy which causes the skin to thin and eventually tear, causing breast implant extrusion.
• When skin is overstretched necrosis (death of skin cells) is more likely. Necrosis can result in breast implant extrusion or the need to remove breast implants.
• Large breast implants weigh more which can cause atrophy and the need to remove the breast implants years later.
• When saline breast implants or tissue expanders are overfilled the warranty becomes void.
• Large breast implants put extra pressure on your spine, impacting your posture and leading to problems such as slipped and compressed disks as well as neck and shoulder pain.

 

There is also a greater risk of immediate complications when breast implants or tissue expanders are overfilled. This includes a greater chance of serious complications such as haemorrhaging and, or hematomas and seromas developing.

Whatever you decide make sure you are choosing to have extra-large breast augmentation because you want to! Never be persuaded by a partner or a film company or modelling agency. Consider what you will do if you suffer from complications and need to have your breast implants removed. Do you want to risk needing extensive surgery later on in life? If it’s what you really want and you feel prepared for any risks and future complications make sure you choose a properly qualified plastic surgeon who has experience with overfilling saline breast implants or tissue expanders.

I have found a photo gallery of patients for a plastic surgeon in the U.S.A who will overfill saline breast implants up to 3000 cc. I am not recommending this surgeon and provide this link as a visual resource only.