Feeling confident in your body can have a powerful impact on how you carry yourself every day. For many women, changes in breast volume, shape, or symmetry can affect self-esteem and make it difficult to feel fully comfortable in clothing, swimwear, or intimate settings. Breast augmentation is a procedure that can increase breast volume and improve shape and proportion. Dr. Mahony directs her effort to optimizing a natural and proportionate shape.
At her boutique plastic surgery practice in Westport, CT, Dr. Ellen Mahony (opens in new tab) brings advanced surgical training and experience to a wide range of breast procedures (opens in new tab). She works closely with you to select an implant, size, placement, and surgical plan that suit your anatomy and what you want your breasts to look like.
Breast Augmentation at a Glance
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Implant brands: Dr. Mahony works with Natrelle, Mentor, and Motiva implants, giving you multiple implant lines, sizes, and profiles to consider.
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Sizing process: Implant sizing takes place in person. You’ll try on implant sizers with a bra and different tops so you and Dr. Mahony can compare options using your actual proportions rather than relying on a computer-generated 3D preview.
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Safety protocols: Dr. Mahony uses a Keller Funnel during implant placement to minimize direct contact between the implant and the skin or hands. She also uses antibiotic irrigation of the surgical pocket as part of her protocol for reducing bacterial contamination.
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Fat transfer alternative: Fat transfer can increase breast volume without an implant, but you need sufficient donor fat and some transferred fat will naturally be reabsorbed. These limitations can make it less suitable when you want a larger or more predictable increase in breast size.
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What Is Breast Augmentation?
Breast augmentation is a cosmetic surgical procedure that increases or restores breast volume while changing the shape and fullness of the breasts. The procedure is planned around your anatomy and the degree of change you want, from a relatively subtle increase to more noticeable volume.
Women consider breast augmentation for a variety of reasons, including:
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Restoring volume after pregnancy or weight loss
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Improving breast symmetry
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Increasing the size of naturally smaller breasts
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Creating greater fullness
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Improving breast and body proportions
Breast augmentation can also be combined with related procedures such as a breast lift (opens in new tab) or mommy makeover (opens in new tab) when more than one concern needs to be treated.
Benefits of Breast Augmentation
Breast augmentation can change more than breast size. Implant selection and placement also influence projection, shape, cleavage, symmetry, and the relationship between your breasts and the rest of your frame.
Potential benefits include:
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Fuller, more proportional breasts
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Improved breast symmetry
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Greater upper-breast fullness
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Changes in breast projection and shape
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Restored volume after pregnancy, weight changes, or aging
Your result depends on your existing anatomy as well as the implant selected, which is why the planning process involves more than choosing a cup size.
Breast Implant Options
There are several implant characteristics to consider when planning breast augmentation. During your consultation, Dr. Mahony will help you compare implant type, size, shape, profile, and placement based on your anatomy and preferences.
Dr. Mahony works with Natrelle, Mentor, and Motiva breast implants. Having access to multiple implant lines gives you a broader range of sizes and profiles to compare instead of limiting your surgery to one manufacturer’s options.
Common implant choices include:
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Silicone implants
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Saline implants
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Round implants
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Anatomically shaped implants
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Moderate or high-profile implants
Implants can also be positioned above or below the chest muscle. The amount of natural breast tissue you have, the position of the breasts on your chest, and the appearance you prefer can all influence which placement makes sense.
How Does In-Person Breast Implant Sizing Work?
Rather than relying on computer-generated 3D visualization to choose implant size, Dr. Mahony uses an in-person sizing process. You’ll try different implant sizers with a bra and a couple of tops so you can see how different volumes and profiles relate to your actual frame.
Trying the sizers also lets you experience differences in weight and projection while seeing how they look in clothing. You and Dr. Mahony can compare several choices together before narrowing them down to the implant characteristics that best fit your preferences.
What Safety Protocols Does Dr. Mahony Use During Implant Placement?
Dr. Mahony uses a Keller Funnel during breast implant placement. This single-use sterile insertion sleeve allows the implant to pass into the surgical pocket while minimizing direct contact with the skin and hands. This is commonly referred to as a no-touch insertion technique.
She also irrigates the implant pocket with an antibiotic solution during surgery. These steps are part of her implant-placement protocol for limiting potential bacterial contamination.
Can Fat Transfer Be Used Instead of Breast Implants?
Fat transfer breast augmentation uses fat removed from another area of your body rather than a breast implant. It can be an option when you have enough donor fat and want a relatively modest increase in breast volume.
There are important limitations. You need enough donor fat to harvest and transfer, and not all of the transferred fat will survive permanently. Some is naturally reabsorbed during healing, which makes the final amount of retained volume less predictable than the volume of a breast implant.
Fat transfer may therefore make more sense for specific targeted goals rather than substantial volume enlargeme. Someone seeking a larger increase in breast size or a specific degree of projection may be better served by implants. Dr. Mahony can compare these options with you based on the amount of change you want and whether you have sufficient donor fat.
Candidates for Breast Augmentation
You may be a candidate for breast augmentation if you:
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Feel your breasts are too small for your frame
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Have lost breast volume over time
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Notice uneven breast size or shape
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Want enhanced cleavage or fullness
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Are bothered by breast changes after pregnancy or weight loss
A private consultation with Dr. Mahony allows her to examine your anatomy, discuss what you’d like to change, and determine which surgical options make sense.
The Breast Augmentation Procedure
Breast augmentation is typically performed as an outpatient procedure under general anesthesia. During surgery, Dr. Mahony creates the planned implant pocket and places the selected implants through carefully positioned incisions.
Incision locations may include:
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Along the breast crease
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Around the areola
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Within the underarm area
The appropriate incision and implant position depend on factors such as your anatomy, implant selection, existing breast tissue, and surgical plan.
Why Choose Dr. Ellen Mahony for Breast Augmentation
Dr. Ellen Mahony (opens in new tab) is a board-certified plastic surgeon whose background includes surgical and reconstructive training as well as experience in physical therapy, public health, and microsurgery. At her boutique Westport practice, breast augmentation planning is individualized rather than based on a standard implant or predetermined size. Attention to shape, proportion and a natural look are prioritzed.
Her breast augmentation process also includes choices and surgical protocols that matter during planning and surgery. She works with many companies including Natrelle, Mentor, and Motiva implants. Implant sizing is performed with you in person- offering to you the best opportunity to see the selections you are considering! Surgical techniques which protect the implant and you include a Keller Funnel, no-touch insertion principles, and antibiotic pocket irrigation during implant placement. You’ll have an opportunity to compare these details directly with Dr. Mahony before deciding how you want to proceed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Dr. Mahony recommends giving your body time to recover before returning to strenuous activity. You’ll initially need to rest, with activity gradually increasing as healing progresses. Light, no-impact exercise such as walking, stationary cycling, or the elliptical may be possible around two weeks for some women, but your individual recovery and postoperative visits will determine when you’re cleared to increase activity.
A breast lift and breast augmentation treat different concerns. A breast lift (opens in new tab) primarily raises, snugs up loose skin and reshapes breasts that have descended. In comparison, an implant adds volume and projection.
Some women benefit from both. When the nipple and a significant amount of breast tissue sit below the breast crease, adding an implant alone may not adequately correct the sagging. Dr. Mahony can determine whether augmentation, a lift, or a combination would better fit your anatomy.
Most breast development is complete by your early 20s, although breast size and shape can continue to change throughout adulthood. Hormonal changes, pregnancy, aging, and weight fluctuations can all affect the breasts later.
Breast implants won’t prevent those future changes or stop the aging process. Dr. Mahony will discuss both your current goals and long term expetations so that the choice you make meets those expectations. There is always the possibility that you may want or need another breast procedure later in life.
Temporary changes in breast or nipple sensation can occur after breast augmentation, particularly while swelling resolves and the tissues heal. Changes can include numbness, increased sensitivity, or altered sensation.
Persistent sensation changes are possible as well. Your implant size, incision location, anatomy, and other surgical factors can influence this risk, so Dr. Mahony will discuss sensation with you as part of your preoperative planning.
Dr. Mahony prefers to size breast implants in person instead of relying on a computer-generated 3D preview. You’ll try implant sizers with a bra and different tops so you can see how several volumes and profiles relate to your actual frame.
You’ll also get a sense of the implants’ weight and projection. This gives you and Dr. Mahony a practical way to compare the options together rather than choosing an implant based on cup size alone.
Dr. Mahony works with Natrelle, Mentor, and Motiva breast implants. Each implant line includes different choices in size, profile, and other characteristics. During your consultation, she’ll help you compare the options that are appropriate for your anatomy and the type of breast shape and volume you want.
Implant placement depends on several factors, including where your breasts sit on your chest, how much natural breast tissue you have, the implant you’re considering, and the appearance you want.
An implant may be positioned beneath the chest muscle or behind the breast tissue and above the muscle. Dr. Mahony will examine you and explain the advantages and tradeoffs of the placement options that apply to you.
Discomfort after breast augmentation varies, but tightness and soreness are expected as the tissues adjust to the implants. Some women describe the feeling as similar to muscle soreness after a chest workout.
Dr. Mahony will discuss postoperative pain management and what you can expect during the early recovery period before your surgery.
Breast implants can create greater fullness and may improve the appearance of very mild sagging, but augmentation isn’t a substitute for a breast lift when significant drooping is present.
When the nipple or a substantial amount of breast tissue has fallen below the breast crease, a lift may need to be combined with augmentation. Dr. Mahony will assess nipple position, skin laxity, and breast volume before recommending one procedure or a combination.
There is more to implant selection than deciding how large you want your breasts to be. Dr. Mahony works with Natrelle, Mentor, and Motiva implants and will help you compare several characteristics, including:
- Fill: Implants may contain saline or silicone gel.
- Shape: Options can include round or anatomical shapes.
- Size: Implant volume is measured in cubic centimeters, or cc, rather than bra cup size.
- Profile: Profile determines how far an implant projects from the chest wall.
- Placement: Depending on your anatomy and goals, implants may be positioned above or below the chest muscle.
These choices work together, so two implants with the same volume can create different results depending on their profile, dimensions, and placement.
Your implant is only one part of the surgical plan. Dr. Mahony will also discuss incision placement and the position of the implant pocket.
Incisions may be placed along the breast fold, around the areola, or within the underarm crease. Implant placement may be above or below the chest muscle. Each option has different considerations, and the choices will be based on your anatomy, selected implant, and desired breast shape.
Breast Augmentation in Westport and Fairfield, CT
Breast augmentation involves several decisions, from implant manufacturer and size to placement and surgical technique. Dr. Ellen Mahony gives you the opportunity to work through those choices directly with a board-certified plastic surgeon and understand what each option could mean for your result.
To discuss breast augmentation with Dr. Mahony at her Westport, CT practice, contact us to schedule a private consultation (opens in new tab) or call 203-221-0102. Her practice serves women from Westport, Fairfield, and surrounding Connecticut communities.
