It is the cosmetic surgical procedure by which breast augmentation is performed with implants and is addressed to women who have too small breasts. This operation can also benefit women who have undergone mastectomy or women who have breast asymmetry (those who have only too small a breast). It is the operation with the greatest positive psychological impact on women, because it helps them get a better image of themselves, increases their self-confidence.

It consists of inserting a breast implant ("prosthesis") into a space that forms under each breast (without cutting from it). The implant can be placed under the mammary gland or under the pectoralis muscle (located deeper than the gland). The incision is 4-5 cm long and is located at the lower edge of the mammary areola or in the submammary groove. The implant can be saline or silicone gel (none of which causes cancer) and can vary in shape and size. When the breasts differ in volume, implants of different volume can be inserted to create equality and achieve the best possible symmetry (perfect symmetry is impossible to achieve).

Aesthetic intervention is performed under general anesthesia, lasts 1-1.5 hours, and recovery takes place in 2-3 days.

In general, the most used breast implants are those with silicone, because they have a consistency similar to that of the breast and are more natural to the touch. The silicone used is special, it is found in many medical devices (needles, syringes, barnacles, tubes, etc.), implants used in other medical specialties (pacemaker, stent), as well as in cosmetics. Serum implants are harder, unnatural.

Breasts are swollen, there is pain (more pronounced when breast implants are inserted under the pectoralis muscle) that may require proper therapy, discomfort when mobilizing, sometimes coughing or even deeper breathing. Professional activity can be resumed after 4-7 days, but physical effort on the arms should be avoided for at least 3-4 weeks. The bra must be worn for at least a month, day and night. Then it is recommended to wear it during the day, but you can give it up for short periods of time (social events, the beach).

They occur very rarely, are common and other cosmetic operations: hemorrhage, hematoma, serum, infection, necrosis and specific: breast asymmetry (when it existed before the operation and no action was taken to correct it), changes in sensitivity of the mammary areola then when the implant is inserted through the incision at the edge of the areola, affecting the breastfeeding, the rejection reaction of the implant can occur extremely rarely.

A complication strictly related to the existence of an implant is capsular contraction, which is determined by the fact that the body responds to the existence of a foreign body (implant) by forming around it (like a capsule) a layer of fibro-connective tissue (a kind of scar) that may begin to contract and compress the implant; it resonates on the breast which changes its shape, becomes firm, and even sensitive. The problem has a solution requiring surgical sectioning of this capsule. Breast implants with polyurethane coating have appeared on the Romanian market, which have a much lower rate of capsular contracture.

Breast implants do not increase the risk of cancer.