Questions to Ask About Breast Augmentation
Questions to take to a consultation about breast augmentation, for anyone working out what to ask a plastic surgeon before getting breast implants. They cover the surgeon's training and case volume, implant choice and placement, risks and revision rates, total cost, what to sort out before the day, recovery, and follow-up care.
The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Are you board certified in plastic surgery, and by which board?
Why ask it
Certification is not the same as a license to practice, and titles such as cosmetic surgeon are not restricted in many places. Ask which board, then verify it yourself. A surgeon used to the question will give you the details without hesitation.
How many breast augmentations do you perform in a year?
Why ask it
This operation involves many small technical decisions, and volume affects them. A surgeon doing a handful a year alongside unrelated work is a different proposition from one operating weekly, whatever the credentials show.
Given my measurements and what I have described wanting, what would you recommend, and why?
Why ask it
This moves the conversation from a catalogue of options to your case. Notice whether the recommendation refers to your tissue, your frame, and your stated goal, or repeats a plan that would suit anyone.
Which implant would you use for me, and why that type and shape?
Why ask it
The choice between saline and silicone changes how a rupture would show itself, how the implant feels, and what monitoring you need afterwards. A surgeon with a firm preference should still be able to explain why it fits your case.
Would the implant sit above or below the muscle for me, and what does that change?
Why ask it
Placement affects the shape when you move, how much pain to expect in the first week, and how the implant appears on a mammogram. Ask for the trade-off in your situation rather than a general description of both.
Where would the incision be, and what does that scar look like a year later?
Why ask it
The incision determines where the scar sits and can affect sensation and later access to the implant. Ask to see scars photographed at twelve months rather than at six weeks, because they continue to change for a year or more.
What size does my tissue actually support, and what happens if I go larger than that?
Why ask it
Implants heavier than the skin and tissue can carry lead to thinning, visible edges, and further surgery. A surgeon willing to decline a size is telling you something useful about their judgement.
Can I see before and after photographs of patients who started with a similar shape to mine?
Why ask it
Only photographs of comparable starting anatomy predict anything about your result. A gallery of dissimilar bodies, or one that shows only the best outcomes, is advertising rather than evidence.
What complications have your own patients had, and how often?
Why ask it
General risk lists are available anywhere. What you want is this surgeon's own record of infection, bleeding, asymmetry, and reoperation. Anyone who says they have never had a complication is either newly qualified or not answering the question.
How long do implants last in practice, and what usually prompts the next operation?
Why ask it
Implants are not lifetime devices, and the answer sets your expectations for future cost and time off work. What typically triggers a second operation is more informative than an average lifespan figure.
What is capsular contracture, how likely is it in my case, and what is done about it?
Why ask it
Scar tissue tightening around an implant is one of the more common reasons for further surgery and it can be painful. Ask how they assess your risk and what treatment would involve, including whether the implant would need replacing.
How might this affect sensation, and is that change usually permanent?
Why ask it
Altered nipple and skin sensation is common early on and sometimes lasting. Ask what proportion of their patients report a permanent change, since this is a part of the outcome that is easy to leave undiscussed until afterwards.
If I want to breastfeed in future, how does this affect that?
Why ask it
Feeding after augmentation is often possible, but incision site and implant placement affect the odds. Raise it before the surgical plan is settled rather than after, because it may change which approach is chosen.
How will this change my breast screening?
Why ask it
Implants can obscure part of the breast tissue on a mammogram, so extra views or different imaging may be needed. Ask what to tell the person performing your screening and when routine screening should resume after surgery.
Who gives the anesthesia, and where would the operation take place?
Why ask it
Anesthesia and facility standards affect your safety more than most patients expect. Ask whether the anesthesia is given by a physician anesthesiologist or a nurse anesthetist, whether the facility is accredited, and what the arrangement is for transfer to a hospital.
What does the quoted price include, and what is not in it?
Why ask it
Quotes often exclude the anesthesia fee, the facility fee, garments, medication, and follow-up visits. Ask for a written total, and ask what happens to your deposit if you postpone or cancel.
If a second operation is needed, who pays for it?
Why ask it
Revision policies vary widely and are rarely volunteered. Get in writing who covers the surgeon's fee, the facility, and the anesthesia in that situation, and whether the policy expires after a set period.
Once I have had this consultation, how long can I take to decide, and how long does the quote stand?
Why ask it
A practice that is happy for you to go away and think is not selling. Some places set a minimum wait between the consultation and the operation, so ask how it works where you are being treated.
Will I see you again before the day of surgery, and can the plan still change at that appointment?
Why ask it
A second visit is where the size, the incision and the consent form get settled after you have slept on the first conversation. If the next time you would meet the surgeon is on the morning of the operation, ask why.
What tests or checks do you need from me before you would operate?
Why ask it
Depending on your age and health, a surgeon may want blood work, a baseline mammogram or a note from your own doctor. Hearing the list early keeps a missing result from moving your date, and shows which costs sit outside the quote.
What do I need to stop or change in the weeks before getting the implants?
Why ask it
Smoking, some medicines and some supplements can affect bleeding and healing, and the instructions differ from one practice to the next. Ask for them in writing with dates, and mention everything you take, including what you buy without a prescription.
What do the first two weeks look like, day by day?
Why ask it
A day-by-day account is harder to keep vague than a general statement that recovery takes a few weeks. It also lets you arrange help for the days when reaching above your head will be difficult.
What are the restrictions on lifting, exercise, and sleeping position, and when does each one lift?
Why ask it
These restrictions decide whether you can work, drive, carry a child, or train, and they are what patients most often underestimate. Write down the date each one ends rather than relying on memory afterwards.
If I am worried at night or at the weekend, who do I call?
Why ask it
Postoperative worry rarely arrives during office hours. Ask for the actual out-of-hours arrangement, who covers when your surgeon is away, and how quickly a call is returned, then keep the number somewhere easy to find.
Will I get to try sizers in a bra or see a 3D simulation before I commit to a size?
Why ask it
Seeing volume on your own body prevents the most common regret, which is going too small or too large. It also gives you and the surgeon a shared reference instead of vague words like natural or full.
Do I need a lift as well as an implant to get the shape in the photos I brought?
Why ask it
An implant adds volume but does very little to raise the nipple. If your goal photos actually require a lift, hearing that now avoids paying twice and being disappointed at the six week mark.
What are the alternatives, including a different procedure or doing nothing, and why do you recommend implants for me?
Why ask it
A surgeon comfortable discussing alternatives, including declining to operate, is giving you an assessment rather than a sale. This is also the point to raise fat transfer or a lift if either has been mentioned.
Would you use a smooth or textured shell, and what do you tell patients about the lymphoma linked to textured implants?
Why ask it
Textured surfaces have been associated with a rare cancer of the immune system, BIA-ALCL, and one widely used textured line was pulled from the market worldwide in 2019. You want a surgeon who raises this without prompting and can say plainly why they are choosing the shell they are choosing.
Which implant brand and model will you use, and what does the manufacturer warranty actually cover?
Why ask it
Warranties differ on rupture, capsular contracture and whether they contribute anything toward surgical costs. You should also leave surgery with a device card recording your implant serial numbers for future care.
How do you counsel patients about BIA-ALCL and about the symptoms people describe as breast implant illness?
Why ask it
These are the risks patients read about most, so the answer shows whether the surgeon engages with current evidence or waves you off. Listen for texture-specific risk, which symptoms to report, and what they do when a patient reports them.
Where will the surgery take place, and is that facility accredited?
Why ask it
Operations happen in hospitals, licensed surgery centres and office-based suites, and the oversight differs. Ask what the plan is if something goes wrong during surgery in that setting, including which hospital you would be transferred to and whether the surgeon has admitting privileges there.
What pain control do you use afterward, and for how long?
Why ask it
Plans vary from opioids to long-acting local anesthetic and non-opioid regimens. If you have a history of substance use, chronic pain, or a bad reaction to opioids, this is the conversation where you say so.
After surgery, what should make me call you rather than wait for my follow-up appointment?
Why ask it
You want a short list you can remember while groggy: sudden swelling on one side, fever, a spreading red patch, drainage, calf pain, shortness of breath. Ask who answers the phone at night and on weekends, because that detail decides how the first bad night actually goes.
What is your reoperation rate, and what are the usual reasons?
Why ask it
Reoperation is the outcome most people underestimate. Ask how many of their patients return to the operating room within a few years and why, separating problems from patients who simply wanted a different size.
What long-term imaging do you recommend to check the implants, and starting when?
Why ask it
The FDA recommends periodic ultrasound or MRI to look for a silent rupture of silicone gel implants, so this is a lifelong commitment of appointments and out of pocket cost that insurance often will not cover. A surgeon who has no schedule to give you has not thought past the first year.
If I get pregnant, breastfeed, or my weight moves twenty pounds either way, what happens to this result?
Why ask it
Pregnancy and weight change stretch tissue while the implant stays the same, so the breast can drop around it. If children are in your plans, timing and technique are worth deciding now rather than after.
If I decide in ten years that I want the implants out, what does that surgery involve and what would my breasts look like afterward?
Why ask it
Augmentation is a commitment to long term maintenance, not a one time purchase. A surgeon willing to describe explant honestly, including skin laxity and whether a lift would be needed, is giving you the whole picture.
Is there anything I have said I want that surgery will not deliver?
Why ask it
This is the question that separates a consultation from a sales appointment. A surgeon who cannot name a single limit on the result has not been listening, or does not intend to.
Is there anything about my anatomy, health or expectations that would make you tell me to wait or to say no?
Why ask it
This invites the surgeon to act as a doctor rather than a salesperson. Smoking, unstable weight, very thin tissue and unrealistic goal photos are all genuine reasons to pause, and a surgeon who never turns anyone away is a warning sign.
Before Getting Breast Implants: Preparing for the Consultation
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before the consultation
Write your questions down and take notes
Consultations are short and often emotional, and much of what is said will not be retained. A written list keeps the appointment on your agenda, and notes let you compare two surgeons on the same points afterwards.
Describe the result you want in words, not a cup size
Cup sizes vary between manufacturers and say little about shape or projection. Describing how you want to look in clothing, and bringing photographs of results you like, gives the surgeon something specific to respond to.
See more than one surgeon
A second consultation costs a fee and an afternoon, and it is the most reliable way to tell a considered recommendation from a standard one. If two surgeons propose different plans, ask each what they think of the other approach.
Bring someone with you
A second person remembers different things, notices sales pressure you may miss, and can ask the question you decided not to. They will also be the one helping you in the first week.
Signs to take seriously
- A discount that expires if you do not book at the consultation.
- Reluctance to discuss complication rates, or a claim of having had none.
- Photographs of results but none of scars or of patients built like you.
- A quote that is not itemized, or a refusal to put the revision policy in writing.
- Anesthesia or facility arrangements that are described vaguely.
- Being seen mainly by a coordinator or salesperson rather than the surgeon who would operate.
Common pitfalls
Choosing on price
Costs differ largely because of surgeon experience, anesthesia provider, and facility standards, which are the parts that affect safety. If a quote is far below others, ask specifically what is different about those three things.
Deciding during a period of upheaval
A decision taken during a breakup, a bereavement, or a stressful year is harder to assess clearly, and elective surgery will still be available in six months. Surgeons who raise this with you are doing their job rather than putting you off.
Planning the surgery but not the recovery
Arrange time off, someone to drive you home, help with lifting, and food that requires no reaching before the date is booked. Recovery is the part that most often goes badly when it has not been planned.