Breast Augmentation – Who is an Ideal Candidate for Surgical Enhancement?

Many women consider having breast augmentation surgery. Some, upon meeting with a qualified plastic surgeon, may learn that they are not an ideal candidate for the procedure. Here are some things that a surgeon looks for when determining whether or not a patient is a good candidate for a breast augmentation surgery.

Good General Health

Ideal candidates will be in good general health. Conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes can make a patient more susceptible to complications both during the surgery and while recovering.

Patients who do have an underlying health problem may need to get a signed waiver from their doctor prior to having the breast augmentation.

Reasonably Fit

The best candidates for breast augmentation will be reasonably fit. Women that are very overweight do not make ideal candidates because they have a higher instance of problems, especially during the recovery period. That doesn’t mean that you must be at your ideal weight, but if you are very overweight, the surgeon may ask you to lose weight before agreeing to do the surgery. If you are a smoker, you will be asked to quit several weeks before the breast augmentation, because smokers typically have a longer recovery time.

Past Surgeries

If this is not your first breast augmentation, that could have an impact on your results. That is not to say that you cannot have more than one plastic surgery procedure. In fact, many women do so in order to correct problems from their first surgery, this procedure is known as breast implant revision. It is just easier to get the desired results when it is a patients’ first augmentation rather than having to first fix the mistakes of the other surgeon.

Reasons for Wanting the Surgery

The ideal candidate will want to have breast augmentation surgery because she wants to feel better about her body and improve her self-confidence. If a woman is having the surgery at the request of a husband or boyfriend, she may not be an ideal candidate.

Of course every situation is different, and these are just some of the considerations. To find out if you are an ideal candidate, you would need to go through a consultation with a qualified plastic surgeon. Even if you are not an ideal candidate, there is still a very good chance that you could achieve wonderful results. It just may take more time or an additional procedure to get the best outcome.