There are lots of reasons why women consider having breast augmentation surgery. Many tell us they just want to be able to buy a bathing suit that fits!
Despite some Hollywood stereotypes, the majority of women we see for breast augmentation in our Knoxville practice increase from one to two cup sizes to obtain the flattering figure they always wanted. Some come to us after they have had children and lost their breast size after breastfeeding. Others want to lift and reshape along with the enlargement.
You may not be surprised to learn that breast augmentation is our most popular plastic surgery procedure. Actually, over 220 women from Johnson City, Cookeville, Cleveland, and beyond chose to have Dr. Reath perform their breast augmentation surgery in Knoxville, TN, last year. They had lots of questions about breast augmentation that you might be wondering about as well.
One thing that nearly everyone asks is how much breast implants cost, so we include our surgery prices right here on our website. Amazing, right? Here’s what you’ll want to know: The cost of a breast augmentation with Dr. Reath includes both surgical and anesthesia fees, breast implants, post-surgical bra, our exclusive recovery kit, and all follow-up visits.
Implant Type
Cost
Discount Price
Saline Implants
$4,965
$4,716
Silicone Gel Implants
$5,965
$5,666
SoftTouch Silicone Gel Implants
$6,465
$6,141
Discount: Great news! For our patients who would like to pay with wire transfer or check instead of financing, we offer a 5% discount.
How Do I Know If I Need Breast Augmentation or a Breast Lift?
An important thing to realize about breast augmentation pricing- It is possible that during your consultation Dr. Reath may recommend a breast lift along with your augmentation to achieve a pleasing shape and perkiness. It happens most frequently with women who have had children, but not always.
Standing in front of a mirror, look at your nipples in relation to the natural crease of your breasts. If your nipples are lower than your breast crease before surgery, adding implants without removing excess skin will make them more saggy. (Sad, but true.)
If this sounds like you, you may also want to look at the breast lift procedure page for before and after photos. The pictures give you a better idea of when a breast lift is needed and the great results when performed along with a breast augmentation.
Breast lift pricing ranges from around $6,200 to $8,600 depending on the amount of skin to be removed and the type of implant you choose. Silicone implants cost more than saline.
Can Breast Augmentation Address Breast Asymmetry?
It is normal for women to have one breast that is slightly larger than the other; however, there are many women who suffer from severe breast asymmetry. Feeling self-conscious is common. Finding clothes that fit is a major problem. (Imagine the difficulty picking out a wedding dress.) The good news is that breast asymmetry can be corrected. Breast augmentation on one side and/or a breast lift on the other side can be performed to even out the size and shape of the breasts. Here are photos of how Dr. Reath can correct breast asymmetry.
David B. Reath, MD
Board-certified plastic surgeon David B. Reath, MD is renowned for his surgical skills and his commitment to public education. Practicing in Knoxville, Tennessee since 1986, his personal approach with patients is what truly sets him apart.
Before and After Breast Augmentation- She is 5' and weighs 102. Here is a 22-year-old athlete who wanted larger breasts but did not want them to interfere with her active lifestyle. After working with sizers, she chose 325cc saline implants which Dr. Reath placed underneath her chest muscles. She is pictured here 6 months later and is very pleased... Read More
Before and After Breast Augmentation (Saline): She is 5’7” and weighs 129. Here is a 25-year-old woman who wanted to increase her breast size. She had one child but did not have any skin laxity in her breasts which would require a breast lift. She chose 350cc saline breast implants which Dr. Reath placed below her chest muscles.... Read More
Before and After Breast Augmentation (Saline): She is 5’6” and weighs 130 pounds. Here is a 37-year-old mom who was not happy with the loss of volume in her breasts after having kids. She did not breast feed and was lucky not to have any sagging to be corrected. After working with sizers she liked the look of 350cc saline breast implants... Read More
She is 5'7" and weighs 138 pounds. Here is a 32-year-old woman who came to our office unhappy with her small breasts. Dr. Reath performed a breast augmentation using 390cc saline breast implants, which he inflated to 450cc. They were placed underneath her chest muscles and she is pictured here six months after her surgery. Read More
Before and After Breast Augmentation (Saline): She is 5’4” and weighs 130 pounds. Here is a 33-year-old mom who had always been unhappy with the size of her chest. After working with breast implant sizers she chose 350cc saline implants. Because she had a modest amount of natural breast tissue and she wanted saline implants, Dr. Reath placed... Read More
She is 5'4" and weighs 131 pounds. Here is a 30-year-old mom who was unhappy with the loss of volume in her breasts after breast feeding. Dr. Reath used 350cc saline implants which were inflated to 400cc and placed underneath her chest muscles. She is very pleased with the size and shape of her new breasts. Read More
She is 5'5" and weighs 123 pounds. After having two children, she came to us and wanted to increase her breasts to the size they were when she was pregnant. She wanted saline implants with a peri-areolar incision rather than the sub-mammary incision which the majority of our patients prefer. Dr. Reath used 300cc Mentor saline breast implants... Read More
Before and After Breast Augmentation (Saline)- She is 5’4” and weighs 144 pounds. Here is a 50-year-old woman who had always been small breasted and became even more so after she had her children. She told us she wanted her breasts to be a “normal size and shape”. After working with sizers, she chose 350cc implants... Read More
The good news is that breast augmentation is an outpatient procedure and does not involve an overnight stay in the hospital. The entire operation is done under general anesthesia and takes about an hour. At the end of the operation, patients are placed in a special bra to support their breasts. After recovery from the anesthesia, they go home in the care of their family.
Breast Augmentation Recovery
Helping our patients manage a speedy recovery is one of our primary missions. Here is a general timeline of what to expect during recovery and the related restrictions:
Sleep on your side or stomach (if desired): 2 weeks
Resume swimming, baths, hot tubs: 2 weeks
Wear surgical bra for one week. Wear whatever is comfortable after that.
Wear underwire bra (if desired): 6+ weeks
Resume activity:
Slow walking: 1 week
Weight lifting: 2+ weeks
Running & strenuous activities: 6 to 8 weeks
Achieve final results: 3 months
Because patient experiences vary, it is important to check with Dr. Reath before resuming any activities.
Breast Augmentation Recovery Kits
Our Surgical Recovery Kits are a great personal touch. Patients tell us that the recovery kits we include with their surgeries are an area that really sets us apart. Each recovery kit contains items hand-picked to make your recovery faster and more pleasant. We put together everything you’ll need after surgery so you don’t have to. People who have had surgery with other doctors are amazed that we include these kits at no charge for all of our surgery patients.
New! We now include medical-grade silicone shapes (which are medically proven to aid in healing and reduce the appearance of scars) in all of our breast augmentation recovery kits.
Breast Implant Sizers: The Best Part of Your Consultation
During your consultation with Dr. Reath, you’ll be able to try on breast implant sizers in order for Dr. Reath to understand the results you want to achieve. Our patients say it is very helpful to them to visualize the way different implants will look and feel in their favorite clothes. We find that taking the extra time to work with breast implant sizers is far more helpful to patients than a computer imaging program like VECTRA which we don’t use. If you’re curious about computer imaging versus sizers, Dr. Reath wrote a blog about it:
Why Sizers Are Better Than VECTRA For Choosing Your Breast Implant Size
Without a doubt the most important question in the mind of women anticipating breast enlargement is what they will look like with a certain size implant. And, therefore, the choice of implant size is critical to being happy with the final result of your surgery. I mean, let’s face it: that’s what it’s all about. … Read more »
Your Breast Implant Choices
Some of the breast implants Dr. Reath uses are filled with a saline solution (saltwater) and can be placed either over or under the chest muscle wall. However, 98% of our patients are choosing silicone breast implants which are now available. Silicone breast implants have a much more natural feel to them and are among the most studied devices in medical history.
Saline breast implants are FDA-approved for breast augmentation in women 18 years or older and silicone breast implants are FDA-approved for augmentation in women 22 years and older. You can read more about silicone implants and the new SoftTouch highly cohesive gel implants (gummy bear breast implants) on the silicone breast implant page.
Breast Augmentation Incision Sites
Dr. Reath mainly uses the inframammary incision placement (along the underside of the breast) for breast augmentation surgeries that don’t involve a breast lift. This allows the best view of the implant pocket for the plastic surgeon and makes the scar much less noticeable because it lies in the natural crease of the breast. It is by far the most common incision site used in breast augmentation.
Dr. Reath never uses the trans-axillary incision (under the arm) or the trans-umbilical incision (through the belly button). These techniques are not recommended by breast implant manufacturers either. We have more information about breast implant incision placement in our eBook or you can check out Dr. Reath’s blog:
Breast Augmentation: The Incision Decision
There are many important questions to answer and decisions to be made when considering breast augmentation. Such as saline or silicone? Over or under the muscle? What size implant? And, where to place the incision. This last question is one that I have been asked a lot, but as of yet I havent explained my … Read more »
Commonly Combined Procedures
Many women optimize their surgical results by combining breast augmentation with other plastic surgery procedures. Popular options include:
Combining breast and body procedures, often called a Mommy Makeover, improves multiple areas with a single surgery and recovery period.
How Long Do Breast Implants Last?
Another question we hear all the time is about how long breast implants last before they need to be replaced. Many people are under the mistaken impression that breast implants need to be switched out every so often like getting your oil changed in your car. This is actually not true. The number of wrong answers on a recent Truth-O-Meter Tuesday question showed how many people are confused by this.
Basically, if you are not having any problems with your implants, there is no need to replace them. In fact, the most common reason to replace breast implants seems to be when women change their mind about their breast size. Here Dr. Reath explains more:
Guess who the American Society of Plastic Surgeons interviewed when they produced their podcast on breast augmentation?
Dr. Reath and one of his patients! If you or someone you know is considering breast augmentation, you’ll want to hear the “Today in Plastic Surgery” podcast. Click on the podcast icon to listen.
In this 20-minute podcast:
Dr. Reath discusses various breast augmentation options, what to expect during the consultation with your surgeon, and safety and recovery issues to consider.
A patient of Dr. Reath’s describes her reasons for having the procedure, how she prepared for her consultation, and how long it took to return to her normal daily routine.
Have a question about breast augmentation?Ask Dr. Reath.
The Latest Breast Implants Posts from Dr. Reath's Blog
Important Letter From Dr. Reath
From the Blog
For the last 35 years, I have enjoyed the practice of plastic surgery in Knoxville, Tennessee. It is my pleasure and privilege to have been entrusted with your care. In order for my practice to move ahead, I am partnering with a group of plastic surgeons in Charlotte, whom I respect and admire. This change … Read more »
My Top 10 Most Important Blog Posts (So Far)
From the Blog
Back in November of 2009, I started my Facebook page, got my first smartphone, and wrote my first blog post. Since then, we have been honored with over 11,500 facebook fans, and our practice YouTube channel has 276 videos with over 950,000 views. Pretty amazing, right? Now, twelve years later, I have written over 300 blog … Read more »
3 Ways I Have Made My Breast Lifts Better
From the Blog
As I continue to practice plastic surgery, I look for ways to improve the operations I have been doing for years to achieve better results. One such procedure is the breast lift (mastopexy), most often using breast implants (augmentation mastopexy). Several aspects of how I perform a breast augmentation and lift at my Knoxville, TN, … Read more »
There are lots of reasons why women consider having breast augmentation surgery. Many tell us they just want to be able to buy a bathing suit that fits!
Dr. Reath mainly uses the inframammary incision placement (along the underside of the breast) for breast augmentation surgeries that don’t involve a breast lift. This allows the best view of the implant pocket for the plastic surgeon and makes the scar much less noticeable because it lies in the natural crease of the breast. It is by far the most common incision site used in breast augmentation.
