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. Many women from Johnson City, Cookeville, Cleveland, and beyond choose Dr. Reath or Dr. Walker to perform their breast augmentation surgery in Knoxville, TN. They had lots of questions about breast augmentation that you might be wondering about as well.
Breast Augmentation Cost in Knoxville, TN
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 includes both surgical and anesthesia fees, breast implants, a post-surgical bra, our exclusive recovery kit, and all follow-up visits.
Implant Type
Cost
Discount Price
Saline Implants
$4,989
$4,800
Silicone Gel Implants
$5,989
$5,750
SoftTouch Silicone Gel Implants
$6,489
$6,225
Discount: Great news! For our patients who would like to pay with a wire transfer or check instead of financing, we offer a 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 or Dr. Walker 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 $6,300 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 our surgeons can correct breast asymmetry.
Dr. Reath & Dr. Walker
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. He is proud to welcome Jessica V. Walker, MD to the practice.
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&... Read More
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 ver... 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 p... 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 i... 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 5'8" and weighs 136 pounds. Here is a 45-year-old woman whose breasts were always smaller than she wanted them to be. Dr. Reath used 350cc saline implants, inflated them to 400cc and placed them underneath her chest muscles. She is pictured before and six months after her surgery, very happy with her new figure. Read More
She is 5'9" and weighs 173 pounds. Here is a 34-year-old who first came to us with concerns about the changes in her breasts after having three children. She wanted her them to be more in proportion to her large body frame and felt she wanted a larger breast implant. Dr. Reath performed a breast augmentation with 400 cc saline implants and sh... 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 or Dr. Walker 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 or Dr. Walker, you’ll be able to try on breast implant sizers in order for your surgeon 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, we wrote a blog about it:
What Size Breast Implant Should I Get? Why Sizers Are Better Than VECTRA®
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 and Dr. Walker use 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
Our surgeons mainly use 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.
Our surgeons never use 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 our 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:
The Latest Breast Implants Posts from Dr. Reath's Blog
Introducing Jessica V. Walker, M.D.
From the Blog
Introducing Jessica V. Walker, M.D. Click here to get the latest on Dr. Walker! As most of you know, there have been some big changes in my practice. We are now HKB Knoxville, and I will be retiring in January 2023. But the biggest news is that we have a new plastic surgeon, Dr. Jessica … Read more »
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 »
Our surgeons mainly use 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.