Breast Augmentation Words to Know

• Areola — The pigmented skin surrounding the nipple.
• Augmentation mammaplasty — Scientific name for breast augmentation.
• Breast augmentation — Surgical breast enlargement or breast enhancement.
• Breast implants — Medical devices placed in your body to enhance breast size or reconstruct breasts. Breast implants fall into two categories: saline breast implants and silicone breast implants.
• Capsular contracture — A complication which occurs when scar tissue that normally forms around the implant, tightens and squeezes the implant and becomes firm.
• General anesthesia — Drugs and/or gases used during an operation to relieve pain and alter consciousness.
• Hematoma — Blood pooling beneath the skin.
• Inframammary incision — An incision made in the fold under the breast.
• Intravenous sedation — Sedatives administered by injection to help you relax.
• Local anesthesia — Injection directly to the site of an incision to relieve pain.
• Mammogram — An x-ray image of the breast.
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) — A painless test to view tissue similar to an x-ray.
• Mastectomy — The removal of breast tissue, typically to rid the body of cancer.
• Periareolar incision — An incision made at the edge of the areola.
• Saline implants — Breast implants filled with salt water.
• Silicone implants — Breast implants filled with an elastic gel.
• Submammary or subglandular placement — Breast implants placed directly behind the breast tissue, over the pectoral muscle.
• Submuscular or subpectoral placement — Breast implants placed under the pectoral muscle, which is located between the breast tissue and chest wall.
• Transaxillary incision — An incision made in the underarm area.
• Transumbilical incision — An incision made at the upper rim of the navel.
• Ultrasound — A diagnostic procedure that projects high frequency sound waves into the body and records the echoes as pictures.

Procedure Information © American Society of Plastic Surgeons