Breast augmentation, a popular cosmetic procedure, enhances breast size and shape while helping you achieve your body contouring goals. While surgical technique plays a significant role in how your breasts will look post-surgery, weight management is pivotal both before and after breast augmentation to optimize safety, eligibility, and long-term satisfaction. And this doesn’t just address being overweight or weight gain. Being underweight or losing significant weight can also affect your eligibility as well as your desired results. Here we look closer at the connection between weight, BMI, and breast augmentation.
How Weight and BMI Affect Breast Augmentation Eligibility
When you have your initial breast augmentation consultation, Dr. Castellano will ask about your body contouring goals and expectations. He will also evaluate your prior medical history, including your current weight and BMI, as this plays a crucial role in Breast augmentation eligibility.
The ideal BMI for breast augmentation is under 30, though it is possible to perform breast augmentation on those with a BMI between 30 and 39. Studies recommend this range for safer outcomes as the higher your body weight and BMI are, the higher your risk is for surgical complications. In fact, Kaiser Permanente reports that elevated BMI (above 30) increases the likelihood of surgical complications by as much as 65%. Another study showed the most common surgical complications in patients with a higher BMI included a higher rate of infection, more prone to venous thromboembolism (VTE), and an increased risk of renal failure. In addition, excess weight also played a role in longer surgical times and a more difficult recovery.
While being overweight with a higher BMI is often the focus when it comes to breast augmentation surgery eligibility, the fact is being underweight with a low BMI can also prevent you from qualifying. Low body weight with a BMI below 18.5 can increase your risk for complications with anesthesia and negatively affect your breast augmentation results.
How Weight Changes Can Affect Breast Augmentation Results
After your breast augmentation, maintaining a stable weight is essential to supporting your optimal results. As we will show you now, both weight gain and loss can make an impact on the appearance of your breasts over time.
Weight gain after breast augmentation can impact your results in several ways:
- Body Proportion: When you gain weight, your overall body fat distribution changes. This can affect how the augmented breasts look compared to the rest of your body. Larger breasts may blend more naturally with increased body fat, while smaller implants might look disproportionately small.
- Skin Stretching: Weight gain can lead to skin stretching. If the skin around the implants stretches significantly, it may affect the position and shape of your implants. In extreme cases, this can contribute to sagging or breast distortion.
- Comfort and Symmetry: Heavier breasts may feel less comfortable, especially if the implants are large. Additionally, weight gain can impact breast symmetry, affecting the overall aesthetic outcome.
Significant weight loss after breast augmentation can impact your results in several ways:
- Breast Volume Reduction: When you lose weight, overall body fat decreases. This fat reduction can reduce your breast volume, ultimately affecting the fullness and projection you achieved with your initial results.
- Implant Visibility: Significant weight loss may reveal the edges of your breast implants, especially if they were initially well-covered by natural breast tissue. Thinner skin and less subcutaneous fat can make implants more noticeable, including the appearance of ripples in the breast.
- Sagging and Skin Elasticity: As you age, your body doesn’t bounce back as it did in your youth. Losing significant weight can lead to excess skin and subsequent sagging. When this occurs, it can affect the position and shape of your current implants, often requiring breast implant revision surgery.
- Breast Asymmetry: Uneven weight loss may contribute to implants settling in different positions, affecting the symmetry of the breasts and your optimal results.
At Castellano Cosmetic Surgery Center, Dr. Castellano and his team are committed to helping you achieve your desired body contouring goals. Together, we will work to create a treatment plan designed to meet your unique goals and body type, while also helping to promote a healthy lifestyle that will allow you to maintain your results. To learn more about breast augmentation or if you have experienced complications due to weight loss or gain, call 813-872-6093 to schedule a consultation.
Author: Dr. Joseph Castellano
Dr. Joseph Castellano is a native Floridian who grew up in the Tampa Bay area. After medical school and residency, Dr. Castellano returned home and has opened a practice in Tampa, Florida focusing on breast augmentation, abdominoplasty, liposuction, facelift, and eyelid rejuvenation. He is a member of the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, American College of Surgeons, and American Medical Association
