By: Gus Galante, MD

Here are a handful of cosmetic surgery trends that I personally think are more likely to change how we do breast augmentation in Indiana in the years to come:

1. 3-D Imaging – New systems use computer software and a 3-D picture of your body to help you get an idea of what kind of results you could get with different implant choices.
2. Implant Sterilizers – Some patients develop thicker scarring around their implants, and new research suggests that this is happens partly because of bacteria that settle on the implant surface during surgery. New sterilizing products are being developed that might help.
3. “Hybrid” Implants – Two new breast implants could blend the benefits of saline and silicone fillers. One is a saline implant that has multiple shell layers to help it mimic the thicker feel of silicone, and the other is a silicone implant with an inner saline-filled pocket that allows for small sizing changes after surgery.
4. Form-Stable Cohesive Implants – Unlike the multi-layer hybrid implants, the new 410 implants are made of one material consistently, with no filler or shell, so they can’t rupture. Like the hybrid implants, though, these are still undergoing FDA approval.
5. Postoperative Massage – A lot more breast enlargement surgeons are promoting new techniques in postoperative massage to help prevent scarring and facilitate healing.

My perspective: I’m not the sort of surgeon who leaps headfirst into every new technology that comes to market, but it’s still exciting for me to see how breast augmentation in Indiana is changing. Realistically, most surgeons who are doing what they can to communicate well with their patients might not need 3-D imaging to help them do that, and surgeons like me who only perform procedures in accredited facilities are already helping patients avoid bacteria-related scarring. But technologies and techniques that prove themselves will help to make breast augmentation safer and more satisfying in years to come.