--- title: "Breast Augmentation" --- Breast surgery, planned around proportion # Breast Augmentation Breast augmentation adds fullness and shape, either with an implant or with your own fat, for breasts that feel too small, have lost volume, or do not match your frame. The art is not in the size but in the proportion, choosing the option, the dimensions, and the placement that suit your body and look like they belong to it. At Santa Barbara Face & Body, Dr. Alain Polynice plans and performs it with that restraint in mind. [Request a consultation](https://santabarbarafaceandbody.com/request-a-consultation/) ![sbfb-37](https://santabarbarafaceandbody.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/sbfb-37-683x1024.jpg) Santa Barbara, California Breast augmentation enlarges and reshapes the breasts with either implants or autologous fat transfer. Implants are filled with silicone gel or saline and placed through a discreet incision, above or below the chest muscle. Fat transfer uses liposuctioned fat for a modest increase without an implant. The choice of type, size, placement, and incision is individualized to the patient's anatomy and goals. ## What it does Augmentation solves one of two things, sometimes both: too little volume, or a shape that has changed. - Adds volume. Restores or increases fullness for a naturally small chest or breasts that deflated after pregnancy or weight loss. - Improves proportion. Balances the breasts with your hips and frame, and can even out a difference between the two sides. - Shapes, within limits. Works with your existing skin and tissue, so the plan respects what your body can carry. When a breast has also dropped, augmentation is paired with a lift; added volume restores fullness, and the lift restores position. Two routes an implant, or your own fat, matched to your goal ## How it works Augmentation is an outpatient procedure under anesthesia. Through a short, well-placed incision, the surgeon creates a pocket and places the implant, or grafts purified fat harvested by liposuction, then closes and supports the breast for healing. Most people are up and moving the next day and back to routine activity within a couple of weeks, with strenuous exercise resumed later on the surgeon's guidance. The decisions that shape the result are made before surgery: implant type and size, placement above or below the muscle, and incision location. Each is chosen for your anatomy rather than from a menu. Outpatient home the same day, routine activity in about two weeks ## Implant or fat, and why it is a real choice The first real decision is implant versus fat, and then, if an implant, the type. Each is a genuine trade, not a default. | Option | What it offers | Best when | | --- | --- | --- | | Silicone gel implant | Feels closest to natural tissue, most common | You want a fuller, reliable size increase | | Saline implant | Smaller incision, obvious if it deflates | You prefer saline; noticeable if it ruptures | | Form-stable "gummy bear" | Holds its shape, firmer gel | You want shape stability | | Fat transfer | Your own tissue, modest, subtle, no implant | You want a small, subtle increase | Round implants add upper fullness; shaped implants give a gentler slope. Placement under the muscle tends to look more natural in thin tissue and affects milk production less. The point of carrying every option is to fit the choice to you, not to sell one implant. ## What augmentation works with This is what the consultation assesses, because your anatomy sets what looks natural. | What you have | What it means | The plan | | --- | --- | --- | | A naturally small chest | Volume goal | Implant or fat, sized to your frame | | Deflation after pregnancy or weight loss | Volume, sometimes with sag | Augmentation, with a lift if dropped | | A size difference between the two sides | Asymmetry | Different volume on each side | | Thin tissue cover | Rippling risk | Silicone, often under the muscle | | Only a modest increase wanted | Subtle goal | Fat transfer, using your own fat | The value is not the list. It is that a board-certified surgeon reads your tissue, frame, and goals and builds the plan around them, so the result is proportionate and looks like it belongs to you. ## Why Santa Barbara Face & Body Augmentation is easy to overdo, and the difference between a natural result and an obvious one is judgment. Dr. Polynice is a Mayo-trained, board-certified plastic surgeon who focuses primarily on breast and body surgery, and he plans augmentation around proportion, fitting the option and dimensions to your frame rather than to a trend. Results that suit your body and hold up over the years are the standard here. Proportion first sized to your frame, not to a trend A good fit if you - Have naturally small breasts or lost volume after pregnancy or weight loss - Want a fuller, more proportionate shape that still looks like you - Are in good general health and at a stable weight - Understand implants are not lifetime devices and may need future surgery Worth talking through first if you - Have significant sagging, where a lift may be needed with or instead of volume - Are planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding, which can change results and timing - Prefer to avoid implants entirely, where fat transfer may fit - Smoke or have conditions that affect healing ## What to expect Dr. Polynice examines your breasts and frame, asks what you want to look and feel like, and walks through the real choices, implant versus fat, type, size, placement, and incision, with honest trade-offs for each. He explains recovery and the fact that implants are monitored and may need attention over the years. You leave with a plan built around your anatomy and clear expectations, not a hard sell. ## What it costs Augmentation is quoted by the plan, not by a shelf price, because it depends on the option you choose, implant or fat, and the specifics of your surgery. You will have that number in writing at your consultation, before anything is scheduled. - **What it is:** Enlarging and reshaping the breast, implant or fat - **Options:** Silicone, saline, form-stable implants, or fat transfer - **Placement:** Above or below the chest muscle - **Recovery:** Home the same day, routine activity in about two weeks - **Performed by:** Dr. Alain Polynice, board-certified plastic surgeon > Breast Augmentation, American Society of Plastic Surgeons (United States). Augmentation uses implants (silicone gel, saline, or form-stable) or fat transfer to increase size and improve shape; implant type, size, placement, and incision are individualized, and implants require monitoring and follow-up. — [Breast Augmentation, American Society of Plastic Surgeons](https://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/breast-augmentation) > Breast Augmentation, Cleveland Clinic (United States). Describes implant fillings (silicone gel, structured and standard saline, form-stable), fat transfer as the second augmentation type, submuscular versus subglandular placement and its effect on breastfeeding, and recovery expectations. — [Breast Augmentation, Cleveland Clinic](https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/11024-breast-augmentation) ## Breast Augmentation in Santa Barbara, CA Breast augmentation is a deeply personal decision, and the right result is the one that looks and feels like it was always meant to be yours. In our Santa Barbara practice, Dr. Polynice focuses on proportion first — choosing size, shape, and placement to suit your body rather than a trend. If you've been considering augmentation, we'd love to talk it through honestly, with no pressure either way. Fill out the form below or call us at [(805) 764-9074](tel:+18057649074). We'd be glad to meet you. ```ld+json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Service", "@id": "https://santabarbarafaceandbody.com/treatments/augmentation/#service", "name": "Breast Augmentation", "url": "https://santabarbarafaceandbody.com/treatments/augmentation/", "description": "Breast augmentation adds size and shape with implants or your own fat. 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A surgeon helps you weigh them against your goals and anatomy." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Silicone or saline?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Silicone gel tends to feel closer to natural breast tissue and is the most common choice, while saline allows a smaller incision and makes a rupture obvious because the body absorbs the saline. Silicone rupture can be silent, so imaging follow-up is advised over the years. Your surgeon recommends the type that fits your tissue and goals." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Will I be able to breastfeed afterward?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Many women can, though it depends on the technique. Placing the implant under the muscle and avoiding an incision around the areola tend to affect milk production less, and fat transfer does not disrupt the ducts. 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