Breast Augmentation in Santa Barbara

AT A GLANCE

Breast augmentation increases breast size and improves shape using implants, silicone or saline, or the patient’s own fat by transfer. At Santa Barbara Face & Body in Santa Barbara, California, a board-certified plastic surgeon selects the implant type, size, and placement, or fat grafting, to fit the patient’s frame and goals, aiming for a proportionate result rather than an obvious one.

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

Implants or fat transfer, which is better?

Neither is universally better; they suit different goals. Implants give a reliable, larger increase and a range of shapes, while fat transfer uses your own tissue for a modest change with no implant, though it achieves a smaller increase and some fat is reabsorbed. A surgeon helps you weigh them against your goals and anatomy.

Silicone or saline?

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.

Will I be able to breastfeed afterward?

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. If you plan to breastfeed in the future, tell your surgeon so the plan accounts for it.

Are implants permanent?

They are long-lasting but not lifetime devices, so some people need revision or replacement over the years, and monitoring is recommended. This is a normal part of the decision rather than a reason against surgery, and your surgeon will explain follow-up so you know what to expect over time.

Will it look obvious?

It should not, when the plan is built around your frame. An obvious result usually comes from a size out of scale with the frame; choosing dimensions and placement that suit your body is what keeps it looking like you. That result is the goal here.