Breast Augmentation in Northern Virginia
Feeling confident is important for your quality of life and overall well-being.
Part of that comes from being satisfied with the appearance or proportion of your body. As a woman, the size, shape, and symmetry of your breasts play a significant role. Breast augmentation surgery can change your breasts’ volume, shape, and projection using silicone or saline-filled implants or from fat taken from elsewhere on your body.
While her association with McLean Plastic Surgery is new, Dr. Erica Anderson is a board-certified plastic surgeon with over 20 years of experience. Specializing in breast and body contouring procedures, Dr. Anderson has helped many women transform their silhouettes through breast augmentation. With the evolution of her practice, Dr. Anderson has created a welcoming setting where she can continue helping women become their best selves by offering unsurpassed results with outstanding patient care.
Are you interested in learning what breast augmentation surgery can do for you? Contact us at (703) 893-1111 or complete our online form to schedule your breast augmentation consultation today! We are in McLean, VA, and proudly serve patients from Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland.
What Is Breast Augmentation?
Dr. Anderson believes there is not a one-size-fits-all breast augmentation approach. She offers various placement techniques and implants ranging in material and size, tailoring results to your unique anatomy and preferences. Breast augmentation has the following benefits:
- Increasing breast fullness, volume, and projection
- Restoring shape and lift for a more youthful appearance
- Balancing proportions
- Creating a more aesthetically pleasing figure
- Making your breasts look more symmetrical
- Boosting your self-confidence
- Enhancing your sense of femininity
- Creating a more flattering fit under clothing or undergarments
Dr. Anderson primarily inserts implants through incisions in the natural creases beneath your breasts. This placement allows for optimal visualization when creating the implant pocket, ensuring the most symmetrical results. While these incisions leave scars, they are small and easy to conceal on the undersides of your breasts. To ensure patient safety and well-being, Dr. Anderson uses the Keller Funnel, a sterile, no-touch insertion technique for silicone implants that allows for the smallest incisions possible.
McLean, VA Breast Augmentation With Fat Transfer
For subtle, natural-looking results without breast implants, Dr. Anderson offers breast augmentation with fat transfer. Autologous fat transfer, or fat grafting, is a two-part procedure that uses liposuction to remove fat from an area where you have a little extra and uses it to enhance your breast contours. After Dr. Anderson extracts unwanted fat from a donor location like your abdomen, flanks, or thighs, she strategically injects the fat cells into your breasts to increase volume in areas of deficiency.
During breast augmentation recovery, transferred fat establishes a blood supply; 50 to 70% of the transplanted fat cells will survive in their new location. Knowing this, Dr. Anderson may initially transfer more fat than necessary to ensure your desired results.
Am I an Ideal Candidate for Breast Augmentation?
Good candidates for Virginia breast augmentation want to enhance their breasts’ fullness, shape, proportions, projection, or symmetry.
If you are interested in breast augmentation surgery, you should:
- Be at a healthy, stable body weight for six months
- Be in good physical and mental health, living a healthy lifestyle
- Be a non-smoker or be willing to quit at least six weeks before and after surgery
- Not have any medical conditions that may impair healing
- Have a positive outlook and realistic goals for the procedure
- Understand the surgical risks and benefits as well as the need for possible revisions
- Understand that implants are not life-long devices and Follow-up care will be required
Choosing Dr. Anderson as Your VA Breast Augmentation Provider
Dr. Erica Anderson is an experienced female, board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in breast and body surgeries. Over the last 20 years, she’s worked in academic and private settings, providing outstanding results and care for her many satisfied patients. By opening her office at McLean Plastic Surgery, Dr. Anderson wants to use her knowledge and experience in a more personalized, welcoming setting where she can offer unparalleled care.
Dr. Anderson enjoys getting to know her patients, listening to your concerns and desires to provide results you will love for years. With an exclusive surgical focus on body procedures, Dr. Anderson’s unique area of specialization makes her your choice as one of the best breast augmentation surgeons in Northern Virginia.
Your Breast Augmentation Consultation With Dr. Anderson
Patient consultations are an essential element of Dr. Anderson’s practice. During this time, she wants to get to know you to understand your goals for breast augmentation. She encourages your input and listens to help you achieve beautiful results you’ll love for years. As one of few female plastic surgeons in Northern Virginia, Dr. Anderson offers various implant options instead of merely giving you the option to size up. She will help you visualize your potential results with Vectra 3D imaging.
In a small, intimate office setting, Dr. Anderson will ask questions to tailor your procedure, including recommending the best implant size, style, and placement for you based on your lifestyle and existing breast tissue. Dr. Anderson welcomes questions and believes educating patients about their procedures empowers them to make informed choices about their cosmetic procedures, making her one of the best breast augmentation surgeons in Virginia.
Meet McLean's Breast and Body Specialist
Explore your transformative cosmetic surgery options available from board-certified female plastic surgeon Dr. Erica Anderson. As a breast and body contouring specialist, Dr. Anderson combines extensive knowledge of anatomy with her unparalleled passion for patient care. Schedule your consultation with one of the best plastic surgeons in Northern Virginia today.
Preparing for Breast Augmentation in Washington DC, Maryland
It’s essential to be in good overall health before a breast augmentation. Here’s general information to help you prepare.
- Avoid weight fluctuations by sticking to a consistent exercise regimen and well-rounded diet. Eat healthy, nutritious meals with plenty of protein for an optimal recovery.
- Remain well-hydrated before and after surgery.
- Ensure you’re medically fit for surgery by seeing your primary physician for a full examination and appropriate testing, such as bloodwork, EKG or a mammogram.
- Avoid medications, supplements, or vitamins that increase bleeding or bruising risks for at least two weeks before and after surgery.
- If you currently smoke, vape, or use nicotine products, you should quit. Smoking is detrimental to your recovery, so Dr. Anderson requires patients to stop smoking at least six weeks before and after surgery.
- It’s important to prepare for recovery. Take ample time off work, purchase necessary supplies, fill pain medication prescriptions, freeze meals for easy preparation, and create a clean, comfortable place to rest.
- Ask a trusted friend or family member to drive you home after your procedure. You may also need assistance with household management or child care.
Breast Augmentation Procedure Overview
On the day of your procedure, you’ll arrive at a fully accredited surgery center approximately an hour before your scheduled surgery. You will meet Dr. Anderson and your anesthesia provider to review your surgery details and answer any final questions you may have.
Dr. Anderson will begin your breast augmentation by making incisions according to the procedural plan developed during your consultation. Through these small incisions, she will create pockets to accommodate the implants. Then, she will use a Keller Funnel for no-touch insertion. After safely and carefully placing the breast implants, Dr. Anderson will close the incisions with dissolvable sutures.
Depending on the procedural extent, breast augmentation may take one to two hours.
Washington DC Breast Augmentation Recovery
Breast augmentation surgeries are typically outpatient procedures. You can go home the same day with someone responsible to drive you. We’ll fit you with a surgical bra to minimize swelling and support your new breast contours. You will need to wear this support garment for several weeks. Dr. Anderson will advise you when you can resume wearing underwire bras.
For the first several days, you may experience mild to moderate pain. You should expect bruising, swelling, nipple numbness, and a tight and itchy feeling across your chest. These effects gradually resolve over the following weeks. Dr. Anderson will prescribe pain medications to alleviate discomfort while you heal. The length of breast augmentation recovery varies. On average, most patients need one to two weeks to feel fully healed. Many women with non-strenuous jobs are well enough to return to work in three to five days.
Dr. Anderson believes resuming your normal routine is crucial for the healing process. She recommends getting plenty of rest and avoiding strenuous activities like exercise or heavy lifting for at least three to four weeks. You can resume light exercise within a week, but take your time, slowly building up to more intense workouts.
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How Soon Will I See My Breast Augmentation Results?
Breast augmentation surgery patients experience immediate results, awakening from anesthesia with larger breasts. However, you should expect initial swelling and bruising to partially obscure your results. In three to four months, residual swelling should resolve, and your implants should settle, revealing your desired outcome.
Scarring will be most pronounced in the first few months. Dr. Anderson will recommend scar management to reduce their appearance. However, your scars may take a year or more to mature. Thoroughly following all post-operative instructions and maintaining your healthy diet and exercise routine will help you experience long-lasting results from your McLean, VA, breast augmentation.
Partner With Dr. Anderson, Northern Virginia’s Premier Female Plastic Surgeon
Dr. Anderson understands the challenges breast augmentation patients face when choosing their ideal procedure and surgeon. As a breast surgery expert, Dr. Anderson looks forward to enhancing your appearance and increasing your confidence. Beauty is confidence.
Learn more about breast augmentation in Northern Virginia by calling (703) 893-1111 or completing our online form to schedule your consultation today!
Breast Augmentation FAQs in Mclean, VA
Choosing implants is a complicated process, but I make the decision yours. I will evaluate your anatomy and guide your choice based on your goals.
I use Vectra 3-D imaging to help in the process. It allows you to see the implants on you as opposed to looking at other breasts in photos. Together, we try to get it right.
Silicone gel implants look and feel more natural than saline gel implants.
Your implants should be centered over your nipples. Cleavage is more about your natural breast tissue than the implants. They should not be placed artificially too close or too high as that will create an odd appearance.
The funnel allows me to place the implant through a smaller incision and avoids contact with the skin.
The idea of the “no touch technique” is to avoid contact with the implant. The implant is dropped into the funnel and delivered to the surgical site without having any contact with anyone’s hands or skin. This is trying to avoid any contamination of the implant.
I use GalaFlex for implant support in secondary cases if an implant has fallen below the inframammary fold. Rarely do I use it in primary breast augmentation cases.
If the nipples are low on the breast mound and your breast tissue falls below the fold, you may need a lift. Only with an in-person evaluation will I be able to guide you.
Yes. I use general anesthesia for breast augmentations.
You will need someone to drive you home. I think it is helpful to have someone stay at least one night with you in case of any emergent need overnight.
I placed a bra for comfort immediately after the procedure. It is helpful to wear it at least until your first post-op appointment.
Recovery is relatively short. You are usually sore for 3-5 days. I encourage you to walk immediately after surgery. Resuming more rigorous exercise is recommended typically after 3-4 weeks.
Most patients can return to work after one week, though it depends on the demands of their job. Some may need longer, particularly if they have a very active job.
Yes, and I encourage you to continue getting them. The mammography will take some additional views to make sure it sees all the breast tissue around the implant.
Definitely not.
I only use dissolvable sutures. No stitches will need to be removed.
There may be a temporary change in nipple sensation, but it should not be permanent.
Depending on what age you place implants, you will likely have to do something with them in the future. There is not a definite time period for when they have to be replaced. Surveillance of their integrity begins 5-6 years after implantation and then every 2-3 years thereafter. If a rupture is identified, I recommend exchanging or removing the implants.
Complications include hematoma (blood collecting around the implant), infections sometimes requiring implant removal, asymmetry, malposition, and size dissatisfaction.
Yes. I like to place implants along the breast crease. There will be a 4-5cm scar in that area.
Implants can rupture. You will not necessarily feel it. That’s why we perform surveillance by either ultrasound or MRI of the devices.
Tightness after surgery is normal. Movement is ok as long as it is controlled.