Breast Augmentation
Augmentation mammaplasty, or breast augmentation, is one of the most popular cosmetic breast procedures performed today. Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Darrow frequently performs breast augmentation and has been in private practice performing cosmetic plastic surgery in the Boston area since 1994.
If you are considering breast enhancement, your consultation is designed to help you understand your options fully so you can make a confident, informed decision about what is right for your body and your goals.
A personalized consultation is the best place to start if you are comparing breast implant options.
What Breast Augmentation Can Improve
Breast augmentation is designed to increase breast volume and enhance breast shape using silicone or saline implants. For many patients, it is also a way to improve symmetry, restore fullness after pregnancy or weight loss, or create proportions that feel more balanced and natural.
While breast augmentation can create fuller, more shapely breasts, it is important to choose the procedure that matches your anatomy and goals. Breast augmentation is not intended to lift sagging breasts on its own. When breast laxity is a concern, a breast lift may be recommended.
For women who want more fullness and improved position, a breast augmentation with lift may be the better solution.
Patients should also understand that breast implants are not lifetime devices. In many cases, implants may need to be replaced or revised over time, hence, careful planning and long-term follow-up matter.
Why Patients Choose Dr. Jeffrey Darrow
Dr. Jeffrey Darrow is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and a member of The American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeon, which is a mark of distinction in cosmetic surgery. Dr. Darrow has decades of experience performing cosmetic surgery of the face, breasts, and body. His approach emphasizes patient education, realistic expectations, and procedure planning that reflects each patient’s frame, anatomy, and aesthetic preferences.
Dr. Darrow’s experience, surgical judgment, and focus on natural-looking results help patients make more confident decisions about implant type, size, shape, and overall treatment planning.
If you would like to learn more about Dr. Darrow’s background and approach, you can review his profile before scheduling.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Breast Augmentation?
Ideal candidates for breast augmentation are in good physical and mental health, are dissatisfied with breast size or volume, and have realistic expectations for the procedure and its outcome.
Breast augmentation may be a strong option for patients who want to address:
- Naturally small breasts
- Volume loss after pregnancy or weight changes
- Breast asymmetry
- Shape concerns that affect body proportion
- Certain deformities related to birth, injury or illness.
Patients should also be prepared for recovery and understand that breast implants may need future monitoring, revision, or replacement.
Breast Implant Options
During your consultation, Dr. Darrow will help you understand the implant choices available and which option may best match your goals.
Saline Breast Implants
Saline implants are filled with a sterile saltwater solution after placement. They are approved for patients aged 18 and older for cosmetic breast augmentation. If a saline implant ruptures, the change is noticeable as the salt water is absorbed by the body and the breast deflates.
Silicone Breast Implants/Gummy Bear Implants
Silicone implants are pre-filled with cohesive gel and are approved for patients aged 22 and older. These cohesive gel implants are also known as “gummy bear” implants. These implants hold their shape better with less wrinkling and rippling and have a softer, natural feel when compared with saline implants. Dr. Darrow uses gummy bear implants exclusively for his silicone breast implant patients.
Considerations for Each Breast Implant
Every implant type has its advantages and trade-offs which will be discussed during your consultation. The right choice depends on your anatomy, your desired look, and how you want the implants to feel.
Choosing the Right Implant for Your Goals
Implant selection involves more than choosing saline or silicone. To achieve natural-looking breast augmentation results, several details are considered together.
These may include:
- Size: The right size is the one that fits your proportions and aesthetic goals rather than an arbitrary number.
- Shape: Dr. Darrow only uses round implants.
- Profile: Low, moderate, and high-profile implants project differently from the chest wall and profile choice is based on patient’s anatomy and wishes.
- Texture: Smooth and textured implants behave differently and may be recommended differently depending on the implant selected.
- Placement: Implants may be placed under the pectoral muscle or above it, behind the breast tissue.
- Incision location: Dr. Darrow prefers the inframammary incision, which is proven to be the safest approach with the lowest risk.
These decisions are made with your anatomy, tissue characteristics, and goals in mind. During consultation, dimensional measurements of the breasts will guide the process.
Breast Augmentation: Implants plus Fat supplementation
Select patients may benefit from additional filling to smooth the edges of the augmentation. Dr. Darrow prefers AlloClae, a highly purified, sterilized human donor adipose filler from a syringe, as opposed to fat grafting using the patient’s own fat, which requires a liposuction procedure.
During the consultation, Dr. Darrow can help determine whether implants or another approach is more appropriate for your goals.
What Happens During Breast Augmentation Surgery?
Breast augmentation is performed under general anesthesia plus a long-acting local anesthesia. The local anesthesia is injected prior to the patient waking up and lasts 4-5 hours. Most patients awake with no pain, which leads to a comfortable recovery.
After the inframammary incisions are made, the pockets for the implants are carefully created and rinsed with a Betadine/triple antibiotic solution. The local anesthesia is injected into the margins of the pocket, and the implants are inserted using a Keller funnel. Then the operating bed is elevated upright to confirm symmetrical implant position, and the incisions are closed with buried, dissolving sutures, so no suture removal is needed, and a bra is placed on the patient.
Before-and-After Results and Patient Experience
Breast augmentation results are visible immediately after surgery, although swelling and soreness are expected early in recovery. As healing continues, the breasts settle into a more natural position and shape over the following months.
Patients considering surgery often benefit from reviewing before-and-after photos to better understand the range of possible outcomes and how implant choices can influence fullness, projection, and overall proportion.
View Breast Augmentation Gallery
One patient shared:
“My experience with them for breast augmentation was seamless from the first consultation to the post-recovery. Dr. Darrow took his time with me and answered all my questions thoroughly.”
Another patient noted that Dr. Darrow was professional, results-focused, and reassuring throughout the process.
If seeing real outcomes would help you feel more confident about your next step, you can review the gallery before scheduling.
Breast Augmentation Recovery Timeline
Recovery after breast augmentation is a process, and knowing what to expect can make planning easier.
The First Few Days
You can expect soreness, slight swelling, and a feeling of tightness early on. This discomfort may last for several days. Surgical support garments, including a surgical bra without underwire, are typically recommended to protect healing tissues and provide support.
Week 1
Most patients need about five to seven days away from work, depending on the nature of their job and how they are feeling. During this stage, rest and following post-operative instructions closely are especially important.
Weeks 2-4
Swelling gradually begins to improve. Patients should continue avoiding strenuous activity, sports, and heavy exertion during early healing. Many can resume a broader range of normal daily activities over the next few weeks based on healing progress and Dr. Darrow’s guidance.
After One Month
More refined results become visible over the months that follow as swelling resolves and the breasts settle into their new shape.
If you want personalized guidance on downtime, activity restrictions, and what recovery may look like for your schedule, consultation is the best next step.
What Affects Breast Augmentation Cost in Brookline, MA?
Breast augmentation cost can vary based on the choice of silicone vs saline implants and whether additional modifications of the breasts are requested.
A quote will be provided at the time of your consultation, which covers all costs plus all follow-up visits. The only additional expense is postoperative medications, which are very modest.
Dr. Darrow’s office offers financing options which can be discussed in detail with his assistant, Alexandra.
Schedule a Breast Augmentation Consultation
A consultation gives you the opportunity to ask detailed questions, review implant options, discuss sizing and proportions, understand recovery, and view before-and-after photos. It is also the best time to talk through whether breast augmentation alone or another breast procedure would better match your goals.
Patients interested in breast augmentation are encouraged to contact Dr. Jeffrey Darrow’s office to schedule a personalized consultation.
Breast Augmentation FAQs
Ready to Talk About Your Options?
If you are considering breast augmentation, Dr. Jeffrey Darrow and his team can help you understand your options and what approach best fits your goals.
