What words should I know about breast augmentation?

Areola

Pigmented skin surrounding the nipple.

Augmentation mammaplasty

Breast enlargement or breast enhancement by surgery.

Breast augmentation

Also known as augmentation mammaplasty; breast enlargement or breast enhancement by surgery.

Breast implants

Medical devices placed in your body to enhance an existing breast size or to reconstruct your breast. Breast implants fall into two categories: saline breast implants and silicone breast implants.

Capsular contracture

A complication of breast implant surgery which occurs when scar tissue that normally forms around the implant tightens and squeezes the implant and becomes firm.

General anesthesia

Drugs and/or gasses used during an operation to relieve pain and alter consciousness.

Hematoma

Blood pooling deep to the skin.

Inframammary incision

An incision made in the fold under the breast.

Intravenous sedation

Sedatives administered by injection into a vein to help you relax.

Local anesthesia

A drug injected directly to the site of an incision during an operation to relieve pain.

Mammogram

An x-ray image of the breast.

Mastectomy

The removal of breast tissue, typically to rid the body of cancer.

MRI

Magnetic Resonance Imaging; a painless test to view tissue similar to an x-ray.

Periareolar incision

An incision made at the edge of the areola.

Saline implants

Breast implants filled with sterile salt water.

Silicone implants

Breast implants filled with an elastic gel.

Submammary or subglandular or subfascial placement

Breast implants placed directly behind the breast tissue, over the pectoral muscle.

Submuscular or subpectoral placement

Breast implants placed under the pectoral muscle, which is located between the breast tissue and chest wall.

Sutures

Stitches used to hold skin and tissue together.

Transaxillary incision

An incision made in the underarm area.

Ultrasound

A diagnostic procedure that projects high-frequency sound waves into the body and records the echoes as pictures.