before the surgery:
What is a Breast Augmentation for a MALE PATIENT?
This is a day surgery procedure, (the patient goes home the same day) done with the patient asleep (General Anesthesia), where an implant (either saline or silicone), is placed behind the chest muscle, which is directly behind the breast.
*See www.pclsc.ca under Breast Augmentation.
Who can have a Breast Augmentation?
There are two instances where this procedure is done for a male patient:
A male patient who has an underdeveloped chest wall musculature. What gives the male chest its contour is the primary muscle called the Pectoralis Major Muscle, and to a much lesser extent, the Pectoralis Minor Muscle, and lastly, the Serratus Anterior Muscle. In order to enhance the chest wall musculature, by creating the impression of a large muscle, a small breast implant is placed completely behind the patient’s underdeveloped pectoralis major muscle.
A transgender reassignment patient going from male to female
*Please refer to FAQ Breast Reassignment/Transgender Surgery
What are the breast implant choices?
There are two primary choices:
Saline Implants:
This implant is an empty plastic sack, that is placed in the space surgically created behind the breast, and then filled with saline from an intravenous bottle. This implant tends to ripple more, so it is overfilled to smooth the ripple. It, therefore, feels firmer. It has the rare potential to leak. If that happened, the saline would be absorbed like a glass of water, with no harm to your health. The implant would deflate and it would require replacing. If this ever happens, (your breast would change size and shape over a 24 hour period) contact the surgeon immediately for an assessment. There is no schedule of replacement for saline implants. They can last for many decades.
Silicone Implants:
This implant is often referred to as a “gummy bear” implant. If you were to cut it in half, the two halves would stay together, similar to splitting a gummy bear in half. This implant has less rippling and feels softer (if you were to hug someone). This implant has a finite life expectancy (like a tire on your vehicle). Changing the implant is recommended every 10 years. There is a cost to replacing the implant every 10 years. This implant is the preferred choice for male chest enhancement surgery.
*Please refer to FAQ Breast Augmentation for the Female Breast, for more information on Risks, Complications, Followup and Financing.