Discover the Bust of Your Dreams

Dr. Shermak, a board-certified Baltimore plastic surgeon, is among the top female plastic surgeons in the nation and specializes in providing naturalistically stunning results when performing breast augmentation surgery. Dr. Shermak has been excited about new developments in breast augmentation options and happily shares the latest innovations and education with her patients, having lectured extensively both domestically and internationally on the topic of surgical breast enhancement and contributed to a variety of scientific texts and journals on this topic. If you’d like to learn more about how Dr. Shermak can help you with your goals, her team is standing by and ready to help. Reach out and set up your initial consultation for a breast augmentation in Baltimore today.

Breast Augmentation Before & After

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What Is Breast Augmentation?

Breast augmentation involves the placement of breast implants to improve breast fullness and proportionality This procedure is ideal for addressing unsatisfactory breast size, which can be related to heredity, volume loss from pregnancy, breastfeeding, or significant weight change. Breast augmentation also treats congenital breast asymmetry, so you can enjoy a more aesthetically pleasing and proportionate bust. Your breast implant choices will cover a broad spectrum, including textures, volumes, profiles (fullness), shapes, and compositions. Dr. Shermak will work closely with you to get to know your personal goals, recommending the options that will be right for you and leave you with the look you most directly desire.

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The Ideal Breast Augmentation Candidate

Good candidates for breast augmentation in Baltimore are women in good health who have small breasts; breast asymmetry or developmental issues; or breasts that have lost their fullness and shape from metabolic changes, aging, pregnancy, or significant weight loss. During the initial consultation, you will discuss with Dr. Shermak what you would like to improve so she can understand your expectations and determine how to best achieve the desired result. Your surgery will be customized to your desires and needs.

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Choosing the Right Size for You

If you’re looking at getting breast implants in Baltimore, your first step will involve a consultation. During your consultation, Dr. Shermak will spend time with you, learning about your medical history and performing a physical examination. You will then try on our actual breast implants in a bra, and the implants match those you can ultimately have placed surgically.

Dr. Shermak will personally size you herself, and if you have questions or concerns about your choice, she welcomes you to return prior to your surgery date to ask any questions you might have so you can have a very good idea of what you will see after surgery is done. The choice is yours, and Dr. Shermak will be happy to offer any expertise to assist in that decision.

Implant Placement Options

The layers of the chest include skin, breast, muscle, ribs, and lungs, from superficial to deep. Our Baltimore breast implants are placed either above the muscle directly behind the breast tissue or under the muscle above the ribs. The more often-performed location for breast implant placement is under the muscle. This location has a lower likelihood of visibility and scarring (capsular contracture) and assists later in mammographic screening. The muscle continually massages the implant and impedes scar formation while camouflaging the implant contours, making it look more smooth and more natural.

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Understanding Incision Types

Incisions that are endorsed by the implant manufacturing companies include those placed in the breast fold, around the nipple, and in the underarm. In the majority of cases, access is granted through an incision made in the breast fold, with research showing that there is less risk of scar tissue and infection with this technique.

In revision cases, the original access incision may be used. If you are having a breast lift performed at the same time as your breast augmentation surgery, the incisions for lifting will incorporate the placement of the implant. If you have a preference with regard to your incision, that will be taken into account and discussed with Dr. Shermak.

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Saline vs. Silicone Implants

Silicone implant technology has evolved a great deal over a recent time. Silicone implants are round or anatomically shaped, and Dr. Shermak will discuss the pros and cons of these different options for your goals and needs.

Saline Implants

Saline implants are a nice option for patients who have asymmetries, who have a good amount of breast tissue to camouflage the implant, and who desire a more economical alternative to silicone breast implants.

Silicone Implants

Silicone gel implants are now comprised of “cohesive,” cross-linked gel that is form-stable. As an implant wears and ages over time, this gel will not leak out into the breast space like the traditional gel implants.

The duration of silicone gel implants often surpasses the generations of implants that have preceded the current implants today. During your consultation, Dr. Shermak will help you pick out the implant type, incision type, and placement option that is right for you, your body type, and your goals.

Your Recovery Period

Breast augmentation is performed as an outpatient procedure. You can expect to experience temporary discomfort, swelling, or numbness after your procedure. Most women are able to resume regular activities and return to low-impact activity after a single week. Heavy exercise and lifting are discouraged for three to four weeks after the surgery to ensure you have the best breast augmentation Baltimore has to offer.

Patient Testimonial

I had a wonderful experience with Dr. Shermak and her team. Thank you for making me feel so cared for during and after my surgery. I am so happy with my breast augmentation and I would do it 100x over again. I feel so much more confident and happy with my body :)

Breast Augmentation FAQ

How long do breast implants last? I have been told I will need to have them replaced at 10 years.

My breasts are not the same size. Can breast implants improve how well my breasts match?

In what scenarios are implants preferably placed above the muscle, directly behind the breast tissue?

Can breast augmentation interfere with monitoring for cancer?

How long does the surgery take?

Is breast augmentation painful?

Is breast augmentation safe?

What are the types of implants available to me?

What are gummy bear implants?

How do I know which size implant is the best one for me?

Breast augmentation recovery: What can I expect?

When does swelling after breast augmentation begin to subside?

How do you massage breasts after breast augmentation?

What are the signs of capsular contracture after breast augmentation?

Do I need a breast augmentation, a breast lift, or both?

Should I wear a surgical bra after breast augmentation?

What is your advice for exercise after breast augmentation?

I work out a lot, and I am concerned that implants may impair my gym routine.

I have read about the risk of capsular contracture with breast implants. What is my risk?

How long before I can return to work after breast augmentation surgery?

I am not happy with a breast augmentation surgery that was performed elsewhere. What should I do?

How long do breast implants last? I have been told I will need to have them replaced at 10 years.

Prior generations of silicone gel implants lasted 15 to 20 years. Based on improvements in technology and production, we expect gel implants to last on the order of 25 to 30 years, possibly longer. Saline implants are not as durable as silicone and might last somewhere between 15 and 20 years. We will schedule follow-up visits after your surgery to assure that the implants are intact and in good condition. In the rare case that they are not, implant companies fully warranty their implants for three years covering all costs related to implant removal and replacement.

My breasts are not the same size. Can breast implants improve how well my breasts match?

Absolutely! Breasts are “sisters, not twins.” And we know how different sisters can be!

Breasts may differ in volume or vertical/horizontal dimensions. All of these may be corrected with differential implant placement and lifting procedures. Dr. Shermak sizes her patients for breast implants using sizer implants that mimic the real implants and place them in a bra that you can put on during your consultation. You will be able to try on sizes to find the best symmetry and fit, as implant choice is individual and patient-specific. Dr. Shermak will help advise you, but ultimately you will be able to decide what you like.

In what scenarios are implants preferably placed above the muscle, directly behind the breast tissue?

  • When someone is undergoing an implant exchange/size change, and the implant is already in that location and has done well
  • When a woman has a developmental deformity that requires expansion of the breast mound
  • When an implant has not “done well” under the muscle and requires a position change
  • When an anatomically shaped implant is placed
  • When there is a good amount of breast tissue that can hide implant contours.

Can breast augmentation interfere with monitoring for cancer?

The short answer is “no.” Women with implants are not likely to have missed cancers or more aggressive breast cancers. Be sure to tell your mammography technician that you have breast implants prior to imaging procedures.

How long does the surgery take?

Surgery typically takes anywhere from an hour to 90 minutes, depending on the need to obtain symmetry in cases where there is a significant baseline mismatch.

Is breast augmentation painful?

Dr. Shermak does everything she can with operative anesthesia, local anesthetics, and postoperative medications to assure her patients are as comfortable as possible after surgery. Her patients are up and about immediately after surgery.

Is breast augmentation safe?

The FDA last met in March 2019 for its 10-year review of the current generation of breast implants. Overall, breast implants are considered to be safe, and the FDA feels comfortable with the public continuing to have access to breast augmentation. Textured implants were pulled off of the market at that time due to their association with inflammatory syndromes, namely, breast implant-associated lymphoma, which is rare and only occurs with any history of having textured implants. All anatomical-shaped implants have to be textured, so they are no longer available. The FDA will meet every five years to revisit implant safety.

What are the types of implants available to me?

Smooth round implants are the implants that we are currently providing. These come either as saline-filled or silicone gel-filled. Both are safe options. Saline tends to be heavier and does not feel as natural as a gel. When you come into the office for a consultation, you will be able to see and feel the difference between these options and can make an informed decision.

What are gummy bear implants?

Cohesive gel implants, also known as gummy bear implants, are the latest technology in silicone gel breast implants. These implants are more overfilled and have cross-linked gel that is more solid in nature. They resist rippling and wear and are firmer and potentially more projected than the more standard silicone gel implant. You will be able to see the difference between the more traditional gel implant and the gummy bear implant during consultation.

How do I know which size implant is the best one for me?

Implant sizing is critically important during the preoperative process. Patients often have a concept of goal fullness. Dr. Shermak measures her patients at the time of the consultation and then will size with implants that are analogous to the ones that would be placed during surgery. The implant selected will be fully based on your choice, with input from Dr. Shermak to allow for professional guidance and the best possible decision. By the end of the appointment, you should be comfortable with your choice, and some return for a second visit to reassure yourself about the size you’ve chosen. Coming into surgery comfortable with the implant outcome is so important to the process of breast augmentation surgery.

Breast augmentation recovery: What can I expect?

Normal day-to-day activity is resumed in the days to week following your surgery. You can shower the day after surgery, but Dr. Shermak insists that you hold off from swimming or vigorous working out for three to four weeks. Dr. Shermak will plan to see you within days after your surgery and in the following weeks to help optimize your postoperative recovery.

When does swelling after breast augmentation begin to subside?

There is not typically a great deal of swelling in most cases. After several weeks, the acute swelling should resolve. Your implants may take months (or even years) to completely settle.

How do you massage breasts after breast augmentation?

Dr. Shermak recommends that her patients massage round saline or gel implants about two weeks after surgery. She will instruct you on moving your implant upward and inward with compressive massage in a postoperative visit.

What are the signs of capsular contracture after breast augmentation?

Capsular contracture describes the development of firm scar tissue around a breast implant, causing implant firmness, functional tightness, and possibly even a visible difference in the breast. If the breast is stable and comfortable, there is a low likelihood that capsular contracture is present.

With the latest generation of silicone gel implants and preferred incisions and pocket placement, capsular contracture is far less common with contemporary Breast Augmentation.

Do I need a breast augmentation, a breast lift, or both?

This is best determined during your office visit with Dr. Shermak. In cases where a woman wants more fullness, breast augmentation provides that. If there is sagging either from development or pregnancy, a breast lift may be necessary for centering the breast more optimally around the implant. In some cases, women do not desire a breast lift and only desire augmentation, even if the nipple is on the low side.

Should I wear a surgical bra after breast augmentation?

Yes. Dr. Shermak recommends you wear a soft, supportive bra without an underwire for at least six weeks after surgery. You only need to wear the bra throughout the day and night for the first weeks after surgery.

What is your advice for exercise after breast augmentation?

You may start lower body exercise within weeks of surgery as long as you keep your arms immobile. Upper body exercise may begin about a month after breast augmentation surgery.

I work out a lot, and I am concerned that implants may impair my gym routine.

Many patients who undergo breast augmentation enjoy the gym. Even with implants placed underneath the pectoralis muscle, gym workouts are totally possible. You will be held from strenuous gym workouts for at least four weeks after breast augmentation surgery.

I have read about the risk of capsular contracture with breast implants. What is my risk?

The risk of capsular contracture is fairly low and is best alleviated with careful surgical technique. Additionally, after surgery, I review implant massage techniques with my patients to help reduce the risk of contracture. Massage and active (nonstrenuous!) range of motion movement after two to three weeks from your surgical procedure will help limit the risk of capsular contracture. All of the breast implant companies have three-year full warranties that cover treatment of capsular contracture if it occurs, including everything associated with care: OR and surgeon fees as well as new implants.

How long before I can return to work after breast augmentation surgery?

Many patients are driving within five days of their surgical procedure, and as long as there is no strenuous upper body lifting with work, patients can often return to work within one to two weeks after surgery.

I am not happy with a breast augmentation surgery that was performed elsewhere. What should I do?

Come see Dr. Shermak. She specializes in revision surgery after unsatisfactory breast surgery, having completed a fellowship focused on achieving optimal results for complex breast surgery cases. Unsatisfactory outcomes Dr. Shermak successfully addresses include asymmetry, malposition, capsular contracture, and poor shape and size.

Dr. Shermak is happy to have a conversation with you, to hear your concerns, and see how you can achieve excellent results consistent with your desires. Dr. Shermak is known for the way she connects with her patients, and she will serve as an active resource before, around the time of, and after your breast augmentation procedure.

This is your life . . .
Make it
Beautiful Confident Amazing Empowered

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