While no doctor will recommend smoking, breast augmentation patients who do smoke are encouraged to quit for at least two weeks after surgery. This is because smoking causes blood vessels to constrict, reducing the blood supply to the surgical area.

Living tissues need the oxygen the blood carries in order to heal. When the blood supply is reduced, it slows down the healing process. Many doctors will also suggest that you quit smoking before surgery, as well.

Breast implants, unless placed under the muscle, may obscure mammogram results and hide potentially cancerous growths. When receiving a mammogram, it’s extremely important to let the radiologist know that you have implants.

The nipple area can become more sensitive after breast augmentation surgery, but this is often only temporary. On the other hand, loss of sensitivity can be a side effect when getting larger breast implants because they are more likely to stretch the nerve supply to the nipple.

Contrary to popular belief, breast implants don’t last forever. A recent FDA study showed that the majority of implants last 7 to 12 years. Some, however, may rupture during the first few months or years, whereas others may last more than 15 years.

Even if an implant does not rupture, a patient may still require additional surgeries to remove scar tissue or reposition the implants.

Breast feeding after breast augmentation is possible, depending on which type of incision you had. Incisions under the fold of the breast or in the armpit rarely affect breast feeding at all, whereas a periareolar incision might. If the nerves around the areola were not damaged during surgery, the patient should not experience any nursing problems. It’s often unknown if breast feeding will be possible until the woman attempts to nurse, as the nerves trigger the brain to release the hormones that affect milk production.

If you are nursing, it’s a good idea to tell your pediatrician about your implants so he or she can keep a close eye on your baby's weight gain to make sure it is getting enough to eat. If you're thinking about getting breast implants but want to nurse your baby, you should dealy the surgery until after you wean your baby to avoid any problems.

In the early 1990s, the FDA requested a voluntary moratorium on silicone gel-filled breast implants due to a lack of scientific and clinical data supporting their safety and effectiveness. At the time, new questions about breast implants and an increased risk of autoimmune disease, including the rare but sometimes-fatal connective tissue disease scleroderma, were raised.

Since that time, clinical studies have focused on the adjuvant effect of silicone and of potential autoantibody production. Epidemiologic studies have ruled out a large increased risk for connective tissue disease, but samples were too small to rule out an increase in some rare connective tissue diseases.

More common with textured implants, rippling occurs when the breast implant settles into place after swelling has gone down. As the implant drops, it pulls on the scar tissue, which in turn pulls on the skin, causing visible rippling of the breasts. The only way to completely avoid this side effect is by using smooth implants.

Bottoming out occurs when the breast implant sits too low and the nipple is too high. This process creates an unnatural look that is the result of cutting too large a pocket for the implant. "Bottoming out" can also be caused by the weight of the implant in thin-skinned women, and can be corrected with additional surgery.

Capsular contracture causes the surrounding scar tissue to squeeze the implant, resulting in painful hardening of the breasts. Additional surgery to remove the scar tissue will correct the problem, but several operations are sometimes necessary.

While breast implants come with a lifetime manufacturer's warranty that covers operational failure, breast implant rupture is not always covered -- especially if the woman was engaged in an activity such as contact sports at the time. In fact, many causes of rupture are not covered by warranty, and some will actually void the warranty. Be sure to talk to your doctor if breast implant rupture is a concern for you.

Hematoma
Hematoma occurs when blood pools under the skin, creating discolored and often-painful lumps. This can be corrected with drainage or surgery.

Necrosis
Known as “tissue death”, necrosis is a rare and serious complication in which dead tissue can form around the implant and prevent healing. This must be dealt with by surgery or complete removal of the implant. Necrosis can leave large, permanent scars.

Symmastia
One of the rarest risks, symmastia is the result of a surgical mistake that causes the implants to lift off the sternum, causing the appearance of one large breast across the front of the body. This complication is hard to repair and often leads to removal of the implants.

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