The breast is a vital part of the female body; it's shape, size and perception affects the self-esteem and confidence of a woman. This perhaps is the reason for the surge in the number of women going for breast enlargement surgery, clinically known as Augmentation Mamoplasty, in recent times. Records have it that breast enlargement surgery is the third commonest type of cosmetic surgery performed in the United States and the number of women undergoing breast augmentation has increased over twenty percent in the last couple of years.

Despite the apparent risk involved with breast enlargement and the obvious adverse effects, the number of people undergoing this surgery has always been on the rise. Breast enlargement surgery could cause breast pain, breast hardness or numbness in the nipples that won't go away for months or in some cases, years. It could cause infections that would warrant the removal of the implant, until the infection is cleared. The implant could leak or rupture, wrinkle or change in shape resulting in more surgery to correct or remove the faulty implant. It is even said that the presence of implant in a breast makes it technically difficult to detect cancerous growth in the breast with a mammogram. Yet all these reasons haven't caused women to reconsider their quest for a better breast through surgery. One therefore wonders what these women expect to get from breast enlargement surgery.

Modern society places so much emphasis on body shapes, curves and looks and this seem to be the driving factor in most cosmetic surgery. Most women want to look like the women they see in movies or magazines. We all have an idea of what an ideal body should look like, but in most cases, these imaginings can never be transferred to reality, no matter how hard we manoeuvre, adapt or change the natural body shape, there is a limit to what can be achieved with cosmetics.

With breast enlargement surgery, for instance, it is important to state here that the results that you get after surgery may not necessarily correspond to what you have in mind as the ideal breast shape. The procedure will definitely improve breast shape, size, look and perhaps, firmness. But it is better to have a realistic expectation from the procedure. The outcome of breast enlargement surgery depends on so many individual factors, hence the difference in the results you get, meaning that you are not very likely to come out looking like your ideal Hollywood figure. The more realistic your expectations, the more fulfilled you will be after the procedure.

The outcome of a breast enlargement surgery would depend on factors like health, the structure of your chest, shape of your body, the type of surgical procedure and the size of implant. Prior experience with breast surgery and the skill and experience of the surgical team would also play a role in the end result.

The bottom line is that, though most women find their self esteem, courage, confidence and social acceptance after a breast enlargement procedure, you are more likely to be better off after the surgery if you expect less from the procedure. There is nothing as heart breaking as spending a few grand of your hard earned money only to discover that you didn't really get what you expected. If breast surgery is what you want, then go for it, but be reasonable in what you expect from it.