Enhance Your Beauty and Confidence
Breast augmentation surgery is a personal journey. At Samuel V. Bartholomew, MD, FACS, we're here to guide you every step of the way. Whether you desire a fuller bustline or a more youthful shape, we offer a range of procedures to meet your needs.
What is Breast Augmentation?
Breast augmentation in Portland, Oregon is a plastic surgery procedure that uses implants to enhance the size and shape of your breasts. It can also improve the symmetry and balance of your figure for a more breathtaking and graceful appearance. We use advanced techniques and the highest quality implants to ensure your safety and natural-looking results.
Breast tissue is the special tissue found in the breasts. Breasts are a pair of mammary glands on the chest. Both males and females have them, but they are more developed in females. This tissue primarily contains glandular tissue, adipose (fat) tissue, connective tissue, and blood vessels.
Natural breast tissue is the breast tissue that develops without any surgical intervention or artificial enhancement. It consists of a complex arrangement of lobules, which are the milk-producing glands, and ducts that transport milk to the nipple. Natural breast tissue can vary a lot between people. Genetics, hormones, age, and body weight influence this.
In females, breast tissue undergoes various changes throughout life, particularly during puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. During puberty, hormones change. This leads to the growth of glandular tissue and more fat deposits. As a result, breasts grow.
During pregnancy, the breast tissue prepares for lactation, with the lobules enlarging and the ducts becoming more prominent. After weaning, some of the glandular tissue may regress, and the overall composition of the breast may change again.
Natural breast tissue is also subject to changes due to aging. As women get older, the amount of glandular tissue usually goes down. At the same time, the amount of fat tissue may go up. This can change the shape and firmness of the breasts.
Understanding natural breast tissue is important for many medical fields, especially oncology. Detecting abnormalities like lumps or texture changes is crucial for early breast cancer diagnosis.
Knowing about natural breast tissue is important for cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. It helps surgeons achieve more natural-looking results. This is especially true for procedures like breast augmentation or reconstruction after a mastectomy.
In summary, breast tissue is an important part of the female body. It plays a key role in reproductive health. Natural breast tissue changes with the body's hormones and physical state over time. Understanding these changes is important for health and beauty.
Our Breast Augmentation Services
We offer a variety of breast augmentation procedures to address your unique needs and desires.
Breast Lift
Raise and reshape sagging breasts due to pregnancy, weight loss, or aging to restore volume and firmness.
Breast Reduction
Remove excess breast tissue to alleviate discomfort, improve posture, and enhance your overall quality of life.
Breast Implant Replacement and Revision
Address existing implant concerns, such as capsular contracture, implant rupture, or changes in your aesthetic preferences.
Breast Reconstruction after Mastectomy
Restore your natural appearance and regain your confidence with our comprehensive and personalized reconstructive solutions.
The Breast Augmentation Process
Your breast augmentation journey begins with a personal consultation with Dr. Bartholomew. Together, you'll decide on the best implant type, size, and placement to achieve your desired look.
Before surgery, we'll provide you with detailed instructions on how to prepare. This may include guidelines on medications, supplements, and lifestyle adjustments. We'll perform the surgery under general anesthesia, so you'll be comfortably asleep.
Dr. Bartholomew will make a small incision and carefully insert the implant, positioning it to achieve your desired shape. He takes great care to ensure implants sit naturally on the chest wall and that the results look and feel natural.
When thinking about breast augmentation in Portland, Oregon, many patients want to know the cost of the procedure. At Sam Bartholomew Plastic Surgery, the cost of breast augmentation can change. This depends on several factors. These include the type of implants, the complexity of the surgery, and any extra procedures done at the same time.
Breast augmentation usually involves putting silicone or saline implants in to make the breasts bigger and better shaped. The cost of the implants themselves can differ significantly, with silicone implants generally being more expensive than saline ones. The surgeon's skills, the location of the facility, and the practice's reputation can all affect the final price.
At Sam Bartholomew Plastic Surgery, patients will have a complete consultation. They will talk about their beauty goals, the options available, and the costs involved.
This first meeting is important. It helps the surgeon understand the patient's needs. The surgeon can then suggest the best way to achieve the desired results.
Patients should think about more than just the cost of implants and surgery. They should also consider other expenses. These can include anesthesia fees, facility costs, and post-operative care. It is important to know the total cost of breast augmentation.
This can range from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the details of each case. You may also consider a simplified breast lift. Please inquire.
Financing options may be available to help make the procedure more accessible. Many patients choose to explore payment plans or medical financing to manage the costs associated with breast augmentation.
The choice to have breast augmentation is personal. It is also important to understand the financial aspects involved. At Sam Bartholomew Plastic Surgery, we focus on giving patients the information and support they need. This helps them make informed choices about their bodies and health.
After your surgery, you'll need to rest and allow your body to heal. We'll provide you with detailed post-operative instructions and pain management strategies. Once you've fully healed, you'll be able to enjoy your new, enhanced bustline.
Recovery and Aftercare
We want you to have a smooth and comfortable recovery after your breast augmentation surgery. However, you may feel some discomfort and soreness. Don't worry! We will provide you with pain medication and instructions on how to manage pain effectively.
You will receive clear guidelines on activities and behaviors. These will help reduce swelling, minimize scars, and support your new breasts. Dr. Bartholomew will monitor your progress and address any concerns with regular follow-up appointments.
Breast Augmentation Q&A
Transcript
Heading into 2026, what is the biggest trend you've seen in patient goals for breast augmentation?
One of the biggest shifts heading into 2026 with breast augmentation is smaller size implants and more of a focus on or interest in hybrid breast augmentation. This means the use of natural fat or fillers in addition to an implant.
I think smaller size implants with less change in the anatomy or stretching out are a little more popular. Patients are going for a little more subtle result. I think it's just changes in culture and trends, but a more modest size implant is popular. Interestingly, as a plastic surgeon, it has less effect on stretching the tissue out and provides a more natural look.
What is the recovery like with hybrid breast augmentation?
Hybrid breast augmentation utilizes either fat for fat grafting to add to the upper part of the breast and kind of fill in some of the cleavage, or an off-the-shelf fat product like AlloClae in order to give you a smoother, nicer result in terms of filling in tissue that may not be addressed just with adding an implant.
It can add more time to the recovery in terms of the recovery from the liposuction itself. Generally, this is not necessarily additive to the overall timeline, but it does affect the donor site. For example, if fat is taken from the abdomen, it takes a little longer for that part to heal and adds a slight amount more discomfort. Generally, you're going to see bruising and some swelling from the liposuction site for really the first couple of weeks, but after that, there's some degree of swelling for about the first six weeks.
Are people still asking for maximum volume or is there a move toward anatomy-first aesthetics?
There's definitely been more of a shift towards more natural, subtle looks in breast augmentation. You see different terms sort of talked about in the press, like "ballerina breast," but generally it's a more natural result that respects the natural anatomy with less of an overly augmented look. I think that's just a trend and it's kind of what's popular now.
As a surgeon, I think it does respect the anatomy a little bit more. It is less likely to stretch out the tissue and less likely to have an overly dramatic look. I don't see quite as many patients looking for massive size. I try to augment breasts within what's more of a natural look and what the natural shape of the breast can hold, and I'm finding patients are more accepting of that when I recommend a more modest or smaller size implant.
How do you choose the right breast implant size and volume by a patient's body size?
There's a number of different factors which go into choosing the right size and shape of the implant. Definitely patient input comes first—kind of what they're looking for in terms of size and how much they want to change. Position is also a factor, figuring out whether it goes in front of the muscle, behind the muscle, or partially behind. That relies on patient input but also my advice to them, putting those two things together.
I think you have to look at the shape of the breast and the width of the breast. There's anatomy and size of the existing breast, and then you choose an implant which, in my opinion, has to respect that. When you overly augment it or put an implant which goes outside of the natural boundaries of the breast, that can cause more visibility or rippling and just has a tendency to potentially look a little more unnatural.
We're hearing a lot about hybrid breast augmentation. Can you explain how combining implants with a patient's own fat creates a more natural result?
For patients who potentially don't have a lot of natural cleavage or who want a little bit more natural fullness in the cleavage area, doing a hybrid breast augmentation can add some fat naturally to an area where an implant's not going to give volume.
For patients who want the breast augmentation but potentially have a very thin upper chest wall, adding fat or a fat graft material to that area is going to fill it in and give it a fuller, more youthful look depending on the patient's existing anatomy. It's a nice way to harmonize the chest because sometimes implants can have a tendency to look a little unnatural if they're very large or if the patient is very thin. Adding some of that fat can smooth out those edges and make the implant a little less visible.
Can a breast augmentation fix sagging or is a breast lift needed too?
In and of themselves, breast implants really don't give a lift. We talk about how an implant gives potentially a little more fullness or a little bit of a rise to the nipple complex, but for the most part, for patients dealing with the effects of kids, time, and gravity, if that nipple position is low, a lift is going to be needed in addition to an implant. We call that a mastopexy augmentation, which combines both the lift and some additional volume.
For someone concerned about safety, what are the newest advancements in implant technology like the blue seal indicator or lightweight implants?
I think breast implants have a great track record. If you look at silicone breast implants in terms of what we learned after the FDA moratorium, it's that they don't cause rheumatologic problems or connective tissue disorders, though there was a lot of thought previously that they may cause that. Now, while there is some controversy around whether or not there can be illness associated with it, I think that breast implants have a very safe track record and they last longer than they used to.
We're looking at the sixth generation of breast implants now, so there are improvements with the technology that help implants last longer. They do need to be replaced at some point—with any technology or any implant of any kind, they have to be replaced—but I'm seeing implants that have been in for 20 or 30 years. In general, I always tell patients best case is maybe 10 to 15 years, but in practice, I'm seeing them last longer. I think we're only going to continue to see improvements with the safety profile and the longevity of those implants.
How soon can a patient return to high-impact exercise or an athletic lifestyle after surgery?
For my patients, I like them to refrain from doing very strenuous, heavy-duty working out, CrossFit, other sports, or skiing for 6 weeks after augmentation. They can get back to light activity soon, but I like them to minimize that really strenuous activity to reduce any risk of malposition or movement of the implants, or the potential for any other problems that might occur from starting strenuous activity too early.
Can you define gummy bear implants?
Gummy bear implants refer to cohesive gel implants, and it has to do with just the type of gel and how that gel is chemically linked together. It has a little firmer consistency. In the old days, implants would be filled with medical-grade liquid silicone that literally would leak out if you popped the implant.
Now, these more advanced, next-generation implants are more cohesive due to how the silicone is processed and made in the lab. They can have a firmer texture and there is less potential for leakage or movement outside of the implant if there is a leak. It just has to do with the feel of the implant and the type of gel material that's inside.
How long does breast augmentation surgery take?
Breast augmentation surgery can take anywhere from an hour and a half to three hours depending on if it's a secondary surgery or a primary surgery. It really just depends, but the average primary breast augmentation is going to be about 2 hours.
Is implant replacement always needed? If so, after how many years?
An implant replacement is going to be needed at some point in the patient's life; I think that's fair to say because implants won't last forever. That timeline is variable. For silicone implants, we start checking the implant's integrity about 5 to 6 years afterwards according to FDA recommendations. Then, if there is some leak or there's some problem with the integrity of the shell, it's recommended they be exchanged.
As I said, about 10 to 15 years is what I typically tell patients is when they'd probably need to be looking at thinking about exchanging them. If there were any issues with implant position or other scar tissue that can develop, sometimes implants have to be changed out sooner. It really just depends on each patient's individual time course.
Breast Augmentation Myth vs Fact
Transcript
Considering breast augmentation, let's bust some common myths.
Myth number one: Implants need to be replaced every 10 years. False. Modern implants are designed to last. So if you're happy, healthy, and your implants are intact, there's no mandatory removal date.
Myth number two: Breast augmentation always looks fake or done. Absolutely not. With advancements in surgical techniques like hybrid augmentation and diverse implant options, we can achieve incredibly natural, subtle results tailored to your body.
Myth number three: Recovery is long and super painful. Fact, most patients are back to light activities in just a few days. While there's discomfort, it's manageable with medication and full recovery is often quicker than people expect.
Myth number four: You can't breastfeed after augmentation. For most patients, this is also false. Breast augmentation typically does not interfere with your ability to breastfeed, especially when the incisions are located away from the nipple.
Ready to learn the real facts about breast augmentation and if it's right for you? Book a consultation with us.
Why Choose Us for Your Breast Augmentation?
Expert Surgical Team
Dr. Bartholomew is a board-certified plastic surgeon with extensive experience in breast augmentation procedures. He is passionate about providing personalized care and awesome results.
Personalized Approach
We understand that every woman is unique. We will listen to your goals and assess your needs. Then, we will create a surgical plan just for you.
Advanced Techniques
We use the latest surgical techniques and technologies to ensure the safest and most effective procedures. We offer different implant options to match your body type and goals. This includes silicone gel implants and various implant shells.
Comfortable and Safe Environment
We provide a comfortable and safe environment for your surgery and recovery. Our friendly and compassionate staff will be there to support you every step of the way.
Focus on Natural Results
Our goal is to help you enhance your natural beauty and boost your confidence. We'll work closely with you to ensure that you're thrilled with your new look.
Advanced Internal Support: AlloClae™ for Breast Augmentation
For many patients in Portland and Clackamas, the key to a successful breast augmentation is not just the implant itself, but the internal support structure that holds it in place. We are proud to offer AlloClae™ Internal Support, an advanced technique designed to reinforce soft tissue and provide additional structural stability.
Why Use AlloClae™?
AlloClae™ is a soft tissue support matrix that is strategically placed during surgery. It is particularly beneficial for patients who:
- Have naturally thin breast tissue.
- Desire additional internal support for long-term implant positioning.
- Have mild tissue laxity or are undergoing revision surgery.
Long-Term Stability and Longevity
Unlike traditional techniques that rely solely on your natural tissue, AlloClae™ creates an internal scaffold that integrates with your body over time. This helps to reinforce the lower breast pole and maintain the desired aesthetic outcome for years to come.
Learn more about AlloClae™ Internal Support for Breast Augmentation
See Real Patient Transformations and Explore the Possibilities
From subtle touchups to full-body makeovers, we’ve helped countless patients reach their beauty goals. Check out our before and after gallery and discover the artistry of aesthetic enhancement for yourself.
Schedule Your Consultation Today!
Are you ready to explore your breast augmentation options? Contact Samuel V. Bartholomew, MD, FACS, today to schedule a consultation at our Clackamas office. We'll be happy to answer your questions, discuss your goals, and help you make informed decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the different types of breast implants available?
There are two main types of breast implants: FDA-approved saline and silicone. Doctors fill saline implants with sterile salt water, while they fill silicone implants with silicone gel. We'll discuss the pros and cons of each type with you and help you choose the best option for your needs and preferences.
Where are breast augmentation incisions located?
The location of your incisions will depend on the type of implant you choose, your body, and your desired outcome. Surgeons can make incisions under the breast or around the areola.
How long is the recovery period after breast augmentation?
Most women can return to work and light activities within a week or two after surgery. However, you'll need to avoid strenuous activity and heavy lifting for several weeks. We'll provide you with detailed post-operative instructions to ensure a smooth and comfortable recovery.
Will I have to replace my breast implants?
Breast implants do not last a lifetime. After many years, you may want to replace them because of wear and tear, rupture, or changes in your preferences. We offer implant replacement and revision procedures to ensure your long-term satisfaction.
Does insurance cover breast augmentation?
Insurance typically does not cover breast augmentation when people undergo the procedure for purely cosmetic reasons. However, insurance may cover breast reconstruction after mastectomy. We'll be happy to discuss your insurance coverage with you and help you understand your options.
Will my breast implants affect my chest muscles?
Dr. Bartholomew will discuss his recommendation on whether to place the implant above or below the pectoral muscle. There are pros and cons to each approach.
What is AlloClae™ Internal Support?
AlloClae™ is an advanced internal support technique used to reinforce soft tissue and provide additional structural support during breast augmentation. It is ideal for patients with thin tissue or those seeking enhanced long-term stability. Read more about AlloClae™.