Dr. Otto Placik is a board-certified plastic surgeon with offices in Chicago and Arlington Heights, Illinois. Dr. Placik has performed hundreds of procedures over the years, with primary breast augmentation being one of the most popular. We sat down with Dr. Placik and asked him about his experience as a surgeon as well as his opinion about the newest implant technology, the IDEAL IMPLANT® Structured Breast Implant.
Picking a Breast Implant
Do your patients come in requesting certain types of implants?
“So many people have resources available to them online before they even come in. It’s not unusual for patients to come in saying, “I want silicone under the muscle through a crease incision with a lift,” or, “I want the IDEAL IMPLANT® Structured Breast Implant and I see that you’re listed on the website and so I chose you because of that reason.”
What advice do you give women who are trying to decide what size implant they want?
“We try to devote a large amount of the consultation to sizing, but ultimately, it’s very important for them to go home and discuss this with family, to reconsider everything, and come back for a second consultation and to do a more formal sizing appointment. There’s a lot of information given and it’s not unusual that most of the patients will be in our office for two hours for the first visit, which can be exhausting. We want them to let everything percolate in, and think about it for a while. We don’t want anybody making a rush decision.
“One of the most common reasons we know for reoperations is the desire to go larger. Unfortunately, that’s true with patients who choose very small implants and patients who choose what would conventionally be considered very large implants. We have patients who choose implants that range 150[cc] come back and say, “I want to be larger and be 200[cc],” but we also have patients who have some of the largest implants available, which are around 800[cc], 850cc and say that they want to be larger. We try to guide them and let them know that size is one of the most important considerations for reoperations. We generally will encourage them to go larger, but we want to respect their goals and their aesthetic ideal. There are a lot of different options available for sizing and we sometimes want them to try the implants on, do the rice test, do a saline test and wear that size for a little while at home just to get comfortable with it.”
What factors contribute to breast implant cost?
“There are so many factors that go into that. I really want patients to feel comfortable with the prices that we charge before they come in. It’s very common for someone to say, “My breast sizes are even.” Then we measure them and they aren’t even. That means interventions have to be undertaken that will the increase the costs. It may necessitate sizers, different sized implants, or different style implants. It takes more time during surgery and there will, of course, be additional cost. Traditionally speaking, I will tell patients that the vast majority of breast augmentation will be in the $6-8,000 range, but it rarely is less than that. It can sometimes be higher than that depending on what needs to be done, which can include lifts or adjustments such as liposuction or fat transfer.
“There are people who do breast augmentations for less and I urge patients to be very cautious about those lower cost providers. Make sure that they’re board-certified, that they’re doing them in an accredited facility, that you’re being seen by the physician before surgery rather than the patient screen, and that you’re getting good quality implants. Unfortunately, people are using what we call “gray market implants” that are not warrantied. It’s also important to really feel comfortable with your surgeon and the person who’s going to be doing that procedure, and often times the lower cost providers will not allow you to meet the surgeons on the day of surgery.”
Why do you like the IDEAL IMPLANT® Structured Breast Implant?
“What I like about the IDEAL IMPLANT® Structured Breast Implant is that patients who are reluctant to have silicone gel breast implants can have peace of mind. They can have an implant that provides an aesthetic result that’s comparable to silicone gel without having the anxiety of worrying about the maintenance of silicone gel or the potential risk of silent rupture. I can also give my patients reassurance about the long term complication rates, which are lower when compared to either saline or silicone gel.”
Are your patients satisfied after getting the IDEAL IMPLANT® Structured Breast Implant?
“The patient satisfaction is high. These are patients who are interested in the procedure and have done their fair share of reading background studies and research. They’re educated and informed, and I think that gives them a lot of peace of mind in the recovery process, and long-term they feel much more comfortable.”
Breast Implant Surgery and Recovery
What do your patients need to know about scarring?
“Scarring is related to both the placement of the incision as well as a person’s own natural wound healing tendencies. I often times will tell patients that their scar is 50% my skill and 50% their response to my injury. When we go with the IDEAL IMPLANT® Structured Breast Implant, we can use a smaller incision. We can use an incision that is almost half the size of what would be required for a comparable sized silicone gel when we use the IDEAL IMPLANT® Structured Breast Implant.”
What can you tell us about silent ruptures in silicone gel implants?
“They call silent ruptures ‘silent’ for a reason. The advantage of the silicone gel implants nowadays is it’s a more cohesive gel that sticks together. The disadvantage is when it ruptures, you don’t know that. MRI’s are not necessarily accurate, even though that’s the best non-invasive test we have. And, unfortunately, that test can be very expensive and not provide us with a 100% result. Then we don’t know about the silicone rupture until we go in during a surgery.
“It’s not unusual for me to have to go into somebody for reasons other than rupture, and then we find that coincidentally there was a silent rupture. When we have a silent rupture it changes the scope of the procedure as we go from what would be considered just capsulotomy to a capsulectomy, which is a much more extensive procedure and no one wants to be caught by surprise with it. When we’re talking about primary breast augmentation, these surgeries are not covered by insurance unless you have some very good insurance coverage.”
What should women know about the recovery process in order to get the best results?
“I think knowing about the process ahead of time makes the recovery a lot easier. There are things that we’ve learned over time that any good practitioner knows, which is what we call a rapid recovery process. I have meticulous inter-operative attention to detail, trying to minimize injury. Then, we involve the patient in the recovery process, meaning that we want them to get active and moving.
“In the past, we used to bind people up and not have them move their arms. We found through time that when we get them moving sooner, the recovery is much faster. I provide my patients with a lot of instructional brochures beforehand and can have them watch this on YouTube as well. I also have an app where people can time their exercises throughout the day. I think getting them involved, having a plan, and knowing what to expect definitely help the recovery process.”
Considering breast implants in Chicago? Contact Dr. Otto Placik today to discuss your options. Simply call 847-398-1660 or visit www.bodysculptor.com. Dr. Placik’’s office is located at 880 West Central Road, #3100, Arlington Heights, IL 60005. Call today for more information on IDEAL IMPLANT® Structured Breast Implants.