How One Surgeon Makes Picking St. Louis Breast Implants Easy

by | Dec 5, 2019 | Plastic Surgeon Feature

Picking the right St. Louis breast implants can be nerve wracking. How do you know you’ve made the best choice? Will you be happy with your results? Dr. Herluf Lund at St. Louis Plastic Surgery sat down to talk with us about how he helps patients choose the best breast implant for their body and their peace of mind. Dr. Lund is a board-certified plastic surgeon with 28 years of experience. At his plastic surgery practice, he offers a wide variety of breast implant options, plus the information you need to make an educated choice for your body.

Your Breast Augmentation Consultation

What happens during a breast augmentation consultation? You may be surprised to learn that plastic surgery offices differ in how they present options to their patients. Dr. Lund explains why he believes patient education is a vital part of the consultation, 

“One of the most important things that our office is known for is that it’s not a quick 15 minute concept, it is a much more educational process. That is something that I incorporated into our practice when I joined and merged into St. Louis Cosmetic Surgery. I thought that women should be informed just as much on this process as if they’re going to have a kidney procedure or lung procedure or a heart procedure. And that we were doing a great disservice to women when we were not filling them in.” 

Patient education while choosing St. Louis breast implants is of utmost importance. According to Dr. Lund, education helps women make an informed decision and allows them to plan for the future. Dr. Lund tells us, 

“I came from a background where, in the late 1980s, we were dealing with the Silastic Two complications, in which those women had never heard of capsular contracture, never heard of rupture rates, and never heard of issues with silicone gel . . . and then we went through the 1990s and everyone said, ‘Oh saline implants, they’re just the same as silicone.’ And, of course, they’re not. And the patients were once again unhappy. So my goal has always been that I’d rather take the time up front and keep the patient informed.”

Breast Implant Options at St. Louis Cosmetic Surgery

Dr. Lund offers a wide variety of breast implant options for his patients, knowing no two women are built the same. At your breast augmentation consultation, Dr. Lund will listen to your goals and help you figure out which St. Louis breast implant is right for you, never pressuring you to choose one implant or another. Dr. Lund explains, 

“Some patients come in and they’re already set. They want to use the IDEAL IMPLANT® Structured Breast Implant, or they want to use a silicone gel implant. And I’m not here to try and say to them, ‘No, you can’t use a silicone gel implant’ if they want to use a silicone gel implant. But many of them don’t know which implant they’re planning to use and that’s when you start the education process.”

So what are your breast implant options? All breast implants have a solid silicone shell, and are filled with either saline or silicone gel. Here is how each type differs:

  • Unstructured Saline: These saline breast implants are often compared to water balloons. They are filled with saline, which is a similar consistency to water. Without an internal structure saline breast implants tend to wrinkle under the skin. The benefit of saline breast implants is that in the case of a rupture the saline inside is naturally absorbed by the body and rupture detection is instant.
  • Silicone Gel: Many women choose silicone gel for their St. Louis breast implants because silicone gel provides a natural look and feel. The silicone gel inside the implant is thick and sticky, and feels similar to breast tissue. However, because it is so thick, it tends to stay close to the shell if a rupture happens, causing a “silent rupture.” The FDA recommends that women receive MRI scans at 3 years after their surgery and then every 2 years after that to detect silent ruptures.
  • IDEAL IMPLANT Structured Breast Implant: The newest breast implant on the market is the IDEAL IMPLANT, which provides the best of what saline and silicone gel have to offer. IDEAL IMPLANT is filled with saline, providing peace of mind, instant rupture detection, and no need for monitoring. The internal structure of this breast implant makes it feel like natural breast tissue. IDEAL IMPLANT also has a high rate of satisfaction, and low rate of common breast implant complications. 

Dr. Lund helps his patients choose their implant by letting them handle each St. Louis breast implant while he explains their benefits and compromises. Again, Dr. Lund explains, 

“I bring out the old saline implant, which is the fancy water balloon. And my patient say, ‘Oh, I don’t like that.’ And then I put out the IDEAL IMPLANT and they go, ‘Oh, that’s much, much better.’ And then I bring out the silicone gel implant and let them compare. It is surprising the number of patients who turn around and say, ‘Yeah, I want to do the IDEAL IMPLANT. I like that concept.’”

Why Patients are Choosing IDEAL IMPLANT Structured Breast Implants

Since its introduction, the IDEAL IMPLANT has grown tremendously in popularity. It is only available through certain board-certified plastic surgeons around the US and Canada, to ensure each woman with IDEAL IMPLANT Structured Breast Implants receives high quality care. As an IDEAL IMPLANT surgeon Dr. Lund has been able to present this option to many women who had never heard of the implant before. When asked why his patients are choosing IDEAL IMPLANT as their St. Louis breast implant, Dr. Lund said, 

“The main reason I see patients choosing the IDEAL IMPLANT over silicone gel or unstructured saline implants by far is when they look at the new technology in it. They’re fascinated with the idea of the baffles. They’re fascinated with the concept that the implant with the baffling seems to have longevity at eight years that no other implant is yet matched as far as failure rates. And so there’s this peace of mind factor, that, one, I think I’m getting the newest technology and, two, I’m happy and comfortable with the failure rate being much lower. And even if it does fail, they go, ‘I will know very quickly I have a problem with my implant, because it’s a saline implant.’” 

Simply put, IDEAL IMPLANT uses the most advanced technology to provide women with natural looking results, and peace of mind. 

Schedule an Appointment for St. Louis Breast Implants Today

We asked Dr. Lund why patients should visit his plastic surgery practice, St. Louis Plastic Surgery. He explained, 

“We are focused on aesthetic surgery and we have a very large medical spa, very active. We still have participation in a number of research projects along the way, and we stay true to our mission. And what I tell patients sometimes is we’re going to be here. It may not be me, but you will always be able to come back to St. Louis Cosmetic Surgery. You will always be able to have your records there and somebody in the practice is going to know you. There’s a degree of consistency I think we can offer that I don’t think anybody else can. Very few people around the country can even say, we’ve been here since 1973 and we’re not going anywhere.” 

Dr. Lund and his partners are dedicated to providing excellent care to their patients by staying up to date on all medical research and technology. That is one reason Dr. Lund chose to offer IDEAL IMPLANT Structured Breast Implants. Dr. Lund is one of the exclusive surgeons providing this new technology to women in St. Louis. Breast implants may seem confusing, but with Dr. Lund’s help you can pick the perfect implant for you.

Considering breast implants in St. Louis? Contact Dr. Herluf Lund today to discuss your options. Simply call 636-442-4259, or visit www.stlcosmeticsurgery.com. Dr. Lund’s office is located at 17300 North Outer 40 Road, #300, Chesterfield, MO, 63005. Call today for more information on IDEAL IMPLANT® Structured Breast Implants.