Sometimes a reconstructed or treated breast will be larger than your natural breast. If this is troublesome and making it difficult for you to get clothes to fit you may be offered a breast augmentation. This involves an operation to place a breast implant in your other breast. This can be placed behind the breast tissue or behind the chest wall muscle. The scar is normally in the fold under the breast and should not be too obvious.
Possible complications after this type of surgery are the same as listed under implant reconstruction, although problems tend to be less frequent with augmentation; any of these complications may require you to have further surgery in the future. Implants only come in certain sizes and so you are unlikely to have a perfect size match with the other side afterwards, although hopefully they will be closer. You may notice some alteration of nipple sensation afterwards. You will still need to have mammograms on a breast that has had an augmentation.
All patients having a breast implant placed should be made aware of the rare chance of Breast Implant associated Lymphoma that has been identified. This is a form of cancer that occurs very rarely (1 in 20,000 with a breast implant) and which looks to be readily treatable by removal of the breast implant and any scar tissue surrounding it. Please let your GP or Breast Team know if you experience any sudden swelling of a breast that has a breast implant in it.