Breast augmentation is one of the most requested operations in plastic and aesthetic surgery, in Spain and internationally alike. It is a safe, effective procedure that increases breast volume with natural results, tailored to each patient’s anatomy and wishes. The team at the Instituto de Cirugía Plástica del Mediterráneo, in Valencia, has spent years guiding women from all over Spain through this process, with a rigorous, personalised medical approach.
Here is everything you need in order to make an informed decision about breast augmentation, from the types of implant to the most advanced surgical techniques and the options that involve no implant at all.
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Breast augmentation can be done with implants or by autologous fat grafting: two techniques with different indications and different results.
The material, the shape and the surface of the implant, and the plane it is placed in, are decided according to each patient’s anatomy.
There is no indication for routine implant replacement at ten years. Replacement is considered when there is a complication or a change in the result.
In patients who want to have children, the inframammary fold approach is preferred, because it interferes least with breastfeeding.
Recommended follow-up includes an annual breast ultrasound, a scan that is not carried out at the clinic.
What is breast augmentation?
Breast augmentation, or augmentation mammoplasty, is surgery whose purpose is to increase the volume of the breasts. It can be done by placing breast implants or by transferring the patient’s own fat, known as breast lipofilling.
The reasons for having this surgery vary widely: a wish for better body proportions, recovering volume lost after pregnancy or weight loss, or correcting asymmetry, tuberous breasts or breast hypoplasia.
Breast implants: types, materials and shapes
When breast augmentation is done with implants, choosing the type of implant is a fundamental part of the process, because it bears directly on the result. Today’s breast implants meet high quality standards, with safe materials and considerable durability.
By filling material, implants may be:
Highly cohesive silicone gel: the most widely used, for their natural feel and their stability over time. The gel inside holds its shape even if the shell is damaged.
Saline: they are inserted empty and filled once in place. They are less common today because they feel more artificial and carry a higher risk of deflation.
By shape, there are two main types:
Round implants: they give more volume in the upper part of the breast and are usually chosen when a fuller cleavage is wanted. Within the round implants there are now also ergonomic implants, characterised by softer gels and behaviour somewhere between anatomical and round.
Anatomical (teardrop) implants: they look more natural, because they mimic the shape of the female breast, with a less full upper pole.
The surface of the implant may be:
Smooth: it moves more freely within the breast pocket, although it carries a slightly higher rate of displacement and of capsular contracture.
Textured: it adheres better to the tissue and reduces the risk of capsular contracture.
Surgical techniques: tailored to each patient
Surgical planning is shaped entirely around the patient’s anatomy and her expectations. One of the key decisions is the plane the implant is placed in:
Subglandular: between the breast gland and the pectoral muscle. Recovery is quick and it suits cases where there is enough breast tissue for cover.
Subfascial: beneath the fascia of the pectoral muscle. It combines some of the advantages of the subglandular and submuscular planes, but it too is limited by how much covering tissue there is.
Subpectoral: beneath the pectoralis major muscle. It is ideal where there is little breast tissue, since it gives the implant extra cover.
Dual plane: it combines subpectoral placement in the upper part and subglandular in the lower. It is the most widely used technique today, because it gives natural results together with a lower risk of displacement, implant visibility, rippling and capsular contracture.
The other decisive factor is the surgical approach — that is, where the implant goes in:
Inframammary fold: the incision is made in the crease under the breast. It is the most widely used, for its precision, its discretion and its lower risk of contaminating or infecting the implant.
Periareolar: access is through the lower edge of the areola. Visibility is good, but it is not appropriate in every case.
Transaxillary: it leaves the scar in the armpit, away from the breast. Its use is limited by less precise positioning and by the restricted range of implants it allows.
At our clinic we plan each case individually, weighing all of these variables in order to choose the most appropriate technique for each patient.
A side section of the breast showing the three placement planes. In the subglandular plane the implant sits in front of the pectoral muscle; in the submuscular plane the muscle covers it; in the dual plane the muscle covers the upper pole and the lower pole rests on the gland. The choice depends on how much of the patient’s own tissue is available for cover and on how physically active she is. Original diagram by the Instituto de Cirugía Plástica del Mediterráneo.
Augmentation with your own fat: an alternative to implants
For those who want a more natural increase, or who prefer to avoid implants, there is breast lipofilling. The technique consists of removing fat from the patient’s own body by liposuction, purifying it and reinjecting it into the breast to achieve a moderate increase in volume.
The main advantages of lipofilling are:
It involves nothing artificial.
It improves the body contour, since it is combined with liposculpture.
It feels completely natural.
The complication rate is very low.
It does, however, have limitations. Several sessions are sometimes needed to reach the volume wanted, and it is not indicated where a substantial increase in size is the goal. It also requires the patient to have enough fat available to harvest.
Natural results and long-term safety
Thanks to advances in technique and in materials, the results of breast augmentation today are highly predictable, long-lasting and safe.
At our clinic we also use latest-generation implants and follow strict review protocols, to make sure the long-term course is as good as it can be.
Recovery and follow-up
Recovery after breast augmentation is usually well tolerated. There is often a feeling of pressure or swelling, but the discomfort is controlled with painkillers. Most patients can go back to work between 7 and 10 days after surgery, although that will depend on the kind of work they do.
During the first few weeks it is necessary to:
Wear a post-surgical bra.
Avoid strenuous physical effort.
Not sleep face down or on your side.
Attend the scheduled follow-up appointments.
Breast augmentation and breastfeeding
A common concern among women of childbearing age is whether they will be able to breastfeed after augmentation mammoplasty. In most cases the answer is yes. Where the operation is a breast augmentation and the glandular structures are respected, the ability to breastfeed is not altered by the surgery.
Even so, all of this is assessed at the pre-operative consultation, and the technique chosen is the one that best preserves the natural functions of the breast, particularly in women who want to have children in the future.
Breast augmentation is a medical and an aesthetic decision, and it should be taken with information, responsibility and professional support. At the Instituto de Cirugía Plástica del Mediterráneo we have a team of expert surgeons, state-of-the-art equipment and a commitment to patient safety.
Our protocols follow the most demanding international recommendations, and we work to principles of medical ethics, transparency and constant communication with the patient at every stage of the process.
Breast augmentation is a highly effective procedure for anyone who wants to improve the shape, size or symmetry of their breasts. Thanks to advances in surgical technique, very natural results can now be achieved with a high degree of safety. Whether with implants or with fat transfer, what matters is going to a specialist clinic that offers experience, medical judgement and personal support.
At our clinic in Valencia we offer advanced solutions, adapted to each case, with continuous follow-up so that every patient can go through her change with confidence and peace of mind. If you are considering breast augmentation, we will be glad to answer your questions at a first, informative consultation.
Detailed guides on breast augmentation
This page describes the procedure as a whole. Each decision and each stage also has its own guide:
You can book your own appointment. Pick the day and time from the free slots in the diary, in a panel that opens right here, without leaving this page.
Frequently asked questions about breast augmentation
How much does breast augmentation cost in Valencia?
At ICPM the price of a breast augmentation is, as a guide, between 5,000 and 7,000 € (2026), and it is a fixed, all-inclusive price: the implants, the operating theatre, the anaesthetist, the follow-up appointments, the compression garment and VAT. Nothing appears on the bill afterwards.
What it does not include are the optional post-operative treatments — radiofrequency, massage or lymphatic drainage — which are recommended according to what each patient needs and are quoted separately.
There is a range because the cost depends on the technique, on the type of implant and on how complex the case is: an augmentation on its own is not the same as one combined with a lift. The figure is a guide and is subject to individual assessment; after the first consultation you are always given a written quote, and that quote is the one that holds.
Can the operation be paid for in instalments?
Yes. ICPM has agreements with several finance providers and the operation can be financed over up to 5 years. The specific terms — the period, the monthly payment and the total cost — depend on the provider and on its assessment of each application, so they are given to you in writing along with the quote, before you decide anything.
And if there is a complication or I need a revision? Who covers it?
Every case is looked at individually, but the general principle is clear. If a medical complication arises, treating it normally involves only the cost of materials and theatre, so the cost is very small compared with a standard operation: the surgery is not charged for again.
As for minor refinement procedures, they are usually included, at minimal cost.
This is not a guarantee of outcome — medicine is an obligation of means, not of results — but an undertaking that, if something requires a second operation, we will make that as straightforward as we possibly can so that any problem can be dealt with.
Is it true that implants have to be changed every 10 years?
No. There is no fixed expiry date: the ten-year rule is folklore, not a medical indication. What the FDA does say is that an implant is not a lifetime device, and replacement is decided for a specific reason — rupture, contracture, a change in shape or the patient’s own wish — never by the calendar.
After surgery: one week, two weeks, one month, and 3, 6 and 12 months — indicative dates, adjusted to how you are getting on. And after that, an annual breast ultrasound, which keeps an eye on the implant and the capsule and examines the breast tissue itself.
🔑 That is a tighter schedule than the FDA minimum, which places the first imaging review at 5-6 years and then every 2-3. The ultrasound is not carried out at our clinic: have it wherever suits you and we will review it at your appointment. ⚠️ And it does not replace screening mammography, nor the other way round.
What are the real risks of breast augmentation, and how often do they happen?
It is surgery and it carries risks: the general ones of any operation — bleeding, infection, anaesthetic — and those specific to this one. In the follow-up studies the FDA requires of manufacturers, around 36% of primary augmentation patients had some complication or reoperation by 7 years.
These are not our clinic’s figures and they vary with the implant, the technique and the patient: they are not a reason not to have surgery, but they are a reason to decide with information and with follow-up. You will find them all, one by one and with their frequency, in the risks of breast augmentation.
What is capsular contracture, and how would I know I had it?
The body forms a capsule of tissue around every implant, and that is normal. It is called contracture when that capsule thickens and squeezes the implant: the breast feels harder, sits higher and looks rounder, sometimes on one side only. It is the commonest complication of this surgery and it is a reason to book an appointment, not an emergency.
Can implants cause cancer? What is BIA-ALCL lymphoma?
A breast implant does not cause breast cancer. There is a separate and uncommon condition — breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma, BIA-ALCL — which is not breast cancer but a lymphoma arising in the capsule around the implant: it is far more associated with textured implants than with smooth ones and, diagnosed in time, has a good prognosis.
⚠️ Regulators do not recommend removing implants from people who have no symptoms. The Spanish figures from the AEMPS, and how it presents, are in BIA-ALCL lymphoma and breast implant illness.
Will I be able to breastfeed my baby if I have implants?
In most cases yes, although it cannot be guaranteed, and on which surgical approach best preserves breastfeeding the evidence is not conclusive.
🔑 Where a patient wants to have children, our policy is to operate through the inframammary fold wherever her anatomy allows: it is the approach that disturbs the gland and the nipple-areola complex least. Say so at the first consultation, because it shapes the technique we will propose.
Yes, and you should carry on having them. An implant can hide part of the breast tissue, which is why there is a specific technique — implant displacement views — that moves the implant aside so the gland can be seen. All you have to do is say that you have implants when you book.
Neither is better in the abstract: they solve different problems. An implant gives a defined, predictable volume; lipofilling uses your own fat, gives a more discreet result and leaves no implant scar, but part of the grafted volume is reabsorbed and more than one session is often needed.
Rule of thumb: a small increase that nobody notices, lipofilling; a marked change, an implant. The full comparison is in implants or your own fat.
How many days off do I need, and can I get sick leave?
Those are two different questions. How long you take to go back depends on your job and is planned with you at the consultation. Who covers those days is another matter: purely aesthetic, planned, elective surgery does not qualify for statutory sick leave in Spain, although it may do if a complication arises or if the surgery has a reconstructive purpose.
Our advice is to arrange the days with your employer before surgery and count on them as your own time. The timescales by type of work are in time off work after breast augmentation.
How do I check that a surgeon really is a specialist?
With three checks you can make yourself, without relying on the advertising:
That they are a specialist in Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery through the Spanish MIR training programme. That is not the same as an “aesthetic doctor”, which is a different training.
That they appear in the register of their medical association. That shows more than a registration number: it shows their recognised specialty, which is the fact that actually matters. The search is public and free.
That the clinic holds a health authorisation for surgery, which can be checked in the register of centres held by the relevant regional health department.
Membership of SECPRE, the Spanish society of plastic surgeons, is a further sign. A professional who meets all three will have no difficulty giving you them in writing.
At what age can you have a breast augmentation?
From the age of 18, and once breast development is complete. There is no upper age limit: what is assessed is your state of health, not the number.
Not in any real or lasting way. Creams, pills, vacuum devices and exercises do not increase breast volume: the pectoral muscles lie beneath the gland and training them does not make it grow. The only options with a real result are an implant and your own fat.
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