Surgical · Breast
Consultant-led augmentation, lift and reduction — performed personally by Dr Hassan Soueid. Each plan is built around your anatomy, your lifestyle, and the long view.
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Hello!
Medically reviewed by Dr Hassan SoueidConsultant Cosmetic & Plastic Surgeon
Overview
Breast surgery covers a family of related operations: augmentation (adding volume, usually with implants), mastopexy (a lift), reduction (removing volume and reshaping), and combinations of the above. The choice depends on your anatomy and what you would like to change.
At Kensington Cosmetic Clinic every breast operation is performed personally by Dr Hassan Soueid, a consultant plastic surgeon with twenty years of breast surgery experience including reconstruction. The same surgeon who consults with you operates and follows you up — there is no rotating team.
Our brief is restraint and natural proportion. We do not perform fashion-led extreme augmentations, and we are equally clear about the cases where we recommend against surgery in favour of non-surgical alternatives or a different technique.
The right breast operation is the one that fits your frame, your goals and your future — not someone else's photograph.
How it works
A side cross-section of the procedure. Hover any pulsing marker to see how each anatomical layer is treated by Dr Hassan during surgery.
Hover or tap any highlighted region
Illustration is anatomical only — the operation is tailored individually at consultation.
Treated Areas
Most patients combine two indications — for example, a lift with a small implant. The plan is built from what you want to change, not from a single operation name.
Breast augmentation
Adding volume with silicone implants. Implant size, profile (low/moderate/high), shape (round/anatomical) and pocket position (subglandular/submuscular/dual-plane) are chosen for your anatomy and goals.
Fat-transfer augmentation
Augmentation using your own fat instead of implants. Limited volume gain per session (typically half a cup), staged across two procedures. Best for patients who want a small, natural-feeling change without an implant.
Composite augmentation
An implant plus fat transfer combined — fat softens the visible upper-pole edge of the implant and creates a more natural transition. Often the right answer for thin patients.
Mastopexy (breast lift)
Reshaping and elevating breasts that have descended due to ageing, weight change or pregnancy. Volume is rearranged rather than added — the breast is lifted into a higher, more youthful shape.
Augmentation-mastopexy
A lift combined with a small implant. Sometimes the right answer when there is both descent and volume loss — though the operation is more complex and revision rates are higher than either alone.
Breast reduction
Removing tissue and reshaping the breast for patients with large, heavy breasts causing back, neck or shoulder symptoms. One of the highest-satisfaction cosmetic operations performed.
Areola, nipple and inverted nipple correction
Reshaping or reducing oversized areolae, lifting downward-pointing nipples, or correcting inverted nipples — performed alone or alongside a lift or reduction.
Tubular and asymmetric breasts
Congenital differences including tubular ('tuberous') breast shape and significant left/right asymmetry. Each side is planned independently — sometimes one side is augmented and the other lifted or reduced.
Gynaecomastia (male chest)
Excess male breast tissue removed via liposuction, direct tissue excision or both. Restores a flat, masculine chest contour.
Implant revision & exchange
Replacement of older implants, capsular contracture correction, and explant procedures (removal without replacement). Honest assessment of whether replacement, exchange or simple removal is the right answer.
Candidate
Benefits at KCC
Investment
Every patient is different — the area, technique and number of stages shape the plan. We share full pricing during your private consultation, after Dr Hassan or your treating clinician has reviewed your goals in person.
Before
Breast surgery preparation begins six weeks before the operation. Following these steps reduces complications and supports a smooth recovery.
Choice
The two routes to volume change. Both have a place — the right answer depends on your anatomy, lifestyle and the long view.
Option 1
Predictable size and shape change in a single operation. Modern cohesive-gel implants are extensively studied with well-understood revision rates. Best for patients wanting a clear, defined volume increase or significant size change.
Option 2
Augmentation using your own fat — no foreign material, softer and more natural feel. Limited volume gain per session (typically a half cup) and best in stages. Requires sufficient donor fat. Implants can never be added later if the result is insufficient — though further fat transfer can.
Composite augmentation (implant plus fat transfer) is sometimes the right answer for thin patients — discussed at consultation.
The Treatment
Two consultations are standard before booking — first to confirm the plan and review options, second to confirm consent, implant choice and surgical date. Standardised photographs are taken at the first visit.
Performed under general anaesthetic in our CQC-registered theatre. Total operative time is typically 1.5–3 hours depending on the operation.
Most patients are discharged the same day or the morning after. First review at 24 hours, drains (if used) removed at 48 hours, sutures self-dissolving.
Step by Step
Breast surgery — augmentation, lift, reduction or revision — moves through clear stages. Here is what to expect at each.
01 · The Consultation
Two consultations before booking. Body and chest measurements, standardised photography, implant try-on (where relevant) and an honest conversation about the right operation for your goals. Sometimes our advice is a smaller implant, fat transfer instead of an implant, or a lift alone.
02 · Preparation
Six weeks of smoking cessation, two weeks off blood-thinners. Up-to-date breast imaging where age-appropriate. Two soft front-fastening surgical bras. Two to three weeks of clear social downtime arranged with help on hand for the first week.
03 · The Procedure
Under general anaesthetic in our CQC-registered theatre — typically 1.5 to 3 hours depending on the operation. Incision and pocket choice are individualised. Implants are inserted via a no-touch Keller funnel technique to reduce infection risk. Closure is in fine layered sutures.
04 · Recovery & Aftercare
Surgical bra worn 23 hours a day for six weeks. No overhead lifting for four weeks; no heavy lifting for six. Massage routine begins at six weeks. Implants 'drop and fluff' over three to six months — the shape at week two is not the final shape.
After
Most patients return to non-physical work at 7–10 days; full social downtime is 2–3 weeks. Final shape settles by 3–6 months.
Results
Breast surgery results settle gradually. The shape immediately after surgery is not the final shape — implants 'drop and fluff' over the first 3–6 months.
Questions
Modern cohesive-gel silicone implants have an extensive safety record. The MHRA, FDA and major plastic surgery bodies all support their continued use. Specific risks (capsular contracture, rupture, BIA-ALCL with textured implants) are discussed in detail at consultation. We use only smooth-shell implants from established manufacturers with comprehensive warranties.
Implants are not lifetime devices. Average longevity in published series is 10–15 years; some patients are still happy with their implants at 20+ years, others require revision earlier. Revision rates are approximately 1% per year. We discuss the long-view at consultation, including the realistic likelihood of future surgery.
In most cases yes. The surgical approach is selected to preserve milk ducts and the nerve supply to the nipple. Inframammary (under-breast) and submuscular implants have negligible impact on breastfeeding. Periareolar incisions and lifts have a small additional risk of impaired breastfeeding. We discuss this thoroughly at consultation.
Not if the plan respects your frame. The 'obvious' look comes from over-large implants on small frames, or implants placed too high on the chest. Conservative sizing matched to your anatomy produces results that look like your own breasts, fuller. We are deliberately cautious about extreme size requests.
Yes. Explant procedures are an established part of our practice. Some patients choose simple removal; others request en-bloc capsulectomy (removal of implant and surrounding scar tissue). Some need a lift after removal to address skin redundancy. We discuss the realistic outcome honestly — explant alone typically leaves smaller, slightly looser breasts than before augmentation.
All breasts are asymmetric. Significant asymmetry can be addressed by augmenting the smaller side, reducing the larger side, or different implant sizes left and right. Tubular breast shape (one side more affected than the other) is treated as part of our specialist congenital practice.
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