Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about
breast enlargement:

What are the costs for breast augmentation?

For Dr. Dowden's patients, the cost of breast enlargement using saline implants via any incision ranges from $6500 to $7500, everything included, i.e. pre-operative examination and testing, operating room, anesthesiologist, recovery room, implants, medical supplies and dressings, surgeon's fees, and office checkups for twelve months. Subsequent annual checkups are not included. The variation within this range depends upon several factors, such as the type of implant chosen, and which facility is chosen for the procedure, and whether the woman stays overnight after surgery. Using silicone-gel implants will be more expensive.

One can find surgeons offering lower fees for this surgery, and although lower fees do not always mean lower quality, there are several questions to which the patient must know the answers:

1. Is the surgeon certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery (www.abms.org to find out)?
2. Does the surgeon have considerable experience with implant surgery?
3. Has your surgeon spent enough time explaining everything to you?
4. Is the surgical facility fully accredited for general anesthesia?
5. Will there be an M.D. Anesthesiologist?
6. Will your surgeon be the one doing your surgery?
7. Are you sure your surgeon is not just supervising residents doing the surgery?
8. Are you sure your surgeon will not be needed in another operating room while trying to do your operation?
9. Does the quoted fee include anesthesia, operating room, and implants?
10. Are the implants U.S. made and FDA approved?

For example, here is a table of some fee figures and characteristics applicable to ten of the surgeons doing breast augmentation in the Cleveland area, given to us by patients who had seen those surgeons first. Plastic Surgeons do not discuss their fees with each other, but the patients can be believed, most of whom had brought us written quotes. Obviously, data is not available on every doctor doing breast augmentation in the Cleveland area, but those selected best illustrate the effect of certain criteria upon the fees. In each case, the quoted amounts are the typical maximum, and include surgeon, anesthesia, operating room, supplies, testing, recovery room, and the implants. It is important to note that these fees do not cover the costs of ANY subsequently required operations.

The costs are related to quality and safety: 
                        Surgeon:  A    RVD  B    C    D    E    F    G    H    I
Certified by Am Brd Plas Surg?....Yes..Yes..Yes..Yes..Yes..Yes..No...No...No...No
Over 15 years implant experience?.Yes..Yes..Yes..No...No...No...No...No...No...No
Capable of doing every method?....No...Yes..No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No
Surgeon consult over 1 hour?......No...Yes..Yes..Yes..No...No...Yes..No...No...No
Real operating room, not office?..Yes..Yes..Yes..Yes..Yes..Yes..No...No...No...No
OR accredited by JCAH or AAAASF?..Yes..Yes..Yes..Yes..Yes..Yes..No...Yes..No...No
MD anesthesiologist?..............Yes..Yes..Yes..Yes..No...No...Yes..Yes..No...No
Surgeon does the operation?.......Yes..Yes..Yes..Yes..Yes..No...No...No...Yes..No
Implants FDA approved?............Yes..Yes..Yes..Yes..Yes..Yes..Yes..Yes..No...No
Approx max cost(to nearest $500): 8000 7500 7000 6500 6000 5500 5000 4000 3500 3000
                                       RVD=Dr.Dowden

As shown above, there are several factors that may make having surgery with Dr. Dowden more expensive than some alternatives:

• Dr. Dowden is fully certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
• Dr. Dowden has over 25 years experience with breast implant surgery.
• Dr. Dowden spends at least two hours in consultation with the patient.
• The operations are done in an actual surgical facility, not in an office operating room.
• All the equipment used is of top quality.
• Dr. Dowden believes that the surgeon should not be the one giving the anesthesia.
• There is an MD anesthesiologist and nurse anesthetist on every case.
• The operation is not performed by a trainee or resident.
• Dr. Dowden himself does the operating, and does not hurry.
• The implants are made by USA manufacturers, are FDA approved, and have warranties.

One way of determining whether a surgeon you have in mind is a Plastic Surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, is to call the American Board of Medical Specialties at 1-866-275-2267 and ask them. Another way is to log onto the Board Certification Verification website, type in the first and last name of the surgeon you are checking, and then click the Submit button. If the name is returned with the statement: "Certified By: The American Board of Plastic Surgery" then he/she is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. If that exact wording does not appear, then he/she is NOT board-certified in Plastic Surgery. If instead this statement appears: "We are sorry, but there are no entries which match your search criteria, please try one or more of the following" and you are certain that you have input all the information correctly, then that person is not certified by any legitimate board whatsoever.

It is worth mentioning that the American Board of Plastic Surgery, as well as the professional Plastic Surgery Societies, do not permit their members to give away a surgery or a consultation as a prize in any contest, raffle, or promotion. Therefore, if you come across such a contest, that alerts you to the fact that the surgeon is not certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and in fact may never have even taken Plastic Surgery training.

All cosmetic surgery is prepaid, but various financing options are available. It is not appropriate for health insurance to cover cosmetic surgery, and my office staff will not participate in attempts to submit cosmetic surgery to insurance companies. If a woman has severe asymmetry because she did not develop on one side, but the other is normal, then it is not cosmetic surgery to enlarge the abnormally small side, and insurance may cover part of the costs of an augmentation on that undeveloped side, but only if the difference is extreme.

Keywords: Breast implants through the navel; Transumbilical breast implants; Belly-button breast implants; Through-the-navel breast enlargement; Through-the-navel breast augmentation; Trans-umbilical breast augmentation; Trans-umbilical breast enlargement; Belly-button breast enlargement; Belly-button breast augmentation; Breast enlargement through the navel; Breast augmentation through the navel; Navel breast enlargement; Navel breast augmentation; 'Scarless' breast enlargement; 'Scarless' breast augmentation.