Breast surgery · Vancouver and North Vancouver

Breast Augmentation in Vancouver, BC

Fuller breasts that still look like yours.

Breast augmentation at 8 West Clinic, Vancouver and North Vancouver, with Dr. Geoff Masschelein, MD, FRCSC, Specialist in Plastic Surgery. You choose silicone or saline implants with him, and he matches the size, profile and placement to your chest and your tissue.

The first step is a complimentary, friendly call with a patient care manager.

ImplantsSilicone or saline
PlacementOver or under the muscle
Recovery1 to 2 weeks for most daily activities
Your surgeonDr. Masschelein

Dr. Geoff Masschelein, MD, FRCSC, in surgical scrubs at 8 West Clinic

How Dr. Masschelein approaches breast augmentation

Sized for your frame

Dr. Masschelein looks for volume in proportion with your chest and shoulders, rather than the largest implant that fits. If your breast and nipple have dropped, a lift may do more for you than a bigger implant.

Sample implants at your consultation

Before you settle on a size, Dr. Masschelein measures your chest, checks your tissue and shows you how different sizes compare.

Your recovery timeline

Most daily activities are possible again in 1 to 2 weeks, and Dr. Masschelein gives you your own timeline for exercise and lifting.

Implants over the years

Implants aren't necessarily lifetime devices, so you'll have check-ins over the years. If an implant sits well and causes no trouble, Dr. Masschelein doesn't usually recommend changing it.

Videos

Dr. Masschelein on implants, lifts and breastfeeding

Short clips filmed at 8 West, each answering a question he hears at consultations.

Dr. Masschelein seated in his office, explaining with both hands

0:20

Candidacy · 0:20

Who is a good candidate for augmentation?

When volume alone is enough, and when the breast and nipple have descended enough that a lift helps more.

Breast augmentation

What breast augmentation surgery involves

Breast augmentation, or augmentation mammoplasty, adds volume to the breasts with an implant.

Dr. Masschelein places a silicone or saline implant through a discreet incision, either over the chest muscle, beneath the breast tissue, or under the muscle.

Some people want more volume. Others want back the fullness they had before pregnancy or weight loss, or want the two sides to match more closely.

Talk it through with our team →

Over the muscle: the implant sits beneath the breast tissue, in front of the chest muscle.

Under the muscle: the implant sits behind the chest muscle. Which suits you depends on your anatomy and your tissue.

Your choices

Choosing your breast implants

You make three decisions with Dr. Masschelein before surgery.

Implant

Silicone or saline

Silicone implants are filled with a silicone gel. Saline implants are filled with sterile salt water, and their volume can be adjusted. Dr. Masschelein talks you through how each would suit your tissue.

Placement

Over or under the muscle

Over the chest muscle, beneath the breast tissue, or under the muscle. Dr. Masschelein recommends one based on your anatomy and how much tissue you have.

Size and profile

Chosen with you

You and Dr. Masschelein choose the size using sample implants and measurements of your chest, aiming for balance with your frame. During surgery, he checks the fit with sizers before the final implant goes in.

Your own fat

Fat transfer with an implant

Some patients also have fat transfer: a small amount of your own fat, taken by liposuction, is placed to refine the contour around the implant. Dr. Masschelein tells you at your consultation whether it would help.

Free guideThe Essential Guide to Breast and Body Surgery covers implants, lifts and how size is chosen, with nine short videos from Dr. Masschelein.

Get the guide

Lift or volume

Breast lift, implants or both

Two things decide it: where your breast and nipple sit today, and how much volume you want.

If the nipple still sits fairly high, an implant alone can add the volume. If the breast and nipple have dropped, a lift moves the nipple back to the centre of the breast, which a bigger implant can't do on its own. Many people who want both have the lift and the implant in the same surgery.

All about breast lift →

Lift on one line, volume on the other, and both where they meet.

Around your surgery

The care around your breast augmentation

Dr. Masschelein performs your surgery, and our team is there for the weeks and years around it.

One example. Yours depends on your consultation.

ConsultationDr. Masschelein examines your chest, answers your questions and talks you through your options.
SurgeryYour implant goes in over or under the muscle, through a discreet incision.
RecoveryDr. Masschelein gives you your own timeline, and our team checks in as you heal.
The years afterCheck-ins over the years.

Your surgeon

Meet Dr. Masschelein

Dr. Geoff Masschelein, MD, FRCSC, Specialist in Plastic Surgery. At 8 West, he performs breast surgery, body contouring and aesthetic body procedures.

He completed his medical degree and his plastic surgery training at Western University. He takes time to listen and explain, so you leave your consultation knowing what is possible for your anatomy, what is realistic, and what recovery involves.

Meet Dr. Masschelein →

Dr. Geoff Masschelein, MD, FRCSC, portrait on the 8 West wall — Dr. Geoff MasscheleinMD, FRCSC · Specialist in Plastic Surgery

How it works

Booking a breast augmentation consultation

01
Contact us
Send the form below or call (604) 733-1669.
02
A complimentary, friendly call with a patient care manager
We answer your questions and help you figure out your next step, with no commitment.
03
Your consultation with Dr. Masschelein
He examines you, answers your questions and talks you through implant type, placement and size. The consultation has a fee.
04
Your surgery and recovery
Our team stays in touch while you heal, and you come back for check-ins afterwards.

Free guide

The Essential Guide to Breast and Body Surgery

Dr. Masschelein's answers to the questions most people have before a consultation. Inside:

Implants, a lift, or both, and how Dr. Masschelein decides
Your implant choices: silicone or saline, under or over the muscle, and how size is chosen
Breast lift and breast reduction, including what happens to nipple size
Tummy tuck and liposuction, and combining procedures
Timing, recovery and nine short videos from Dr. Masschelein

We email you the guide right away. Strictly confidential.

The Essential Guide toBreast and Body SurgeryWith Dr. Geoff Masschelein, MD, FRCSC

Questions

Questions about breast augmentation in Vancouver

What is breast augmentation?

Breast augmentation, also called augmentation mammoplasty, is surgery that adds volume to the breasts with a silicone or saline implant. Some patients also have fat transfer, using their own fat. Dr. Masschelein chooses the implant size, profile and placement with you.

Who is a good candidate for breast augmentation?

Good candidates mainly want more volume and have nipples that still sit fairly high. If the breast and nipple have dropped more, a lift, or a lift with an implant, may suit you better. Dr. Masschelein assesses this at your consultation.

What types of implants are available for breast augmentation?

There are two types: silicone gel and saline. Silicone implants are filled with a silicone gel; saline implants are filled with sterile salt water, and their volume can be adjusted. Both come in a range of sizes and profiles, and Dr. Masschelein talks you through which would suit your tissue.

What is the difference between implants and fat grafting?

An implant adds a set volume and shape, while fat grafting (fat transfer) moves your own fat, taken by liposuction, to the breast for smaller changes in contour. Some patients have both. Dr. Masschelein tells you at your consultation which would suit you.

What can I expect during breast augmentation recovery?

Most daily activities are possible again within 1 to 2 weeks. Swelling and tightness are normal early on. Dr. Masschelein gives you your own timeline for exercise and lifting, and our team checks in as you heal. Results vary.

How long do breast implants last?

Breast implants have no exact expiry date, but they aren't necessarily lifetime devices. People change them for different reasons, including rupture, and after a car accident an ultrasound to check the implant is a good idea. If an implant sits well and isn't causing trouble, Dr. Masschelein doesn't usually recommend changing it.

Will breast augmentation affect breastfeeding or nipple sensation?

Many women who could breastfeed before surgery are still able to afterwards, but any breast surgery can affect it and it's hard to predict exactly. Larger implants can also reduce milk supply, and nipple sensation can change. Raise both at your consultation, especially if you'd like to have children.

Are the results of breast augmentation natural-looking?

They can be, and that's what Dr. Masschelein aims for: an implant size, profile and placement in proportion with your frame. Every patient is unique and results vary.

How do I choose the right size and shape for my breast augmentation?

You choose your size with Dr. Masschelein, using sample implants at your consultation and measurements of your chest. He looks for a size that suits your proportions and the way you live. In surgery, he checks the fit with sizers before the final implant goes in.

How much does breast augmentation cost?

Your cost depends on your surgery and is confirmed after your consultation with Dr. Masschelein. All procedures at 8 West Clinic are private pay. A patient care manager can talk you through typical costs on your first call, which is complimentary, and financing is available through partner companies.

Patient reviews

Reviews from 8 West patients

Our patients' trust, across both clinics and every kind of treatment.

4.8 average across 1,900+ verified reviews

RateMDs, Dr. Buonassisi 4.8 · 520+ reviews
RealSelf, Dr. Buonassisi 4.7 · 231 reviews
RealSelf, 8 West Clinic 4.8 · 365 reviews
Google, 8 West Clinic Vancouver 4.8 · 554 reviews
Google, 8 West Clinic North Van 4.8 · 70 reviews

Breast and body surgery

More with Dr. Masschelein

Breast augmentation is one of the breast and body procedures Dr. Masschelein performs at 8 West.

Two clinics

Ready to talk about breast augmentation?

Our team is in Vancouver and North Vancouver. Financing is available through partner companies, and we can help you choose an option that fits your budget.

Get the guide →Talk to our team →

Every patient is unique and treatment results vary.

Get the Conversation Started

Tell us what you're interested in, and a member of our team will call you for a complimentary, friendly conversation. We'll answer your questions and help you figure out your next step, with no commitment.

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