Breast Procedures
Breast Augmentation
Breast augmentation is the procedure this practice was built around. With more than 10,000 breast augmentation surgeries performed over 20+ years, Dr. Joseph A. Racanelli brings a level of experience and clinical judgment that most patients will not find elsewhere in New Jersey or New York.
What sets this practice apart begins before the surgery and extends into the operating room. Dr. Racanelli does not choose your implant size for you in the consultation and then execute a predetermined plan. He works with you to establish a size range based on your goals and anatomy and then, during surgery, he places intraoperative sizers to confirm the ideal size based on how your actual tissue, frame, and skin respond. The final decision is made in the operating room, where it can be made correctly.
Every procedure is performed personally by Dr. Racanelli in a hospital operating room, with a board-certified anesthesiologist. No other surgeons, residents, or physician assistants operate on his patients.
Natural
Balanced results
Direct
Surgeon involvement
Submuscular
Dual-plane approach
A Level of Care You Won’t Find Elsewhere in NJ
What is Breast Augmentation?
Breast augmentation enhances the size, shape, and fullness of the breasts using implants placed through a small incision below the breast. It is one of the most commonly performed cosmetic surgeries in the world and one of the most variable in outcome, because results depend heavily on surgical technique, implant selection, and the precision of intraoperative judgment.
Dr. Racanelli will evaluate your goals, anatomy, and existing breast tissue to determine whether augmentation alone will achieve your desired result, or whether additional procedures, such as a staged breast lift, may be appropriate. He will walk you through every decision with a direct, honest assessment of what is achievable and what is not.
Before & After Photos
Real patient before and after photos, 100% uneditted results.
How Dr. Racanelli Determines Your Implant Size
Most surgeons determine your implant size before you enter the operating room, based on external measurements, 3D imaging, or sizer bras worn during a consultation. Dr. Racanelli takes a fundamentally different approach.
During surgery, once the implant pocket has been created, Dr. Racanelli places intraoperative sizers, temporary implants that allow him to assess the actual visual result with your real tissue, in your real anatomy, under the real conditions of your body. Only after evaluating how each size looks and sits relative to your frame, your existing tissue, your skin elasticity, and your stated goals does he select the final implant.
This matters because no external measurement, 3D rendering, or sizer bra can replicate what the result actually looks like inside the operating room. The way your breast tissue drapes over a given volume, the relationship between the implant and your chest wall, the way your skin responds to the implant's weight and projection, these are things that can only be assessed with the patient on the table.
Pre-operative planning narrows the range. The final decision is made when Dr. Racanelli can actually see the result.
What this means practically: you will not leave your consultation with a single size selected and locked in. You will leave with a size range that aligns with your goals and the final confirmation happens intraoperatively, where it can be made with certainty. This is one of the primary reasons patients who have had unsatisfying augmentations elsewhere come to Dr. Racanelli for revision surgery. The implant that looked right on a sizing chart did not look right in the body. Intraoperative sizing eliminates that gap.
Customizing Your Look: Implant Types & Options
Understanding Breast Implant Options
Selecting the right implant is not a one-size-fits-all decision and it is not a decision Dr. Racanelli makes for you based on a formula. Implant choice depends on your anatomy, your goals, the quality and quantity of your existing breast tissue, and what will look proportional on your specific frame. The consultation is where that conversation happens. The operating room is where the final confirmation is made.
Desired Look
Are you looking for nicely rounded breasts or more of a natural look?
Existing Breast Tissue
Do you have enough tissue to cover certain styles of implants?
Nipple Position
Has the position of your nipples shifted downward after breastfeeding?
Breast Sagging
Do you lack natural lift and experience ptosis or sagging breasts?
A Level of Care You Won’t Find Elsewhere in NJ
Implant Sizes & Shapes
Many women have a sense of what to expect after breast augmentation surgery in New Jersey & New York. It is common for patients to describe the desired size in cup sizes, even though cup sizes are not typically an accurate way to measure implant size. There are alternative techniques to show your surgeon your ideal breast shape.
Referencing photographs of all shapes and sizes is a smart way to become comfortable with your options. It is important to express your preferences about the balance between the breasts and hips, how close together or far apart the breasts are, and straight or convex profiles. This helps Dr. Racanelli plan your breast augmentation NJ & NYC procedure and lead you toward the right type of implant.
Implant Placement: Dual-Plane Submusculars
How and Where Implants Are Placed
Breast implants can be placed in different positions relative to the chest muscle, above the muscle (subglandular), partially beneath the muscle (dual-plane), or fully beneath the muscle (submuscular). The placement Dr. Racanelli uses for the majority of his breast augmentation patients is a dual-plane submuscular approach.
In a dual-plane placement, the upper portion of the implant is covered by the pectoral muscle while the lower portion sits beneath the breast tissue. This approach offers several advantages: better long-term implant support, a more natural upper-pole contour that avoids the overdone 'shelf' appearance, reduced risk of visible rippling, and improved mammogram imaging compared to subglandular placement.
The appropriate placement for each patient depends on the amount of existing breast tissue, chest wall anatomy, and aesthetic goals. Dr. Racanelli discusses placement as part of every consultation and explains the rationale for his recommendation based on your specific anatomy.
Customizing Your Look: Implant Types & Options
Types of Implants
1
Saline
Saline implants are filled with a completely harmless sterilized salt water solution. Saline breast implants also require a smaller incision than silicone implants, and they are a good choice when it comes to correcting size discrepancies. Once properly placed, they provide a very life-like look and feel. (2)
2
Silicone
Silicone implants look and feel more natural than saline implants do. Properly placed, they can be very soft to the touch and often virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. There have also been new developments in silicone technology which has been proven to nearly eliminate risk. Contact our office today to learn more about silicone implants for breast augmentation NJ. (2)
3
Gummy Bear
At Dr. Racanelli’s practice, we prioritize the safety and well-being of our breast augmentation NJ patients. Gummy bear implants represent a state-of-the-art advancement in silicone breast implant technology, offering a high level of safety and structural integrity.
Customizing Your Look: Implant Types & Options
Key Features of Gummy Bear Implants
Cohesive Gel Composition
Gummy bear implants are characterized by a cohesive gel composition. This unique gel remains stable within the implant’s shell, minimizing the risk of leakage into the surrounding tissues in the event of a rupture.
Shape Retention
The term “gummy bear” aptly describes the implant’s ability to maintain its shape. This feature contributes to a more natural appearance and feel.
Enhanced Safety Profile
Unlike earlier generations of silicone breast implants made from a liquid gel, gummy bear implants provide an enhanced safety profile. The cohesive nature of the gel ensures that it maintains its form even in the rare occurrence of an implant rupture.
This innovation in silicone breast implant technology underscores our commitment to offering our breast augmentation NJ patients the latest advancements for a safe and satisfying aesthetic experience. For personalized consultations and to explore whether gummy bear implants align with your aesthetic goals, please schedule an appointment with Dr. Racanelli today.
Personal Consultation
Your consultation with Dr. Racanelli is a direct conversation, not a sales process. He will assess your anatomy, discuss your goals honestly, and give you his clinical recommendation for implant type, size range, profile, and placement. He will also tell you clearly if he believes another procedure would serve your goals better than augmentation alone.
At the end of your consultation, you will have a clear size range in mind, not a final number. That final confirmation happens in the operating room, where Dr. Racanelli can assess the result with your actual tissue and make the decision with precision.
You will also have the opportunity to review before-and-after photos of real patients, understand your full post-operative recovery plan, and ask every question you have before committing to a surgery date.
The Dr. Racanelli Difference
What Sets This Practice Apart
Dr. Racanelli is the only surgeon who will operate on you. There are no other physicians, residents, or physician assistants performing any part of your procedure. He performs one major surgery per day, so your operation receives his full attention from start to finish.
All surgery is performed in a fully accredited hospital operating room with a board-certified anesthesiologist, not a surgical center, and not a nurse anesthetist. This is the highest standard of surgical safety, and it applies to every patient without exception.
After surgery, every follow-up visit is with Dr. Racanelli personally. Your postoperative care is not handed to a nurse practitioner or physician assistant. The surgeon who operated on you is the same person monitoring your recovery at every visit.
Recovery & Results
Recovery from breast augmentation is manageable for most patients, though it varies based on implant size, placement, and individual healing. Here is a realistic timeline:
Days 1–3: Rest is important. Most patients experience tightness, soreness, and swelling. Prescription medication helps manage discomfort during this period. You should not drive while taking prescription pain medication.
Days 4–7: Most patients with desk jobs return to work within 3–5 days. Light activity is fine.
Weeks 2–4: Swelling continues to decrease. Most patients feel comfortable in daily life. Strenuous exercise and heavy lifting remain restricted.
Weeks 6–8: Cleared for return to exercise based on healing progress, assessed at your follow-up with Dr. Racanelli.
Months 3–12: The final breast shape settles as swelling fully resolves and the implant positions. Many patients notice ongoing improvement in contour and softness throughout the first year.
Final results are long-lasting. Implants do not need to be replaced on a fixed schedule, they are replaced only if a complication arises or the patient's aesthetic goals change over time.
Breast Augmentation vs. Breast Lift
“Oftentimes, patients will present to my office requesting a breast augmentation when in reality they need a breast lift. A breast augmentation will only make your breasts bigger as they are and do nothing for the position of your nipple. Many times if you have ptosis or droop to your breasts, you may also require breast lift, so it is important to ascertain what your goals are. If you are just looking for a lifted perkier look, then you may be able to achieve this look with a lift alone. If you are looking for larger breasts and need your nipple position adjusted, you may require a lift as well.
Although many plastic surgeons will perform a breast lift and an augmentation at the same time, I will not. I stage these procedures as I believe fundamentally they work against one another. During a breast augmentation NJ & NYC procedure, I make one small incision in the inframammary fold just below the breast. Through this incision, you can accomplish the entire breast augmentation procedure. With a breast lift, however, there are many incisions I must place on your breast. Oftentimes, there is an incision around your areola, one that goes down the front of your breast, and one that goes within your inframammary fold.
The way to get a bad scar from plastic surgery is to place a lot of tension across the scar. In a breast lift, there is an inherent amount of tension designed in the procedure which actually lifts the breast. If you add an implant to the procedure at the same time, you will essentially be doubling the tension across those incisions leading to suboptimal scarring. I believe it is important to stage these procedures as this ultimately will provide the best outcome.”
– Dr. Joseph A. Racanelli, Board Certified Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon
Cost of Breast Augmentation in New Jersey
The cost of breast augmentation depends on surgical complexity, operative time, implant type, and hospital and anesthesia fees. Because Dr. Racanelli performs all surgeries in a hospital setting with a board-certified anesthesiologist, rather than in a lower-cost outpatient surgical center, our standard of care is reflected in pricing.
Implant size does not affect the cost of surgery. The pricing is based on the procedure itself, not the volume of the implant selected.
We offer financing through Cherry and accept major credit and debit cards and cashier's checks. A deposit is required to reserve your surgery date, with the remaining balance due one month prior to your procedure. A personalized quote is provided at consultation after Dr. Racanelli has reviewed your goals and surgical plan.
To schedule a consultation or speak with our team, call (888) 409-0801 or contact us online.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common Breast Procedure Questions
Who is a good candidate for breast augmentation in NJ?
A good candidate for breast augmentation in New Jersey is someone who is in overall good health, has realistic expectations, and is looking to enhance the size, shape, or symmetry of their breasts. Many women choose breast augmentation to restore volume lost after pregnancy or weight loss, improve body proportions, or feel more confident in clothing and swimwear. During your consultation, Dr. Joseph Racanelli will evaluate your goals, anatomy, and lifestyle to determine the best treatment plan for natural-looking, personalized results.
Do breast implants cost more by size?
What does a teardrop implant look like?
How does the shape of the upper pole of the breasts affect their appearance?
Why does Dr. Racanelli use intraoperative sizers?
What type of anesthesia is used, and who administers it?
Will breast implants affect my mammograms?
Does Dr. Racanelli perform the surgery himself?
Who will I see at my follow-up appointments?
Why Choose Dr. Racanelli for Breast Augmentation
With more than 10,000 breast augmentation procedures over 20+ years, Dr. Racanelli brings a depth of experience that directly shapes outcomes. But volume alone is not what sets this practice apart.
The intraoperative sizing approach means your final implant size is confirmed in the operating room, not predetermined in a consultation and hoped to be right. The dual-plane submuscular technique produces a natural, supported result that avoids the overdone upper-pole look. The staged approach to breast lift and augmentation, which Dr. Racanelli explains directly and without hedging, means patients don't end up with suboptimal scarring from a combined procedure done simultaneously.
And the practice standards are uncompromising: Dr. Racanelli personally performs every surgery. One case per day. Hospital setting. Board-certified anesthesiologist. Every follow-up visit with Dr. Racanelli himself. These are not marketing claims, they are the operational standards this practice has maintained since its founding.
Ready to Feel Like Yourself Again?
Schedule a consultation with Dr. Joseph Racanelli
Discuss your goals and personalized treatment plan with a surgeon who is directly involved every step of the way.