Breast implants in Edinburgh, Scotland

Breast augmentation uses implants to increase breast size or restore volume. Mr Chris Cartlidge offers breast implant surgery for patients across Scotland. Consultations take place at the Mayfield Clinic or Spire Murrayfield Hospital in Edinburgh. Surgery starts from £6,000; a consultation costs £200.

Choosing your breast surgeon

Mr Chris Cartlidge is a consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon with Royal College of Surgeons of England cosmetic breast surgery accreditation. Your consultation includes a breast examination and a discussion of the benefits, limitations and risks of surgery.

Choosing implant size and shape

At your consultation, Mr Cartlidge examines your breasts, discusses your goals and takes measurements. You can try implant sizers to explore the size you prefer. Implant shape, surface and placement are considered alongside your existing breast tissue and the result you want. Sizers help with planning but cannot guarantee the final appearance.

Do I need implants, an uplift, or both?

The assessment considers both breast volume and nipple position. If you want additional volume as well as a lift, combined implants and breast uplift may be an option. Augmentation mastopexy starts from £10,000. If your main concern is breast weight, read about breast reduction.

Where your surgery takes place

Surgery takes place at Spire Shawfair Park Hospital in Edinburgh or Circle Kings Park Hospital in Stirling, depending on your preference. Consultations take place in Edinburgh.

Patients travel from across Scotland, including Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and the Scottish Borders. Discuss travel and follow-up arrangements at your consultation so you can plan your hospital stay and recovery at home.

Breast implant costs and Edinburgh consultations

Breast implant augmentation starts from £6,000. Your individual quotation sets out the treatment and included care. See the current breast surgery prices.

Book a £200 consultation with Mr Chris Cartlidge at the Mayfield Clinic or Spire Murrayfield Hospital in Edinburgh.

Mayfield Clinic: 07533 006004
Spire Murrayfield: 0131 334 0363. Please ask for Mr Cartlidge.

For queries, use the website enquiry form.

Read patient reviews of Mr Chris Cartlidge.

Arrange a consultation
Why do people have a breast augmentation?

Reasons for considering implants include increasing breast size, restoring volume after pregnancy or weight loss, and improving asymmetry. Your examination helps establish what surgery can realistically change and whether an implant alone is suitable.

Read about breast surgery after weight loss.

What is the normal procedure?

Your care starts with a consultation and examination by Mr Chris Cartlidge. You will discuss your goals, suitable options, expected scars and risks, and receive an information leaflet to read before deciding.

If you decide to proceed, the hospital arranges pre-assessment and Mr Cartlidge sends a final letter before surgery.

Surgery takes place at Spire Shawfair Park Hospital in Edinburgh or Circle Kings Park Hospital in Stirling, depending on your preference. Consultations take place in Edinburgh.

Discharge is on the same day or the following day, according to your operation and recovery. A nurse reviews you to remove the dressings. You then have a final consultation with Mr Cartlidge and are discharged when you are happy with the outcome and your care is complete.

Follow the individual advice supplied by your surgical team about dressings, pain relief, support bras, driving, lifting, exercise and returning to work. Arrange help at home and transport after surgery.

What do I need to know about breast implants?

Breast implants should not be regarded as lifetime devices. Further surgery may be needed because of an implant problem or changes in your breasts. Discuss longer-term care and potential future costs before deciding.

Implants may be visible or feel palpable, particularly with thin tissue coverage. Implant size and placement need to suit your tissues. Discuss these limitations, the effect on breastfeeding and future breast screening at your consultation.

Continue to attend breast screening when invited and tell the mammography team that you have implants.

NHS information about breast implants.

What are the potential risks?
Breast augmentation is a common operation and thousands of breast implants are placed in the UK every year. Most of these surgeries pass uneventfully.
There are some rare but important early complications:
1. Bleeding – unexpected bleeding after surgery may require re-operation to evacuate blood and stop the bleeding. Rarely, you may require a blood transfusion or extra time in hospital. Bleeding affects 2-3 out of every 100 patients.
2. Infection – extensive precautions are taken both before and during the procedure to reduce the risk of infection. You will receive antibiotics at the time of surgery and antibiotics are used to wash the implant and breast before the wound is closed. Later infection may require further doses of antibiotics and in the worst cases may result in implants being removed. Infection happens in fewer than 2 out of every 100 patients undergoing implant augmentation.
3. Wound healing problems – for various reasons, including smoking, vaping, e-cigarette use or diabetes, the small blood vessels of the skin may not be working well. This increases the risk of wound breakdown (or necrosis). This may require additional surgery or lead to implant loss. You should not smoke for at least 6 weeks prior to and 2 weeks after your operation.
4. Asymmetry – although care is taken to ensure that the breasts appear symmetrical following the procedure, there can be asymmetry between the two sides when you have healed. In the worst cases, this may require further surgery or a change of implants.
5. Unsatisfactory result – occasionally patients do not feel satisfied with the result of their surgery, and improvements in appearance are not as good as they might have hoped. It is important that you are clear with your surgeon about the size and shape of breasts that you want, and realistic about what can be achieved. The outcome of your surgery can be expected to change with time, particularly as a result of ageing, pregnancy or weight loss or gain.
A number of implant-related complications can occur, and implant manufacturers normally provide a warranty which will give you a degree of financial cover for re-operation in these cases:
1. Implant rupture – modern implants can very rarely rupture, causing a leak of silicone. Of its own, silicone should not harm you, but it can collect in the tissues or glands. The implant will lose its shape and usually replacement is required.
2. Implant rotation/malposition – an implant can move to a position that is lower or higher than desired, or a ‘teardrop’ implant may rotate. This may require surgery to correct the position of the implant.
3. Capsular contracture – the body can react to an implant and this might lead to formation of a biological capsule around it. This is usually soft but on occasion it can become hard and contracted. This may cause pain or a poor appearance, and is usually corrected by surgery and implant exchange.
There are some specific, later implant complications that it is important for you to know about:
1. Breast implant associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) is an uncommon lymphoma associated with breast implants. The risk varies with implant history and surface. Discuss this at consultation and read the current MHRA information on BIA-ALCL.
2. Breast implant illness / breast implant disease – a recently described phenomenon of fatigue, joint aches and immune-related symptoms that may occur in people who have had breast implants. Around half of these patients report that their symptoms improved when the breast implants were removed. Click for more information.
Arrange a consultation

Breast surgery information

Arrange a consultation

Book a £200 consultation with Mr Chris Cartlidge at the Mayfield Clinic or Spire Murrayfield Hospital in Edinburgh.

Mayfield Clinic: 07533 006004
Spire Murrayfield: 0131 334 0363. Please ask for Mr Cartlidge.

For queries, use the website enquiry form.

Consent