What Size Implant is Best for Me?
The best way to determine which breast implant size is best for you is by first finding out your specific wishes not only with words or letters as in cup size or “not too big” or “natural”, but also with a visual understanding of what you hope to look like. This can be accomplished either with photographs of patients whose breasts and body type look like you, or ideally with photos of patients not only whose breasts are similar to yours, but who are also a similar height, weight, and pre-operative breast size. In our own practice we have provided that unique functionality on our website to accomplish exactly that (WhatSizeShouldiBe).
Unfortunately the most common reason for a woman to be unhappy after her augmentation is feeling as though she is either too big or not big enough. Thankfully, in our practice this is rarely a problem because implant size selection is what we spend most of our time discussing and determining. We do not place the onus of selecting the breast implant size on our patients since they are coming to us for our advice and expertise, but we do ask my patients to be as specific as possible about their aesthetic goals and we then advise them accordingly.
Implants vary in width, projection and volume. This can be very confusing to women, who are used to discussing one number only such as “300 cc’s”. To better understand which implant is best for you, in our consultation room we have two shelves one above the other, each with four implants. (see photo above). The top shelf has all the implants with exactly the same width (12.5 cm), yet the less projecting implant with that width is a 275 cc Moderate or Classic, and the most projecting is a 590 cc Ultra High Profile. On the lower shelf, all of the implants are 300 cc implants, yet the less projecting implant has a width or diameter of 12.8 cm, and the most projecting of the 300 cc implants is the Ultra High Profile which has a 9.7 cm diameter.
Once it is determined which implant width or diameter would best fit you, the next step is to decide what sort of look you are hoping to achieve, i.e. more projection, moderate, or least. This is determined by how much breast tissue you have naturally, and how large you ultimately wish to be. All of this would be discussed during your consultation. And don’t be shy about coming prepared with images which you feel best represent your desired end point. Again, these can be determined by visiting our gallery, www.WhatSizeShouldiBe.com, or any other photos you wish to bring. The advantage of using our gallery is that all of the relevant information about patient age, implant size and type, are clearly indicated.
Remember, your idea of “natural” or “pretty” or “proportionate” might be different from your plastic surgeon’s and it is very important for you to feel confident that you feel that all of your questions have been answered, that we and you are thinking along the same lines, and that you are confident to proceed with your surgery. We will do everything we can to ensure that your experience with our practice is a positive one, from your initial phone call to schedule your consultation, to your last post-operative visit, and that you feel the enhancement you achieved was not just ok, but hopefully perfect in every way.
