How to Best Determine the Optimal Breast Implant Size

It is very difficult to determine the exact size and shape implant you will require to best match your ideal breast image without an examination by a board certified plastic surgeon. Not just any board certified plastic surgeon, but one with many years of frequently performing breast augmentation surgery including different approaches, techniques and implant choices.

This is because several measurements not to mention your breast characteristics are needed to determine the optimal implant size to obtain your goals. Without knowing these dimensions it would be difficult to make this determination. For example, the existing base width of your breast will determine, in many cases, the maximal volume per implant profile that you can accommodate. To illustrate: a 100 cc difference may make a significant difference with a narrow base width breast, but much less of a difference if you have a wide chest wall and wide breast “foot print”. Therefore, just because your friend may have a great result with let’s say a 275 cc implant to make her go from a “A” cup to a “C” cup size does not mean that you will have the same result with the same size implant.

Further, simply placing implants in a bra to determine the size best for you is not always accurate as the bra often distorts the size, is dependent on the pressure the bra places plus the implant is outside your breast and not under it among other variables. Computer software morphing programs that automatically determine the best implant size can be helpful in some but not all cases (e.g. doesn’t work well in my experience with existing implants, sagging or asymmetric breasts). Using “want to be” photos however are useful if simply provided to the surgeon as I will further explain in a bit.

Additional critical decisions will also be made by your plastic surgeon such as: whether your implants will be above or below your pectoralis muscle. These choices are recommended to you based on the look you desire, the amount of sagging you may have, and other deciding factors.

For more than 25 years, I have tried just about every method to best understand and achieve the patient’s optimal goal. The following is what I have found to be most accurate: To start with, I have found it most helpful for patients to bring in photos from my or other plastic surgeons’ websites to illustrate what they would like to look like. This gives me detailed standardized views and information both qualitative (shape, perkiness) and qualitative (size) and allows me to discuss with my patients how I can best achieve their objectives as well as realistic expectations. For example, though I always tell my patients that I cannot make them exactly the same as a photo because everyone has different anatomical constraints.

However, these ”ideal” breast photos are brought to the operating room for reference during surgery so that I have the advantage of “seeing through my patient’s eyes” to best achieve their wishes. Even if the photo does not match their height or weight, I and most plastic surgeons are very good at translating the proportionality of the photo to your features.

I personally order more than one set of implant sizes and use sterile implant “sizers” (temporary implants) placed in the created implant pocket during surgery to know in advance exactly which implant would work best for you in both a sitting and lying down position. This also allows me the opportunity to modify the pocket to meet some of the more subtle shape features desired. This enables me to use my full artistic potential to achieve your desired goals.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

I would anticipate that you would be a full B or low C with that size implant. If your chest circumference is 32, you might even find D cup bras. With a 34 chest circumference, you would likely be a full B or low C cup. I know everyone is conditioned to "judge" breasts by cup size, but this should not be your only criteria for having a great chest. Implant shape and size relative to your own body are also very important factors. If you don't want to look too fake, I would stay in the lower volume.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

It depends. Each person is different and the effects of implant on the breast size differs from person to person. The smaller the breast the more impact the size of the implant will have. So, if you have a smaller breast, a small implant can have a larger change in cup size compared to a larger breast with the same implant. Depending on your body frame, probably a full B to small C.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

I would be better able to respond if I was able to view pictures of your chest. Chest measurements are important to know as well to determine what size implant can reasonably fit in the space available. Looking at body shape/size is also helpful. I would suspect you will increase to an A cup or very small B cup.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

Thank you for your question. It typically takes 200cc's to make one full cup size, and many women with a very small chest can only accommodate a 1-2 cup size difference. If you don’t have enough skin or tissue to cover the implant, it can cause complications down the road if going with a larger implant. You will most likely be a moderate to full B cup after your procedure. When a surgeon is recommending a conservative size, it is most likely for your best interest and safety.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

If your chest circumference is 32 inches, you can expect an increase to which will give you little more than a full B cup. If your chest circumference is 34 inches, you can expect little smaller increase to maybe a little less than a full B cup. That also depends on the bra manufacturer, to which cup size can vary slightly.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

Best thing to do is communicate with your surgeon. In our office, we use the Vectra 3D imaging to help and I ask my patients to bring in pictures of breast sizes that they like and even dislike. I review these photos with the patient and discuss if it is reasonable with their body type, size,etc.

I take these photos to the operating room with me and when the patient is on the operating room table, I use temporary sizers to view how different cc's look on the patient. I sit the patient up on the operating room several times and compare them with the photos that they have chosen. When I see that I have achieved the patient's goals, I remove the temporary sizers and put in the implants. There is no guess work. I have all sizes from both manufacturers available to me at all times. This procedure takes more time BUT gives more exact results.

I hope this helps.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

A typical cup size might be 100-125cc. Having said that, bra sizes vary from strap to cup as well as from department store--Nordstroms vs. Victoria's Secret, for example.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

The choice of size should be made by you in consultation with your plastic surgeon! About every 120-150cc will usually increase your cup size by one, so 275cc's would be about a 2 cup size increase.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

It is possible to go bigger, but you need to talk to a couple of board-certified plastic surgeons to get another point of view.

Published on Jul 11, 2012