Choosing the right breast size may seem like an overwhelming, yet critical decision that will impact your appearance for years to come. Before getting worried or overthinking, it is important to understand that your breast augmentation doctor is there to help answer your questions and come up with the perfect size for you. This article will also serve you as an important guide to help you make the right decision.
Choosing What Size Breast Are Right For You
Thousands of women worldwide ponder the right breast size for their body, shape and lifestyle. It can have an enormous impact on your physical appearance, self-esteem, and even how you feel.
Therefore, breast augmentation surgery has become a popular procedure. For many, it not only enhances the appearance of the breast but provides outstanding and long-lasting results.
However, it is essential to choose the right size of breast implant. Since it is not something that you can take off whenever you want, you might want to make sure your decision is the best suitable for you.
Our breast augmentation surgeons at Younique can walk you through the whole process and help you determine what would be good for you. This is done meticulously by considering your aesthetic goals and other details, such as your lifestyle, habits, and weight.
Therefore, we will explain everything you need to know to choose the right size breast in this article.
Special considerations
When deciding on the size of your implants, you must consider many aspects. Although they might seem like little details, they can be determinants in choosing the right size.
These considerations include:
Consider your body
Everyone has a different body. Some are tall, some are short, and some are skinnier than others.
When deciding the size of your implants, it is essential to consider your body and your goals. If you want to achieve a breast that looks natural and discrete while still looking good, it is recommended to go for a size that fits your body frame.
A short woman might look better with smaller implants. On the contrary, a tall woman could look great with bigger implants.
It is essential to understand that this can be subjective. While your surgeon might recommend a size that fits your frame to look natural, you can get bigger implants if that’s what you desire.
However, getting implants larger than recommended can be an issue in the long term. Moreover, it is possible to develop back and shoulder pain. Especially if the implants are bigger and heavier than how much your body could withstand.
The Truth About the Sizes of Breast Implants
The implant size doesn’t necessarily match the cup size
It is common to have an idea and certain expectations about the cup size you want to achieve after your breast surgery.
However, the implant size and bra cups are measured with different measurement systems. While a bigger implant is a synonym for a bigger cup, there is no exact notation for which cup you will get with a determinate implant CC.
The reason behind it is that the cup size varies among different brands. Therefore, while you can be a C cup with a brand, you could also be a B cup on another.
Concisely, what this means is that you can’t rely only on the bra cup to make your choice.
Think about your lifestyle
The last thing to consider when deciding the size of your breast is your lifestyle.
Your breast affects the way you dress and exercise. Your tops and dresses will look different. A larger breast could make it harder to fit a dress or top that is not meant to be used with a bra.
On the other hand, your physical activity should also be taken into consideration. While a bigger breast won’t prevent you from working out, it could be more uncomfortable and impractical. You could feel better getting smaller implants if you are an athlete or enjoy playing a lot of sports.
How to estimate the size?
After considering everything, you will have a rough idea about how large you want your breast. However, you need to know the exact size you want for your breast augmentation.
Different methods allow you to determine the size. Furthermore, our surgeons can give you recommendations while providing feedback to determine the appropriate size.
These methods include:
- Breast implants sizers
This is a simple yet effective method to determine the size.
Sizers are special devices placed on a non-padded bra to simulate the breast with the implants. They come in different sizes and allow you to try and compare multiple measures until you find one that you feel comfortable with.
- Rice bag method
This method is similar to the sizers. However, it can be done at home without the need for a surgeon.
This is how the technique works:
First, dry rice is placed inside a bag and later inserted into a bra. It is estimated that a cup of rice is approximately 240 CC. Knowing this measure, you can add or remove rice from the bag until an appealing result is achieved.
- Computer imaging
This approach is more technological. Computer imaging is used to determine the size of the implants and produce a computerized image of the results.
However, the information the computer can process is limited and does not predict or consider several aspects. Among these, we can find how the patient heals, the experience of the surgeon, or the activities performed by the patient post-surgery. Therefore, it can lead to false results and expectations.
Choosing The Right Breast Size with Your Doctor
When deciding the size of the breast implant, it is also vital to determine the type of breast implant. On many occasions, some discomfort caused by the breast is not only due to its size but also to the asymmetry between them. To prevent any discomfort and to assure the perfect breast size for you, there are 3 main decisions that you will need to make with the Doctor.
First, the Doctor will access your current size and ask you what size you think you would like to be. The Doctor will then determine if this size is proportional to your body by performing a dozen of measurements across the chest.
Some of these findings help the Doctor avoid things like the base of the implants being too wide, as too wide of an implant on small chested patients would result in the implants touching the patient’s arms which is never recommended. This is why making the below 3-4 decisions is pertinent.
One: Saline vs Silicone Implant
90% of our patients in Los Angeles choose Silicon Implants.
Silicone implants are the more traditional option. However, if the difference is not that big, you could opt for saline implants. This type of implant is filled during the procedure, allowing the surgeon to make minor adjustments to ensure the desired result is achieved.
Saline Implants:
- Filled with salt water
- Adjustable breast implant size
- The implant is filled with water substance after it is implanted in your body
- There is a valve on saline implants and this has a risk of leaking, however, the substance is only water, which provides little to no harm
Silicone Implants
- The texture feels more natural
- Newer silicone implants are called ‘gummy bear’ implants for their texture and substance.
- Less likely to leak and actually longer life expectancy because if the implant were to rupture, it is a gummy bear substance that would not leak out
- If it does leak, the body will tend to have more of a reaction because the substance is a foreign material
Two: Implant Placement
75% of our Los Angeles patients seek breast implants with under the muscle placement.
There are 2 main layers to consider for implant placement.
The first is beneath or under all muscles in the breast, while the other is above the muscle and all breast fat tissue.
Above the muscle, tends to provide a rounder and harder / more exaggerated cleavage look. Those who tend to receive above the muscle placement do so because of their industry. Many of which are in adult entertainment.
Under the muscle tends to provide a more subtle and natural appearance. This is also known to give the ‘tear drop’ shape that you will often hear about.
Three: Area of Incision
75% of Los Angeles patients at our practice receive Periareolar Incision – incision around the areola.
Choosing the area of incision is another critical step in your decision-making process when undergoing breast augmentation. There are 4 main choices
Periareolar Incision is the most common and is the incision near / on the areola. There is a minimally invasive scar as the body’s natural transition from darker to lighter skin around the nipple will more easily hide the scar.
Inframammary Fold (IMF) is an incision that is done under the crease of the breast. Patients have noticed that incisions in this area are particularly noticeable if the patient is wearing a bikini or crop top-like clothing and finds themselves lifting their arms. This would then reveal the scar to the public.
Transaxillary Incision – this is an incision that is performed through the armpit. This may also be seen by lifting the arms and wearing clothing such as bikinis or crop tops.
Lastly, there is something called the trans ambilocal or tuba incision. This incision type is only available to patients choosing saline implants. This incision area is through the belly button.
If you have decided to get breast augmentation and are unsure how to proceed, our surgeons at Younique can walk you through all the options, sizes, and techniques available. They can help you choose the perfect size based on your desires and needs.
