Your Questions
Your Questions
Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in getting breast implants but am having a hard time figuring out the right size. There does not seem to be any specific method about how to select the size. know I should not focus on the cup size but more on what I want it to look like. I do want want them to be large though. I am 5′ 6″, weigh 135 lbs and am athletically built. I want them to be large, but not so large that they will cause me problems down the road. One plastic surgeon I consulted with recommended 500cc implants. But in trying them on inside my bra, they seemed too small. What would you recommend?
A: While there is no exact science to selecting breast implant size for any patient, there are some guidelines to follow. Remember, however, the goal is in how the breast loko after surgery not necessarily what cup size they fit into or what volume of implant it is. It is all about the look. There are two criteria that I use. The first is how wide is your natural breasts, known as the base breast width. Select an implant whose base width does not exceed that of your own breasts. That will keep them from getting too fat to the side or into the swing of the arm. Secondly, what breast look is the patient after. This requires the patient to s look at and select some after breast augmentation photos of sizes (look) they like. When putting the two together, a good breast implant size can usually be chosen that satisfies most patients. If the breast look appears bigger than what one’s breast width can accomodate, then select a bigegr implant that has a high profile. This will allow for more volume while keeping the implant diameter within the boundaries of the side of your breast.
Q: I am interested in getting breast augmentation but am confused about what size of implant I should get. I am 5’ 4’ and weight 115 lbs with a small A cup and I mean really small. I wear a 32A bra. I want to be a small to medium C cup but don’t want to look like I obviously have breast implants or a look like some entertainer. What is the best way to go about selecting the size of the breast implant that looks best on me?
A: For any woman undergoing breast augmentation, size is the number one issue they understandably think the most about. Plastic surgeons have numerous methods of how they size patients and there is no uniform method for doing so. The ‘safest’ method of breast implant sizing is matching the base diameter of one’s breast to the base diameter of an implant. Each size of breast implant has an increasing base diameter as the size or volume of the implant gets bigger. With this approach there is no fear of the implant being too far to the side (in the way of the swing of the arm) as it is matched to one’s natural breast dimensions. There is also no fear that the implant will ever be too big. Conversely it is more likely that for some women the final result may not be big enough with width dimension alone so it shouldn’t be the only criteria used. But it is the one that can be specifically measured and is unique to each patient.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana