What size breast implants do I need?
You probably have a very good idea of what size you want to be after breast augmentation. You understand body proportions and how breast shape and size fits into accentuating the shoulders, waist, hips, and buttocks. It’s creating balance. Each woman tends to have her own ideas of this and that is very helpful. Translating that vision you have for your appearance into the right breast implant size
Talk to your friends, but …
One important thing to keep in mind: although you may have friends that are the same height, frame, and weight as you, the same implants they have will almost certainly look different on you. So try not to fixate on how many cc’s your friends chose. The amount of breast tissue, your muscle development, and how your rib cage slopes can make a size that looks good on one person appear quite different on another.
Remember to factor in your lifestyle
Most likely, you will be able to narrow your choices down to an optimal size range that will look beautiful with your body. When deciding what end of that size range to choose, focus on your lifestyle factors as well as which look you like best. If you’re athletic, most likely you’ll want to stick to the smaller end of your size range, as having very large breasts can interfere with sports.
If you’re not as concerned with playing sports, ask yourself this question: if I go with the smaller option, will I always wonder if I should have gone a little larger? If the answer is “yes,” then past precedent shows us that you’ll probably be happier to go with the larger option.
Video transcript
“So when it comes down to breast implant size, that can be a very anxious decision-making process. One of the big things to realize is that there are actually sizes that will fit your body, and that’s why we take measurements. We take measurements of all the different dimensions of your breast, and we’ll have you try them on.
Now, the secret to all of this is that I’m not letting you try on anything you want. I’m letting you try on things that are going to fit you. And that’s where your decision really comes in: which one of these implants matches up with the way you want to look. Even though we may talk about different cup sizes, all of those are just ways for me to understand what you perceive as things that will make your body look good. Once we figure out what that is with implants, we’ve already matched things up. There’s no real need to get into profile implant sizes, CC’s, and everything else. This is a visual thing because after surgery, you’re probably not going to care how many cc’s you have. You’re going to care about what you look like.”–Dr. Samir Pancholi
So, how big is too big?
Basically, two major parameters limit how large an implant you should get.
1. Your existing breast tissue
If you have very small breasts, thinner skin, and little tissue to cover an implant, you will need to stick with a smaller implant than your friend who has more ample tissue up top. Many of the complications that lead women to Dr. Pancholi for breast revision surgery stem from having implants that were inappropriately sized for their frame. Possible consequences of an implant that is too big for your body include:
- increased likelihood that you can feel the edges of the implant
- higher risk of side effects like bleeding or capsular contracture
- setting yourself up for sagging breasts in the future
- greater possibility of the implants bottoming out
- results that are more obviously plastic surgery
2. Your personal preferences
There is no rule saying you have to go as big as you possibly can. If you’re unsure, Dr. Pancholi will help you weigh the pros and cons of your implant size choices. In reality, very few women want breasts that look unnaturally large. A reputable surgeon will not want this either. Moreover, your body is very good at telling both you and your surgeon its limits for what is an appropriately sized implant.
What if I go too small?
While there’s no increase in risk of side effects from erring on the small side, the last thing you want is to be disappointed with your results. Keep in mind that the number one non-medical reason for revision surgery is to go with bigger implants.
Our advice? Don’t get smaller implants “just to be safe,” if deep down inside you know you want the larger ones, and your cosmetic surgeon agrees that going larger will be safe and look natural on you.
What you’ll get from the right size
With a realistic approach and guidance from an experienced cosmetic surgeon, choosing your implant size does not have to be a stressful experience. In fact, trying on implants and previewing the possibilities can be a lot of fun! When you find that look you love, you can look forward to:
- Wearing clothes you’ve had to pass over until now
- Less worry about “do my boobs look fake?”
- A balanced shape that slims the waist and enhances your entire figure
- Breasts that look like they truly belong to you
Video transcript
“Whenever you’re trying on implants, what should you really be looking for to see if this quote fits you or not? The main things that we like to look at are your shoulders. If you feel that you have broad shoulders, you may want to go with implants that are a little bit wider. When they go a little bit wider, they will bring your shoulders in, make your waist small, and make the rest of you just line up and match.
When you look from the side, you want to figure out how you want to look compared to your backside. If you find that you have a small backside, you probably don’t want to go with a very large implant that projects because that’s going to make your butt look even smaller.
On the other hand, the biggest thing is to figure out what proportion you want to have. As you go through the different implant sizes, there’s no need to tell me. The need is for you to look in the mirror and see, does this match up with what you want? And that’s really how you’re figuring it out.”–Dr. Samir Pancholi
We’ll help you choose the perfect implants for your new look
During your consultation with Dr. Pancholi, you’ll get to spend time talking about what you want out of breast augmentation, get advice from one of Las Vegas patients’ most trusted breast specialists, and try on implants for yourself. Call us or contact us online today to schedule your consultation.
