It is all about size. That is the number one reason why women seek breast implant surgery – to increase breast size or have them be better proportioned to the rest of the body. Size can become an obsession – some women are worried about going too big, while others are concerned with not going large enough.
Any qualified board certified plastic surgeon will tell you that realistic expectations are an absolute must. Going too large can lead to serious complications that will lead to more surgery, more recovery, more money. It is imperative you find a good cosmetic surgeon, because he or she will give you the realistic limitations of your body.
So How Big should I Go?
You may be surprised to hear that implants do not appear as large as natural breasts do. An implanted breast that is a D cup will actually look like a C cup – so the concern that you might go too big is less likely.
There are many variations that make implants look good, look natural, or look fake. The amount of breast tissue, the shape of the chest wall, weight of the patient and any variations of the chest wall all affect how an implant will look – the same size of implant will look totally different on two people because of their individual variations.
It is likely that the plastic surgery office will have breast implants that you can try on for size. You normally try these implants on underneath a sports bra or a regular bra. It is important to note that if you are flat chest, anything will seem huge in comparison!
It is helpful to know that breast surgeons don’t discuss size in terms of cups. To circumvent this communication problem, bring in pictures of breasts that you would like yours to look like. This helps the surgeon tremendously to know what your goals are from the surgery, and helps he or she to let you know if these goals are realistic for your body. Remember – your implants will look different than your pictures even if the before photos are the same!
Implanted breasts also make bra shopping a little more…interesting. Even for normal women, studies show that the vast majority of women wear the wrong bra size. You add implants into the mix, and things get a little crazy.
As a rule, implants tend to be wider than natural breasts. Many women with implanted breasts will need to wear a D cup because a C cup is not wide enough.
Another thing to keep in mind is that implanted breasts weigh more, and saline weight is different than silicone. Two 300 cc saline breast implants weigh 1.25 pounds, two 300 cc silicone breast implants weigh almost a pound and a half!
If you have any spinal issues or chronic back pain, let your surgeon know. They and you will want to take this into account when deciding on implant size and type of implant.