Almost every single patient that sees me in consultation for Breast augmentation first mentions the cup size she wants to be and then adds: But I want it to be proportional.
To you (the patient) this usually means — is the size too small, too big, or just right? With today’s implant choices, the added benefit you can decide how the implant will sit on your chest wall and how it helps define the rest of your body.
That is why the first thing I look at is the waist and hips.
High Profile Implants have more projection outward and make the chest narrower
I want to make sure that your body has the right kind of harmony after the breast augmentation. For example, let’s say you are a typical patient of average height, with a normal waist and hips but a narrow chest wall and small breasts. You request a large C or small D cup. What implant do I recommend?
Nowadays there are many implant choices to get you the size you want. For example, a moderate profile 400cc implant will have a wide base, but a not much breast projection. It gives a more natural look, but since the implant has a wide base, it may be more apparent on the lateral aspect of the chest wall, making your chest look wider. If your chest wall was real narrow, you may be very happy. But step back and look at the whole body. Is the combination of the broader chest wall and the hips making you look more balanced or just wider in general?
In this case, another option is to consider a High Profile implant. It has a smaller base diameter so it preserves the appearance of a narrower chest, and you get more anterior projection from the same 400cc volume. It does have a more up front look.
As you look at the full body mirror, consider the chest to waist ratio. You may be happy with things as they are. However, if you plan to narrow your waist with dieting or liposuction, this ratio will change. If the waist gets smaller, your chest looks wider. Not only do you not look wider, your whole proportions have changed. Many of my patients also do liposuction to the waist and go with the High Profile Implant to keep the chest narrow. This makes the entire profile narrower. You truly can affect much more than just cup size when you are conscious of implant shapes and your body proportions!
In summary, picking out the size of the implant can be just a first step in picking out the right implant for you. You can read more about High profile and moderate profile breast implants in other posts in my blog.
