What's the Right Implant Size?

    PHOENIX, AZ, September 28, 2008 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Once you've made the decision to have a breast augmentation, you have to decide what size you want your breasts to be. Keep in mind when thinking of size, that this is an augmentation procedure, so you are adding to your existing breast size, not replacing it. The implant will be much smaller compared to the final breast size.

Your personal goals, as well as your cosmetic surgeon's assessment, which includes measurements of specific body dimensions, combine to shape your decision. Your doctor will measure your breast tissue density, skin elasticity, width of your chest, degree of sagging, distance from the nipple to the fold under the breast and to the center of the sternum, width of your breast at the base, and of course your height, weight and body type. These measurements and tissue characteristics indicate whether placement under the muscle (submuscular) or under the breast-tissue (subglandular) placement would give you the most satisfactory results. They might, also, indicate whether silicone or saline implants are the better choice.

Along with the specific measurements, select a few pictures of women whose breasts look they way you want yours to look. Ask your cosmetic surgeon to show you before and after pictures of his patients, whose body measurements are similar to yours. This will give you an idea of the quality of his work, and what you can expect your results to be.

Smaller, proportional breasts are the current trend. Most women want to look proportional to their body type and height. Skin that has less elasticity will appear taut and may show stretch marks if the implant is too large, so, may limit the size that will give satisfactory results.

Many doctors suggest one of the more common "sizer" methods. These include wearing a "trial" bra with the cup size you think you want, and that you have stuffed with tissue, ziplock bags or knee-highs filled with rice or oatmeal, or sizers provided by the doctor. Wear this bra under different clothing to see if you like the shape, the way your clothes fit, and other peoples' responses.

Each doctor has his own preferred methods, and, aside from accurate measurements, the other methods are recommended by some doctors and discounted by others. It's best to use a combination of methods rather than rely on just one or two. Tell your cosmetic surgeon your impression of each method, and which ones were most appealing to you. Trust your cosmetic surgeon's judgment about how to translate your impression into getting the look you want.

If you are in the Phoenix, Glendale or Scottsdale Arizona area and would like more information about breast augmentation, visit the website of Dr. Paul Angelchik. Be sure to check out his blog for August 20, 2008 and his free seminars.

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