Age: 37 Breast Augmentation
This is a 37 year old mother of two, who is 5’4″ and 120 pounds interested in a breast augmentation. She is thin, with small but shapely, non-saggy breasts. She just wants more volume and enhanced shape.
She is seen here after a bilateral breast augmentation with 325cc high profile silicone implants placed beneath the muscle from an incision at the bottom of the breast.
She is quite pleased. She told me that her husband actually buys her clothes and that he never did that before she had a breast enhancement. She tells me that she loves what her enhancment has done for her self image and confidence.
Age: 43 Breast Augmentation
This is a 43 year old woman, 5’3″ and 95 pounds, who was interested in a breast augmentation. It’s easy to tell in her pre-operative photos that she is tiny, has nice breasts and has a very small and very sloped chest wall. My primary concern with her is that she choose an implant size that makes her pretty breasts prettier (without overwhelming them and making them appear like grapefruits), and that she support her breasts “up and in” because she has a very sloped rib cage and her implants will always have a tendency to move under her arms.
She was augmented with 200cc high profile silicone implants placed beneath the muscle through an incision beneath the breasts. She is very pleased with her result and her implant choice. She admits that she does not/will not wear a sleeping bra at night to make sure her implants stay up front. I encouraged her to support her beautiful result so that it will look equally wonderful in five and ten years down the line.
Age: 37 Breast Augmentation
This patient, who is 5’7″ and 114 pounds was interested in a breast enhancement. She is seen here after a bilateral breast augmentation with 325cc smooth silicone implants placed beneath the muscle through an incision at the bottom of the breast.
She has a pleasing outcome. Her left breast sits higher than her right because that is what it did before her surgery. Although it is said by some surgeons that breast asymmetries are accentuated after a breast augmentation I have found this to be uncommon. It’s interesting to note that this patient would prefer to raise the right implant rather than lower the left. This is not uncommon because woman enjoy fullness in the upper pole of the breast. In her case she said that she felt that if all implants lower down with time she would prefer them to start as high as possible!
In the patient’s own words: “My confidence is higher than it has ever been, knowing that no one can ever make fun of me for being flat-chested again.”
Age: 35 Breast Augmentation
This is a 35 year old woman who is 5’4″ and 112 pounds. She runs and works out a lot. She is seen here after a bilateral breast augmentation with 225cc moderate profile silicone implants placed beneath the muscle from an incision in the breast crease.
Some points of interest:
1. I like the size selection in her case. A tiny woman does not need large implants. These fill her out well, don’t interfere with her activities, and suit her just fine.
2. She had a lot of chest wall and rib asymmetries before her surgery that did not result in her breasts looking very different.
3. An interesting observation on her side view is the large amount of superior breast fullness evident. It is not “tear drop” in shape. She could have easily massaged her implants lower to expand the breast bottom and reduce the fullness at top, but when you leave it up to most woman, they seem to enjoy this shape.
Age 34: Breast Augmentation
This is a 34 year old woman who is 5’6” and 115 pounds. She is a mother of one. She came to my office for a breast enhancement and told my nurses that she “didn’t want a lift.” She was seen by another plastic surgeon who recommended 350cc plus sized implants.
She is seen here after a breast augmentation with 275cc smooth silicone implants placed beneath the muscle. She is seen here about one year after her procedure. She told me when I was taking her pictures that “I think I should get the lift now but I look good in a bathing suit.”
Her results are quite good, and honestly I think she looks beautiful without the bathing suit as well. It may not be “perfect” but it is quite good and the idea of “perfect” is very subjective. I don’t necessarily believe that your breasts have to be perfect to be perfectly fine. The one whose opinion matters most is yours. I will help you with some perspective and tell you what I think. This is, in fact, what most women want from me—they have heard about me and they have seen my work on my website and they trust my opinion regarding the need for a lift and the size of the implants and all the other factors that come into play when considering breast enhancement.
We determined that she looked like a “stripper” when the implant size was 350cc and over. From a certain perspective this probably isn’t the worst appearance in the world, but I think for “everyday looks” it’s probably best to choose a size that avoids this look. I tell my patients that if you are old enough, and married with kids, and YOU CAN LOOK LIKE A STRIPPER, this probably isn’t a bad thing!
This issue of a “lift” is a source of anxiety for many woman. Again, to need a lift is all subjective and based on your goals and the expertise and artistic eye of your surgeon. Your personality must be taken into consideration, and it’s important that your surgeon explore all the issues with a lift (put it all out there for discussion and discovery) because the fear of this lift is overblown and misunderstood for sure.
How do I know if I need a lift? Most women know if they need a lift because if they ask the question things aren’t what they want them to be. I look at the forest and then the trees when I make this evaluation. If your breasts look attractive and cool than a lift may not be in order. The level of your nipple relative to the fold at the bottom of the crease is the technical way we determine ptosis or sagging of the breast. Is the nipple above, at or below the breast crease? Is it pointing at your feet? The “ideal” relationship of the nipple to your breast mound occurs when the nipple is well above the breast fold (remember when you were a teenager!).
The other big issue that’s hardly discussed is the “breast station.” This is my definition, and this is the apparent horizontal location of your breasts on your ribs (a line you would draw across your chest that would mark where you think your breasts are located). Breasts that are actually “low” are those that sit lower on your ribs. My patients tell me where they would prefer them to be by placing their hands beneath the breasts and pulling them upwards.
Timing can also be an important consideration. Maybe you plan on more kids. Maybe you just aren’t there mentally quite yet. Maybe you have an aversion to a lift for reasons that aren’t valid. Maybe your impression of the scars makes you uncomfortable—will your significant other be “turned off” by the scars?
All good questions indeed and here is a brief synopsis of what I see from my perch (and I see lots of this stuff as it is one of the most common breast procedures that I perform). The scar issue is completely overblown for sure. There are very few complaints about the scars and if there are any they are always minor. Shape of the breast is as important if not more important than size. All the size in the world can’t make up for a beautiful shape. If the issue is your concern about your significant other, rest assured that men see the “big picture” and don’t see details. Given a long enough time (two years or so) and these scars usually heal quite good. Photographs taken for my website will always make the scars look darker and more noticeable because of the lighting. They always look better in real time. Do you want a Ferrari with a scratch or an old worn out car?
Keeping good posture with your shoulders held back will always provide for breast lift. You can always choose a lift as a secondary procedure if you prefer. Only a really good surgeon can provide you with the best advice about the need for a lift. Not everyone who I think needs a lift actually needs a lift. One alternative breast surgery is in fact NO SURGERY AT ALL! It’s certainly wonderful to have options!
Age: 18 Breast Augmentation
Smooth Round Moderate Profile Saline Implants.
