How do you pick a size? The most common thing I hear is “I want to look natural,” or “I want to look proportional.” Occasionally I meet someone who is set on a certain cup size. I must be a “full B,” “C”, “D.” So how does this work?
I consider my style of plastic surgery mentoring as a girlfriend’s guide to plastic surgery. I used to think male and female surgeons were the same. But over time, being female with all of the pregnancies and breastfeeding and bra shopping and jogging, I have come to the conclusion I look at breasts differently than my colleagues.
1. Don’t pick out a cup size. I can’t repeat enough there is no standard to bra sizing. What Victoria’s secret thinks is a 34C is not the same at Olga, Maidenform, Agent Provocateur (for you racy ladies), or La Perla (for you fancy ones). What you think is a 34C may not be what I think is one. The best way to pick a size is to try on sizing implants and look at yourself in a mirror in your normal clothes. I can’t believe here in Northern California, the Bay Area land of the educated female, I still hear of women who see a surgeon and the surgeon tells them, “I will choose it for you.” Egads! Given how frequently I find women decide on a size different from what they originally thought they wanted, I do not think having someone else pick it for you is a good idea.
2. Natural is not a size. Natural has to do with the shape of the breast, how it sits, how it moves. I can make a woman look natural and proportional as an A, B, C, D, or even DD cup. This is a place where you need to really look at the photos. Every plastic surgeon has a photo book. If they don’t, particularly for a common procedure like a breast augmentation, then don’t go to them. You need to see what their eye is like. I like natural. I love it when a patient comes in, telling me of how they were naked in front of a friend and the friend, “couldn’t believe how good I looked after breastfeeding three kids.” It is a high compliment to me when my patients forget these were not the breasts they were born with.
3. Photos don’t work. Many patients surf the internet for photos. Some target someone their same height and weight to pick out what volume breast implant they want. Every woman is uniquely fantastically different. Are you curvy? tall? short? broad? muscular? how much natural tissue do you have? do you have full hips and bottom? I can see short women with 400cc implants look salt of the earth natural, but a tall woman with a 400cc breast implant look like she needs a new day job. Again, every woman is different. You must try on the sizing implants.
So, how do you pick?
Try on sizing implants. In the office at your consultation I have you try on sizing implants. You won’t know what you like unless you SEE yourself, so bring in your favorite work out gear, bikini top, saturday-night on-the -town tops. Form fitting crew necks or turtlenecks are the ones to make you look the most busty. You should feel comfortable in all of your clothes. We women wear many hats: we are mothers, wives, teachers, lawyers, girls on a the town, atheletes…. You need to find the size to fit you in all aspects of your life. And I always remind my patients, there is no law against wearing a push up bra if you need a little extra sometimes.
The cardinal rule of implants is “you always wish you would have gone bigger.” I never believed the rule when I first heard it. But it is true. One of my patients said “breast implants are like diamond rings, they shrink with time”. They don’t really shrink (neither do the diamonds), but what shocks you at first won’t shock you after a while. Try out your new size prior to surgery. Stuff your bra. Wear it everywhere. You will get used to seeing yourself with breasts, so if you want to upsize a little, you will figure it out prior to surgery. Also everyone else will get used to seeing you with breasts, so 1. they won’t notice a change when you do surgery, and 2. you’ll see what kind of attention you get- wanted (or unwanted).
After having said the cardinal rule is everyone wishes they went a bit bigger, I have to say bigger is not always better. You want to go to a size where you feel like you did this. “If I’m going to go through surgery, I want to feel like I see a difference.” Bigger volume also means bigger weight. It can droop over time, thin the skin, etc. So if you are athletic, particularly running, have thin skin, have poor skin tone, or are young and want babies in the future, consider the pros and cons of size.
Size is an important aspect of breast augmentation. Take your time to decide. This is one area I will not choose for my patients, but I will educate you to make your best decision.