Deciding on the size of your breast implants can be a very hard decision to make, harder even than deciding on breast implant type. Breast implants commonly range in size from about 100 – 800 cc (3-27 fl. oz) in steps of about 25 -50 cc (0.8 – 1.6 fl oz). Saline implants are even more flexible, because they can be slightly overfilled and adjusted. So the actual volume of your implants is very flexible, it’s just a question of deciding what you want. Remember in making your decision to keep all the following factors in mind when making decisions about all breast enlargement options:
- Current physique
- Desired look
- Fashion
- Activity level
- Profession
- Long term considerations of larger implants such as skin stretch and sagging
In trying to make a decision about the appropriate size for your breast implants, there are a number of methods you can use to visualize what you want to look like after your breast enlargement and deciding on the size of breast implants that can best achieve that result. All of these techniques have their advantages and their limitations.
Vectra 3-D Imaging
The Bougainvillea Clinique is the first facility in Florida to introduce this technology. Vectra 3-D imaging is the latest and so far the best way to get an idea of what your breasts will look like following breast enlargement. The Vectra system uses several cameras to generate a dynamic digital 3-D image of your breasts, which can then be manipulated on the computer to show how your breasts will look like after breast enlargement. With the Vectra system you can see the effect of different sized implants in real time. The system is also the most accurate system presently available to breast asymmetry, and help us decide on different implant size and fill on each side if necessary. This technology is the closest you can presently get to seeing what your breasts will look like following your surgery.
Pictures
Let’s face it–we live in an image-saturated culture and the prevalence of breasts in magazines, movies, television programs, and elsewhere partly drives the demand for breast enlargement. Images of “perfect breasts” make many women feel sensitive about the perceived flaws in their own breasts. So why not turn the tables and use some of these images to plan your breast enlargement?
Pictures can be a good starting place, but it is important to remember their limitations. First, you have to remember that in many cases you simply cannot look like that lingerie model. Your proportions and their proportions may be so different that they are not a good ideal for you. Next, remember that many tricks go into making breasts look good in pictures. Lighting, restrictive clothes suitable only for brief poses, airbrushing, and digital manipulation all make the image unrealistic. Still, if you have pictures of what you might like your breasts to look like, they can be used to start your conversation with Winter Park, Florida Cosmetic Surgeon, Dr. Sweeney.
At your consultation you will be able to view many before and after pictures, as well as viewing photographs on our before and after picture gallery to help you see the results that can be achieved with different implant sizes in different individuals.
The Rice Test
The rice test is the most common folk method for estimating the appearance of your breasts following breast enlargement. To conduct the rice test, simply fill two baggies with rice and insert them in an appropriately-sized bra under your breasts. Couscous, oatmeal, quinoa, or any other dry ingredient can also be used, although rice has the advantage of having an appropriate density. Start with about 185 cc (slightly more than ¾ cup) rice for each bra cup size you want to go up. Wear the rice-filled bra all day, even several days. Try on clothes. Adjust the amount of rice up or down, depending on how it looks.
Breast Implant Sizers
During your breast enlargement consultation with Dr. Sweeney, you will be given the opportunity to wear breast implant sizers in a number of different sizes to help you get a better idea about the look and feel your breasts will have after enlargement. Dr. Sweeney will talk to you about how different breast implant types will affect the appearance of your breasts, and how placement of the implants differs from merely placing them in the bra.
To learn more about selecting the right size breast implants for your body and your desired appearance, please schedule a breast enhancement consultation with Dr. Sweeney. Proudly serving patients from Orlando, Winter Park, and all of Central Florida.
