How do I find the right size for breast augmentation?

Knowing what size you want to be is something that I spend a lot of time on with women.  But there are a couple of things that should first be understood.  There is no perfect breast size.  Generally there is a range that will look good for any given woman.  Cup size is something we talk about a lot, but this is really quite vague.  What cup size you wear will depend upon the manufacturer of the bra, how you like your bras to fit, padding (not a problem after the operation), and chest size. And your overall body size and body frame must be taken into consideration.

It is important that the implant "fit" your chest and your existing breast tissue.  To determine which implants will work for a particular women, I will take numerous measurements of the breast and chest wall to understand which implants will be good options.  In most cases, we can find an implant the will "fit" the chest in the size that is desired.  Usually this will affect the profile of the implant that I use.

So, how do we determine the right size?  There is really no substitue for working with sizers.  We will put you in a bra, and place different sizers in the bras to simulate how different sized implants will appear.  Frequently we will do this on several occasions, and we encourage women to bring you favorite tops to try on with the sizers.

Depending upon whether the implants will be placed above or below the muscle, we will go up in varying amounts on the implants we use to make sure we get the same result as the sizers chosen.

That you are comfortable with with how you look with the sizers is much more important than what size bra you will eventually wear. We all know that cup size depends on the manufacturer of the bra and the particular style you like.  If you go up in chest size to have your bra fit the way you want it to, you will not go up as much in terms of cup size.  If you buy from one store over another, you will go up more or less in terms of the cup size.  

So, your size is more important than your bra size.

While outcomes for cosmetic breast surgery are largely subjective, the biodemonsional method of selecting implants and assessing tissues is the most well documented for minimizing complciations.

Thin women will do better with small implants placed under the muscle in most instances. Forget cuo size when planning and look for the device that most suits your chest wall dimensions. Manuevers to widen or lower your natural boundries to accomadate larger devices are directly related to many of the complications from breast augmentation surgery.

You can likely go to a C cup, but the most important measurement your PS will need to take is the base diameter (check out the attached video!). Your PS should use this measurement with several others, as well as discuss with you your desires, in order to make a decision on a moderate plus or midrange profile implant for a moderate C, or a high profile implant for a full C. Most petite A cup women in my practice get high profile implants if/ when they suggest a desire to be a full C. Good luck!

A full C cup is very common among patients.  Implant size is based on the patients height, weight, activity and most of all personal preference.  During your consultation your physician should show you pictures  of women who are similar in height and weight as you, this will give you and your physician a  clearer vision of how the implants may look on you.  This allows your physician to see what goal you have in mind.  It is good to have a few options to look at, so I would suggest that you pick more than 1 photo out.

A full C cup size is fine on almost anybody.  Cup size is relative to your body characteristics.  Since you are very petite, the implant that you would require to increase from an A cup to a C cup would be different than the implant that a 5'7" 130 pound woman would require to do the same.  The determination would be made in consultation with your board certified plastic surgeon, who would take measurements of your chest and ask you certain questions about what you wish to achieve with your surgery.  Personally, on many of my patients, I use devices called breast sizers along with the chest measurements and patient wishes, during the operation to help determine the appropriate size implant.  Breast sizers are one time use implant devices that can be filled after placement under the breast during the breast augmentation surgery to determine the appropriate sized permanent implant for the patient. 

I certainly agree with everything that Dr. Rand says however I also believe that it is vitally important to consider what you want. Your question seems to be asking if a C is the right size for you.

An experienced breast surgeon should be able to show you pictures of women who are similar height and weight and with different sized implants. This is vitally important for you to review in order to decide what it is that you are looking for. While you can always have your surgeon use breast/chest wall measurements to get the "best" size implant for your body, once you have that information it is always easy to go slightly bigger or smaller.