Slight Panic.. Will 260cc HP Silicone Implants Ever Look Natural?

260cc implants are conservative in size increase, adding about one cup size to whatever breast volume you had pre-operatively. If your breast base measurements were quite narrow, perhaps high profile implants were necessary to allow that volume without extending past the confines of your own breast tissue.

But even with a narrow chest and slightly athletic build, I suspect that a moderate plus or even moderate profile implant may have been another choice (perhaps better) to decrease the height and projection that you seem to object to at this point in your recovery.

The fact is that you will soften, settle, and drop somewhat over the next few months, so you can be assured that things will improve. If not enough, then you can discuss the options for wider base, lower profile implants and whether or not re-operation to better achieve your goals is appropriate. Best wishes!

Thank you for the question.  You are very early in your post operative course.  Breast implants typically start to drop at 1 month.  It can sometimes take 12 months to get them to drop into place.  Please let your board certified plastic surgeon know your thoughts.  They will usually have protocols for the situation.  Please follow their recommendations. 

When implants are first inserted, they sit high up because your tissues are tight and gravity hasn't taken effect. Over time, natural tissue expansion occurs to allow the implants to fall into place. By this time, your breasts will have taken on a more natural contour, where the lower breasts become softer and rounder. Please wait at least four months for this to happen.This process tends to occur sooner in one breast than the other, so don't be alarmed if you find that your left drops before the right or vice versa.

You cannot judge your result one month post op.  Breast implants will continue to evolve for months.  Give it time.

Boy, at one month the implants are probably still high and the skin has not accommodated to them. Give it time.

Don't panic. I should note that all of us commenting on your question do not have the benefit of seeing photographs. Take all of their responses with a grain of salt.

It is quite for implants that are placed under the muscle to look too high early in the postoperative period. The chest wall muscle presses on the implant and displaces the fluids such that it bulges in the upper pole of the breast. As the muscle accommodates to the presence of the implant, the implant appears to "drop." This can take 3 months and sometimes longer. Patience. If by that time the appearance is not approved a discussion with her surgeon would be appropriate. Best wishes.

Bra sizes are confusing. More often than not, a woman is not wearing a correctly fitted bra, doesn't know her bra size, or doesn't know how a bra is fitted.

Cup size is dependent on the "number" part of the bra size... a D cup in a 34 bra is a different size from a 42 bra.

Outward projection is further determined by the "profile" of the implant. High school geometry: Height (projection) times Width (base width). A Higher Profile implant will give you a larger cup size for less volume than a Moderate Profile implant.

Furthermore, a saline implant looks bigger than a silicone implant of the same volume. That is because a saline implant is more oval (round on both top and base), while a silicone implant is flat on the base.

Some plastic surgery books have proposed the following parameters for breast augmentation:


32 bra: 100-200 ml per cup size

34 bra: 150-250 ml per cup size

36 bra: 200-300 ml per cup size

38 bra: 250-350 ml per cup size


Using that as a guide line you should be able to get a rough estimate for the size implant you would need.

The look following breast augmentation is not entirely predictable. This has to do with how you heal and the scar tissue forms around the implant. Some women look like two half grapefruits and other look more tear drop or slipping in shape. High profile implants do tend to look rounder than moderate profile implants. However, the implant style selection depend on your desired size and your chest and breast dimensions. Thus, it is possible the high profile implants were the best choice for you. You should discuss your concerns with your board certified plastic surgeon. Implants usually settle over 3-6 weeks but can take up to 6 months to drop into place fully.

The more rounded projected look is just what the high profile implant is made to deliver. Many like them, some do not. Sometimes the look of the moderate profile and higher can settle in well and look much the same. If your augmentation was recent and the implant still seems round and high in the breast, perhaps over time they will sit in better and you will like them better.

Thank you for your question. One month is very early in your recovery after breast augmentation with high profile implants. It can take 3 or more months for the implants to settle. Of course see her plastic surgeon for reassurance and ask about breast implant displacement exercises.