Choosing Breast Implant Size in Breast Augmentation
Since I have been talking about methods for determining the right breast implant size for a patient, let me share with you one method as promoted by Mentor, one of the two breast implant manufacturers in the United States. Their system, known as Body Logic, provides a set of tools that provides guidance in selecting a range of breast implants that hopefully will satisfy the patients desired breast size and shape. Using measurements of the breast’s base diameter, projection, and volume, a range of implant sizes and projections is provided for both saline and silicone gel breast implants.
Breast base diameter and amount of projection are the most important criterion used for breast implant size. For example, if you had a breast base of 12.5 cms, a 350cc smooth silicone gel breast implant of medium projection (they call it moderate plus, I like to think of it in simple terms – low, medium, and high) would provide increased projection of 3.9 cms. A 425cc smooth silicone gel implant of high projection (remember, same base width) would give more projection of 5.0 cms. The correlation between base diameter and amount of projection of a breast implant is very mathematical, so to speak, and can have a both a linear and an inverse relationship. The wider the breast diameter, the more volume (bigger implant) that you need to get the same effect. Conversely, the wider the breast implant base diameter, provided the fill volume (size) is the same, the less projection you will have. Clear as mud, isn’t it?
Projection of a breast implant, and which projection to use (low, medium, high), is not quite as ‘measureable’ as breast implant base diameter. In general, if the breast skin is tight, low projecting breast implants are recommended. With looser skin and more breast sagging, higher projecting breast implants are recommended to fill out this extra skin.
Fortunately, these manufacturer methods are just a reference but they can be extremely helpful. Such systems are not intended to replace a plastic surgeon’s judgment in performing the actual breast augmentation procedure. These guidelines, matched with a plastic surgeon’s experience and artistic sense, are the most likely to create a happy breast augmentation patient.
Dr Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana