The selection of implant size is one of the most important and debated choices in breast augmentation surgery. Women understandably spend considerable time considering this choice and on today’s internet a lot of breast implant results are available for viewing. While many results give the woman’s height and weight and breast implant size used, that is rarely a good way to determine what the viewer needs or would look best getting.
Numerous individual methods of breast implant sizing exist from the ‘rice test’ to 3D virtual imaging. Any of these are far superior to choosing what one sees on the internet or from a size that a relative or friend would suggest. Breast implant sizing is about what looks good on you as you see it.
One very good method of choosing breast implants is through the use of Volumetric sizers. Since the plastic surgeon picks breast implants ‘off the shelf’ based on volume and not cup sizes, it is critically important to create an accurate correlation between the look one wants and what volume would create that look. Volumetric sizers do just that by having breast molds in different volumes that fit over the patient’s natural breasts. (from 150cc to 650cc molds)
By overlying the different sized breast molds and comparing volumes, it is very easy to quickly establish the high and low range of implant sizes that a woman wants. (ranging within 100ccs) The first step is to quickly go up in size until one finds when the chosen volume is too big. Along the way one also finds out what is too small. From there one can hone in the final size range within 25 to 50cc. Once in this narrow range of sizes, any choice is not going to be wrong since these small volume differences are not visually discernible.
What really counts in judging breast augmentation size results is how they look. Cup sizes or volumes used are just numbers and is not as important as to how they ultimately look. Volumetic sizes make it easy to make that judgment directly on the breasts.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana