Considerations in Breast Augmentation Surgery
Physical condition
A taller patient or a patient with a higher weight should naturally have larger implants. In a short patient, D-size breasts can give a very uncomfortable appearance. B-size breasts may appear very small in a tall patient.
The shape of the rib cage
This is one of the points we pay attention to when choosing the breast size. Some individuals are tall but have narrow rib cages. Or, a patient who is short but has been doing sports for a long time may have broad shoulders and a wide chest. In addition, sometimes the rib cage is turned inward in anteroposterior diameter. Or it could be protruding. All of these affect the size of the implant to be selected.
The size of the existing breasts
If there is sufficient size and breast tissue before the operation, we can be more comfortable in choosing the size of the prosthesis. On the contrary, having a very small amount of breast tissue may cause a large prosthesis to be visible from the outside. The smaller the breasts, the better the placement of a smaller prosthesis for the patient in some cases.
Sagging condition in existing breasts
As it is known, breast augmentation surgery also helps patients to lift their breasts as an additional benefit. Especially in patients who need a lift, sufficient breast lift can be achieved without the scars of mastopexy surgery. As the sagging of the breast increases, the size of the prosthesis to be placed must increase.
If the patient also needs the breasts to be lifted in the breast augmentation surgery, she should prepare herself that her breasts should be slightly larger than she expected.
On the other hand, if patients with skin laxity are operated with excessively large prostheses, after a certain point, their breasts will sag due to the weight of the prosthesis.
So another paradox. If the prosthesis is not large enough, the breast will appear drooping, and if the prosthesis is too large, the breast will still appear droopy. Then the optimal size is determined by the doctor during the surgery.
Asymmetry in breast size
Many women have asymmetry in their breasts. This is extremely natural. In the majority patient group, this size difference becomes more pronounced during the menstrual period.
If this size difference is not clearly visible when looking from the front, there is no need to correct the asymmetrical size of the breasts. However, in patients with very pronounced asymmetry, a larger prosthesis may be required to be placed on the smaller side.
Breast measurements
- Between the jugular point and the nipple,
- Between the midpoint of the collarbone and the nipple,
- Nipple-breast inferior sulcus (distance between inframammary fold),
- Measurements of the lower and upper diameters of the nozzle
- Measurements of medial-lateral diameters.
The measurements we are talking about here are made both before and during the operation after the pouch in which the prosthesis will be placed is created.
These measurements are the most important point in the evaluation because the first 5 items are all about the doctor’s aesthetic perception, while the last item includes purely mathematical measurements.
The most important sentence to remember is this. In breast augmentation surgeries, while the size of the rib cage does not change, the size of the breast, which used to be A size, increases as B – C – D.
The Harms of Oversized Breast Implants
- It causes the recovery period to be longer and more difficult.
- The patient has more pain, bruising and swelling.
- It takes longer to return to a completely normal life.
- Since the tension in the wounds will increase, the incidence of wound healing problems increases, especially in smokers.
- In addition, the remaining incision scars will be worse.
- Sensation defects will be more likely to occur due to excessive pressure on the nipple from below.
- There is a possibility of sagging at an earlier period in prostheses that are placed too large. Due to the weight of the prosthesis, it slides down and the shape of the breast is distorted.
