We are frequently asked to recommend a size of breast implant. This is a highly subjective and extremely personal choice. In breast augmentation only you can know what size is best for you. There are, however, several factors to consider when deciding on size.

If you have small breasts and wish yours were larger, the next question is: How large do I want them to be? For the woman who values subtle enhancements, obviously they cannot go up by more than one or two cup sizes.

Another thing: If you wear 34A—the number refers to the chest measurement below the breasts and the letter is the cup size—you can choose to go one size up to B or two sizes up to C.

A common complaint I hear from women after breast augmentation is the difficulty finding clothes that fit. Most readymade clothes are designed for B and C cups. If you have a bigger cup size, you know how difficult it can be. With an upgrade to D, E, F and so on, unless you like baggy, it is going to be progressively more difficult to buy clothes off the shelf. And most of our patients are not into baggy. The majority opt for something between full B cups and small D cups.

And it’s not just the cup size that matters either, nor the volume of the breast implant, which is expressed in terms of ‘cc’s’ or cubic centimetres. In general, an implant of 200cc will give you a cup size increase. Breast implants start from 100cc and rise in 25 cc increments all the way up to 800 cc.  If your goal is a subtle enhancement, nothing over the top, you have to consider more factors than cup sizes and volume before deciding on the size of breast implant.

Try answering these questions:

• How tall are you? Taller women can carry off larger implant sizes without a problem, while the same breast implant may appear exaggerated on a much shorter woman.
• Is your frame small, medium or large? You need to select your breast implant size accordingly. I help my patients with before and after pictures of others and offer them an implant sizer to insert in their bras beforehand to show them what they would look like after augmentation with each different implant size.
• Thin or curvy? What is your body shape? The implant used to augment the breasts of a thin person looks different on a curvy person of the same height. The final look will also vary according to body shape. You don’t want to emphasize your breasts too much if you are already top heavy. Strive for a proportionate and balanced look.
• Is your chest wall convex or concave? We can tell you this after the initial consultation. A breast implant is going to appear much larger if your chest is already jutting out (convex).
• What is your natural breast size? How much breast tissue there is to begin with can make a big difference in how you will look after implants.

Some surgeons and their patients will tell you that their biggest regret in breast augmentation is that they ‘wish it could have been bigger’. But big is not always beautiful or practical. Ask Heidi Montag.  She’s the poster girl of over-the-top cup-size regrets.

Excessive breasts get in the way of exercise, fun and intimacy. Heidi Montag has gone on record saying that she is unable to hug her four dogs. She told the Daily Mail that even though she’s obsessed with fitness “it’s impossible to work out with these boobs.” She must wear special custom-made clothing. No wonder she says she’s unable to live an everyday life. Do you want to go there?

Breast augmentation with large implants can lead to complications not necessarily encountered by those opting for smaller implants. Large breasts can hurt, not just in the front, but also in the back, neck and shoulders, because the weight is too much for the body to bear comfortably. This is a key reason given for breast reduction surgery.

Large breasts may look like fun, but they are not always fun to live with.  “Moderation in all things” is advice well heeded by women seeking to augment their breasts.

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Author Info

Nick Nabai