Choosing the Right Shapes and Sizes of Silicone Breast Implants
if you are thinking about going through breast augmentation surgery then you should know the importance of choosing the right silicone breast implant. If you are uncertain about which to choose then you have come to the right place. This guide is packed with the latest info and will give you a clear picture of what implant is best for you.
The most common forms of breast implants are round or teardrop-shaped (also called anatomical) implants. Which implant shape gives the best result is determined primarily by how much the patient’s own breast tissue has to cover the implants.
Round breast implants are more commonly used than anatomical in Europe/North America. Based on a combination of data from the two largest providers of breast implants, Mentor and Allergan (formerly Inamed), the distributed sales of implants for breast augmentation is about 70% round and 30% anatomical breast implants.
Round breast implants
The round breast implants are shaped like a round bun. This implant’s shape is the most popular and is available in numerous variations. They can be filled with saline or silicone, have a smooth or textured surface and comes in a variety of sizes.
The round implants are also less expensive than the anatomical and associated with slightly fewer complications when no rotation problem exists. (Rotation of implants leads to a peculiar and unnatural appearance. It requires further surgery to fix the problem.)
Anatomical (teardrop) breast implants
Anatomical breast implants are different from round breast implants. They are shaped more like a natural breast than a round bun This means that they are slightly elongated in configuration and has a major part filling the bottom than at the top. In this way, the implants intended to create a more natural look.
The anatomical implants were initially developed to be used to reconstruct and rebuild the breast that was damaged as a result of an illness or accident.
Anatomical Implants Were Developed for Breast Reconstruction
Anatomical implants were originally developed for use in breast reconstruction in women who have lost breast tissues due to illnesses or accidents. They quickly got a place in the aesthetic surgery as some say that the shape allows more of the natural looks and are more suitable for candidates with breasts that are high but have little to none of their own breast tissues.
More choice
One advantage of the anatomical implants is that both plastic surgeons and patients can appreciate the three different dimensions – width, height and projection (how far the implant can be placed forward / away from the body). This makes them particularly suitable in cases where, in conjunction with a breast augmentation, the patients want to balance out the size and shape differences between the breasts. This type of implants are also gaining more and more ground as a result of the demand for the most natural results possible.
The choice between anatomical or round breast implants
Since an anatomical breast implants have a more natural shape than a round implant it may seem like simple logic that such implants should also provide the best and most natural results. It is simple; however, anatomical implants also have some specific disadvantages. Among these are that they are more expensive than the round implants.
Possibility of rotation
Due to the design, the anatomical breast implants show more tendency to rotate. When this occurs, it raises the chances of an unnatural appearance of the breasts which must be corrected by further surgery.
To reduce the risk of rotation of the anatomical implant, implants with a textured (sandpaper-like) surface were designed. What they do is to root in and get fixed in place by the surrounding tissues.
Existing arguments against the use anatomical breast implants
In addition to the risk of rotation some plastic surgeons say that it does not matter if you use round or teardrop-shaped implants. What matters are the surgeon’s surgery techniques and how the patients take care of the implants afterwards. In the opinions of some surgeons the anatomical implants does not give a more natural result.
Other specialists believe that a round implants can give an anatomical shape when the patient stands up because its contents then sink down to the bottom and it also gives a more natural appearance when the patient is lying on her back.
What implant shape should you choose then?
If you want to generalize a bit, it can be said that with round implants the breasts are a little larger at the top than they are with the teardrop or anatomical implants. Many patients find themselves satisfied with round implants and the fullness in the upper part of the breasts or the fuller cleavage.
To get the most natural looking breasts has a lot to do with choosing the right breast implant profile. That’s what the rest of this post will cover as we talk about the differences between low, medium, and high profile, and how to choose the right one to get the best look for your augmentation.
Natural-looking breast implants – Breast implant profile
A Breast Implant profile can be described as a measurement of how much the breast implant protrudes from the body in relation to its base diameter.
There are three different options for profile – high, medium (moderate) or low. The most commonly used implant would be with the medium profile. The different available profiles have been developed to be better at accommodating patients with different body types, and their desired cup sizes.
The implant profile is the shape and proportions seen sideways, i.e. in the position in which a patient would be placed in lateral perspective.
The profile defines a key element of their design, which corresponds to the highest point (with the patient lying down) or point of maximum projection (with the patient standing) of the implant (hereinafter PMP). It would be like the “top” of the “mountain” applied to breast implants.
High profile enables higher magnifications
In the old days, breast implants’ bottom diameter was always matching with respect to its projection due to the lack of size variety, some patients were unable to get a natural result of the size they wanted.
With the help of development in the different profiles, patients can now use larger implants for breast augmentation without the risks of the implant edges falling outside the scope of their own breast tissue. With a high implant profile, they surgeon can simply add more size to the breast (forward) without increasing its bottom diameter.
Breast implants for all body shapes and preferences
Primarily a high implant profile makes it possible for women with slim physique to choose larger breast implants for their breast surgery. Using low implant profiles, women with a slightly stronger body structure will be able to find breast implants that covers the natural bottom diameter of her breasts without adding too much projection forward.
Conclusion
Should we try to discern any conclusion from the different surgeons’ opinions, the majority of patients get very good results with the round breast implants. However, there are patients, particularly women with very little breast tissues to begin with, who get the best results with anatomical breast implants. Again, it’s largely about the patient’s physical conditions and personal preferences.
