Choosing to go under the knife for breast augmentation is a big enough decision, but the decision-making certainly doesn’t end there.
Great Neck, NY, plastic surgeon Kevin Tehrani, MD, works with patients at least twice before the operation to discuss sizing. “Additional time spending with patient’s preoperatively dramatically decreases the need for reoperations in the future,” he says.
Not sure what breast size you would like? Dr. Tehrani’s advice: “Have multiple discussions with a board-certified plastic surgeon who has expertise in this area and ask to see many pictures of similar patient’s to yourself with the expected outcome.”
Dallas plastic surgeon Diane L. Gibby, MD, says women should understand that there is no perfect breast size but rather a range that will look good for any given woman. She recommends taking these three factors into consideration:
Your lifestyle. If you are actively involved in sports, yoga or other physical activities, the size and weight of larger implants may be a hindrance.
How natural? A natural breast has a particular slope and proportion that fit your body. Many women prefer this natural look to make their implants less obvious. Other women want a more dramatic look.
Risk of complications. The larger your implant size, the more vulnerable you will be to certain breast implant complications.
To help make the right choice, Dr. Tehrani suggests looking through your doctor’s before and after photographs and trying implant sizes in a predetermined bra and t-shirt to help visualize the new size. He also recommends Vectra 3-D imaging to try different size implants with different shapes, diameters and projections.
“Its best to see at least two qualified, board-certified plastic surgeons who perform many breast augmentations and ask how many breast augmentation procedures they perform yearly. A significant practice will do more than 100 breast augmentation procedures per year,” says Dr. Tehrani.
