Breast Implants Q&A

80%

WORTH IT RATING

1,008 Reviews

Ask a Question

View Before and Afters

Average Breast Implants Cost: $6,000

Learn about Breast Implants

4,917 people and 831 doctors are talking about Breast Implants

Get Free Email Updates

Best Approach to Improve Breast Asymmetry?

asked 1 year ago by Southworth1877 in Bellevue, WA
Latest answer by Rod J. Rohrich, MD
Question viewed 749 times
Tags: asymmetry, silicone implant

Hi all! Thank you for answering our questions. Mine is the following: Provided there is no breast lift needed and that we are talking about small A cup breasts on a thin patient, without any other special condition besides the asymmetry (quite noticeable but not super severe). Is there a "less risk for errors" approach, regardless of any particular surgeon or patient preference or implant size, that would definitely be the "safer" for targeting the asymmetry alone, using silicone implants?

21 answers to Best Approach to Improve Breast Asymmetry?

Augmenting the asymmetrical breast

IF there are asymmetries of nipple height and position/angulation, these will be magnified by an augmentation rather than corrected unless something more is done like a lift. IF it is just a volume issue, differential impants can be used. In a thin person, the silicone has better feel and less wrinkling but less ability to control asymmetry. If you are a very perfectionistic person, the postoperatively adjustable saline implant allows you to micromanage the final result... more

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

How to Minimize Breast Assymetry after Augmentation

You have asked a very important question. As you may already know, our bodies are not perfectly symmetrical. If you have noticeable asymmetry, the goal should be to minimize it and hopefully try to eliminate it. Having said that, a breast augmentation will actually enhance asymmetry, as we are "magnifying" the area. In my experience over 10 years and several hundred breast surgery procedures, I am not always accurate in estimating the asymmetry pre-operatively... more

Michael A. Jazayeri, MD
Santa Ana Plastic Surgeon

Breast implants for asymmetry

Silicone implants come in many dimensions and volumes and these all need to be taken in to consideration in cases such as yours. You may do best with a medium profile on one side and a high profile on the other side or even a low profile. Sometimes it even makes sense to do an Allergan on one side and a Mentor on the other. They all vary a little in their diameters and projection. For cases like yours, I always have many sizes available and use sizers... more

Lisa L. Sowder, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Breast enlargement and correction of asymmetry

Asymmetry can usually be corrected by placing a larger implant on the smaller side. It is more exact with a saline for the volume can be adjusted more precidely whereas the silicone implants come pre-filled so some guessing is involved though sizers are available. Watch my videos.

Edward J. Domanskis, MD
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

If your asymmetry is confined to size alone then different size implants will be the answer

Yours is a difficult question to answer sight unseen but in general asymmetries in breast shape cannot be completely or well corrected by an implant alone. If your asymmetry is specifically a difference in breast size while your breasts remain basically the same in all other aspects then implants may be the answer. A smaller implant would be placed in the larger breast and a larger implant in the smaller breast to overcome the size differential. But again, anything more then a... more

David A. Ross, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Many Options

There are many options and though it would be great to say what is appropriate, a plastic surgeon is really like a custom tailor. So the choices are based on your size, proportion and desires. The key is to approach your surgeon and discuss what your goals are. The surgeons recommendation should make sense. It should not be a cookie cutter answer. You want the finest result possible.

Marc Schneider, MD
Fort Myers Plastic Surgeon

Augmentation for breast asymmetry in a thin patient

This is an impossible question to answer without knowing what the asymmetry is. Thin patients should almost always have silicone implants to avoid rippling. If there is a size difference then different sized implants will need to be used, If there is a shape or nipple/areolar height difference then some surgical manuevers may improve the asymmetry but not likely totally correct it. Most breast have some asymmetry anyway.

Kenneth L. Stein, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Addressing breast asymmetry

This is difficult to answer without seeing photos or examining you in person. You may have asymmetry due to breast volume differences, bony abnormalities of your chest wall, or a combination of both. You may need implants of varying volume as well as projection or shape to achieve a good result. I use 3D imaging pre-operatively on patients which helps demonstrate these asymmetries and therefore assists in selecting the correct implants. Best wishes, Dr.Bruno... more

William Bruno, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Breast asymmetry

The answer really depends on what the breast asymmetry is. Significant asymmetry for volume can be addressed with different volume implants. Asymmetry of inframammary crease level can be addressed by modifying the creases at the time of augmentation. Asymmetry for the level of the nipple and areola complex and the relative degree of breast ptosis (droopiness) has to be addressed with a mastopexy(breast lift).

Jack Peterson, MD
Topeka Plastic Surgeon

Breast asymmetry usually requires operating on both breasts.

Hi. There is no one best way to treat breast asymmetry because it all depends on your particular anatomy. With an experienced surgeon, this is very safe surgery. see video

George J. Beraka, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Asymmetry of breasts

Asymmetry is normal some are worse than others. The goal is to get them as close as possible but it is impossible to get them exactly the same. Silicone implants are fine.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Improving Breast Asymmetry - What's Best

In mild breast asymmetry the surgical options primarily consist of different sized implants (sometimes different profiles etc.) This can correct many of the similar options, but more severe cases need a lift etc to make a better match. As you describe your situation, different implants sound like it is the best option. The largest concern with asymmetric implants is that you need to put the larger implant in the smaller breast and likewise the smaller implant with the larger... more

Vincent P. Marin, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

Best Way to Improve Breast ASYMMETRY in Breast Augmentation

Regarding: "Best Approach to Improve Breast Asymmetry? Hi all! Thank you for answering our questions. Mine is the following: Provided there is no breast lift needed and that we are talking about small A cup breasts on a thin patient, without any other special condition besides the asymmetry (quite noticeable but not super severe). Is there a "less risk for errors" approach, regardless of any particular surgeon or patient preference or implant size, that would definitely be... more

Peter A. Aldea, MD
Memphis Plastic Surgeon

Augmentation for an asymmetric A-cup

All patients have some degree of asymmetry and the using a silicone gel implant, starting from and A-cup, with no need for breast lift, can describe very many candidates for breast augmentation. The 'safe' approach is submuscular breast augmentation with a different size implant for each breast to balance out the asymmetry. Best of luck, peterejohnsonmd

Peter E. Johnson, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

www.peterejohnsonmd.com

Breast reduction with liposuction to correct asymmetry.

When it comes to breasts, the vast majority are uneven. It is more common that they are asymmetric rather than symmetric. Depending on how different the 2 breasts are, you may benefit from liposuction to reduce the larger breast. see video

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Improving breast asymmetry

I am glad that you used the term "improve" rather than'correct" because no one has perfectly symmetrical breasts. One reason for this is that the chest (rib cage) is asymmetrical more often than not, and this may make otherwise symmetrical breasts look different. One thing that can be helpful is the use of what are called "sizers" which are implants that are inserted during surgery just to see the effect of different sizes, and help to determine what size... more

Richard Baxter, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Breast asymmetry can be corrected with cosmetic breast surgery

Thanks for your questions ! You did not describe what type of asymmetry you have- breast volume asymmetry? Nipple position ? Fold position ? All of these issues can be dealt with using cosmetic breast surgery techniques. The type of implant used for cosmetic breast surgery is important. Certainly a saline implant can be filled to a precise volume to correct volume asymmetry between breasts. I think posting a couple of photos will get you the answer you are looking for. Better yet, schedule a... more

Scott Sattler, MD
Bellevue Plastic Surgeon

Best Approach to Breast Asymmetry

Improving breast asymmetry is one of the most challenging things that we do in plastic surgery because all patients have some degree of breast asymmetry. The key is to understand pre-operatively what can and cannot be done. There may be many differences from volume size to constriction of the breasts to nipple and chest wall asymmetry. These all require comprehensive review and evaluation prior and a plastic surgeon who has expertise and experience in correcting significant breast asymmetries. more

Rod J. Rohrich, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Perfect breast symmetry isn't possible, but there are some tricks

Perfect symmetry unfortunately isn’t possible. Everyone is born with a bit of discrepancy in size from one side of their bodies to the other. The goal is to make it appear as evenly matched as you can so that the discrepancies aren’t as noticeable. Differently sized implants can help with some unevenness, but for small asymmetries it might be better to go with two implants of the same size instead. I suggest this because there are some asymmetries in the implants themselves... more

Scott W. Mosser, MD
San Francisco Plastic Surgeon

www.drmosser.com

Correcting Breast Asymmetry

If a breast lift is not needed you can always put different size implants in to each side to correct the asymmetry.

Robert N. Young, MD
San Antonio Plastic Surgeon

www.dryoungforever.com

Asymmetry correction for small breasts.

Asymmetry is a catch-all phrase that can mean a slight discrepancy in size or the difference between a developed breast and the complete absence of the opposite breast. Thus, there is no single operation that will correct all asymmetry. Correction is based upon the issues at hand. For a minor size discrepancy, using different sizes of implants can often correct this. If the issue is a tubular or constricted breast, reshaping and releasing of breast tissue in addition to implant sizes may be... more