Advice for Too Small Breast Implants?

I think several surgeons have answered this question quite well.  If you have a good surgeon he will revise your implant size with no additional surgeons fee.  You may have an anesthesia and OR fee.  In our office we use a sizing procedure with bras filled with shaped silicone devices. It has really helped the patients determine the appropriate size for them.  New 3D technology is out that also allows some offices to recreate your postoperative result and determine the best implant size and shape for you.  Our office will likely have this in the next couple of weeks and take the guess work out of the implant sizing process.

The most important choice for the patient prior to breast augmentation other than choosing a surgeon expert in the field, is to choose the size.  It is best to try sizers on, and determine which one is too large, then back off just a little.  This lowers the risk of being too small after surgery.  We try very hard to prevent the patients from making decisions which will result in disappointment after surgery, but sometimes it is not possible to predict exactly how the patient is going to perceive the outcome.  Trying sizers on before surgery is key!

Implant
sizing is the most difficult part of the breast augmentation process. What
you are experiencing is much more common than the opposite where patients feel
that they are too big.



Patients
are often afraid that they are going to be too big and talk themselves out of
the implant and size they truly desire.
I encourage patients to spend time trying on implants (sizing) in their
plastic surgeons office. Doing this more
than one time in my opinion is important, as everything looks big if you are
not used to it.



I
also tell women that if you are between two sizes go with the bigger size, as
you tend to look smaller when the implant is behind the muscle.



If
you are still not sure about your implant size bring your surgeon pictures of
what you would like to look like. This will
help him or her guide you in the decision process.



I
hope this helps.

This is a very difficult situation where you feel the implants are too small and you are not happy with the results. I encourage my patients to try the sizers as many time as they would like to make sure they like the final breast size. Is is common that only first trial sizers, the breast get a sudden increase in size and patients fee uncomfortable with their new breast size. But 6 months down the line they get used to new size and often feel they should have gone 20 or 30 cc bigger. the bra size is not good guide to assess the results as it is very variable and it differs from brand to brand. Please speak to your surgeon to discuss future treatment options

Thanks for your question.  I am sorry to hear that you are unhappy with your breast implant size.  I believe in doing detailed breast measurements before surgery with all my patients.  I always have patients try on implants to get some idea about size and their goals and wishes; however, I believe that the breast tissues and measurements (i.e. width of chest, distance from the nipple to the crease under the breast) really are the most important factors in selecting breast implant size for a good result.  Just like fitting a shoe to someone's foot, I believe, a breast implant has to be carefully selected to a patient's tissue dimensions.  Saline breast implants can "exceed" natural breast tissue measurements more than silicone gel breast implants in general because they are placed into the pocket "uninflated".  Sometimes when "too much" saline is placed into too small of a space, it imparts even more tension on the overlying breast tissues creating a very unnatural and high breast implant that can be very uncomfortable, cause the patient to have a very lengthy recovery from surgery, and even sometimes "stay" too high in a malpositioned location.   I believe, the breast tissues dictate "how much space" there is "available" for any breast implant. Exceeding natural tissue measurements increases the chance of the need for revision breast surgery.Sometimes it is not possible to exactly achieve a patient's goals and wishes (in one surgery) based on their anatomy.  It sounds like you may have saline breast implants and many times when they are filled to volumes that exceed a patient's tissue measurements, there can be a higher incidence of breast implant malposition and even capsular contraction as well.  Typically a bra cup size "equates" to about 200 ccs so there should be a cup size improvement depending on the bra that you are trying on.  The implants will often look "high" when they are under the muscle for some time. It can take 3 months or more for the implants to "drop" at times. I usually, recommend bandeau straps and implant-displacement exercises to my patients to facilitate this, but this is something to specifically ask you plastic surgeon about.  In general, you can always "go bigger" after 6 months (although I think it's better to wait a full year before considering) re-augmentation.  I hope this helps.  Good luck! 

Sorry to hear that you're disappointed in your results. We use a specific sizing system to try to limit problems such as yours and, so far, we have. I'd talk with your surgeon about your expectations and, hopefully, he or she will be receptive to your comments. Good luck