Does Projection Make a Difference in Your Profile for Breast Implants?

3 mm's difference is awfully small about 3/16 of an inch. That being said #BreastImplantSelection is a complicated business. It is very difficult to determine the exact size, profile, projection and shape implant you will require to best match your ideal breast image without an examination by a board certified plastic surgeon. Not just any board certified plastic surgeon, but one with many years of frequently performing breast augmentation surgery including different approaches, techniques and implant choices. This is because several measurements not to mention your breast characteristics are needed to determine the optimal implant size to obtain your goals. Without knowing these dimensions it would be difficult to make this determination. For example, the existing base width of your breast will determine, in many cases, the maximal volume per implant profile that you can accommodate. To illustrate; a 100 cc difference may make a significant difference with a narrow base width breast, but much less of a difference if you have a wide chest wall and wide breast “foot print”. Therefore, just because your friend may have a great result with let’s say a 350 cc implant to make her go from a “A” cup to a “C” cup size does not mean that you will have the same result with the same size implant. . Further simply placing implants in a bra to determine the size best for you is not always accurate as the bra often distorts the size, is dependent on the pressure the bra places plus the implant is outside your breast and not under it among other variables. Computer software morphing programs that automatically determine the best implant size can be helpful in some but not all cases (e.g. doesn’t work well in my experience with existing implants, sagging or asymmetric breasts). Using “want to be” photos however are useful if simply provided to the surgeon as I will further explain in the link below.

Generally it makes more of a difference in over the muscle placement but negligible difference in under the muscle placement.

The reason that implants are made in different profiles is so that the base diameter can be matched to pre-existing breast anatomy while offering options in terms of size. So for example minimum volume  would be a low profile implant, moderate volume at the same diameter is the moderate profile, and maximum size again at the same diameter is high profile. So the additional volume comes by adding projection rather than diameter. In your case, the additional 3 millimeters may not sound like much, but because the shape of the implant is different it will affect the way the breasts look.

Implants are basically made with a moderate profile (projection), moderate plus profile and a high profile.  This refers to the height of the implants away from the chest.  The profile choice really depends on what you are looking to achieve and also the limitations of your anatomy and volume.  Good luck.

Projection is the back-front measurement of the implant, so more projection will show on profile. This is only one of the improtant measurements of breast implants.  As implants get more volume, they also get wider. This is base diameter and is the most important measurement in selecting appropriate implants. Too large base diameter can result in implants "touching" in the middle or "hanging off" the sides of your chest.  So, keep in mind that 4.2 cm and 3.9 cm is only a 3mm difference - I suspect that you will not see much of a difference.