How Many CC's Would Be the Right Size For My Petite Body?

Choosing your breast implant size can be very difficult, but don't agonize over the actual cc number. It is more important to see how they look on you. If you are having doubts about the size, return to your doctor and try them on.  In general, the implants will look slightly smaller when they are inserted, so if you are stuck between 2 sizes, I recommend goin with the larger size as long as they are not too big for your body (based on breast measurements). Also, given that you are petite, you should ask your surgeon about high profile implants. Good luck.

For a woman who is a small frame, a dimensional sizing system is now becoming much more popular. Your size and volume depend upon your biases, your frame and your surgeon’s experience. A woman who has a very small frame and a narrow base width breast will have some restrictions on her as to what implants can be used, particularly if she chooses anatomic implants. Using round smooth implants under the muscle will give you larger volume opportunities than your actual measurements may imply. These tradeoffs should be discussed with you in your consultation. If your main concern is to look natural and proportionate, then a more modest enhancement will be something that will be discussed with you using both measurement techniques as well as sizing techniques in consultation with you and your surgeon. I do the sizing myself in all of my consultations so that patients have a full opportunity to discuss the tradeoffs that occur with each different implant style. Because I offer more than one style, I enable my patients to become “an expert” in both their breast and their implant options.Of course adding fat to your implant breast augmentation is another option using a Brava technique to expand your tissues. You and I may discuss serially adding fat to your breasts that will be yours forever and will never need an implant replacement. These opportunities are now much more common for a woman who wants to be “proportionate” and wishes to have the naturalness of her own fat over the long term. For a woman who has already had two children she may commonly find that her breasts are very saggy from pregnancies and breastfeeding.Having a breast augmentation may give you some nipple repositioning but if the nipple position is below your fold you may need a lift at the same time. Should you get pregnant again with implants under your muscle, there is no interruption of your breast from the nipple connection. The milk ducts go right to the nipple and the implant is placed behind the muscle so there is no negative consequence. Having the implant in your breast under the muscle has no difficulty with you breastfeeding if you didn’t have breastfeeding problems to begin with. The discussion of these particular elements are undertaken at the time of my consultation with my patients, especially if they have not yet completed their fertility so none of their options are foreclosed.

Hi there-

It's amazing how often people ask this question... Understanding the answer requires a bit of background:

Let's first agree that the implant is not going to be sitting in space (as it would be outside of your skin and under a loose bra). Rather, the implant is going to be under your skin, your breast tissue, and maybe even under your chest muscle (depending on your choices).

It is critical to understand that all of these layers (your skin, your breast tissue, and your muscle) are going to affect how any particular implant looks inside of you, by applying a counterforce to the projecting force of the implant. 

Furthermore, your individual skin characteristics, as well as those of your breast tissue and your muscle, are different than these characteristics in any other woman- you are an individual. 

Finally, elasticity and compliance of these tissues is very difficult to predict accurately before surgery.

So, to summarize, your appearance with any particular implant is ALWAYS going to be affected by where the implant is placed, and by the qualities of your tissues and how much resistance these tissues provide- and these variables are nearly impossible to accurately predict before surgery.

Therefore, it is my opinion that committing to an implant size before understanding how that implant will look inside of you is a mistake, and is a big part of the reason that so many women have a second operation within one year of their breast augmentation in the United States.

My best advice to you would be to find a surgeon you like and trust (someone Certified By The American Board of Plastic Surgery) and who's work you admire. Have a nice talk about what you want to look like- and then let them make the decisions necessary to achieve the look you described.

This will require a leap of faith- but maximizes the chances of you ending up happy.

I hope that helps you.

First of all, realize that 40cc is LESS than 3 tablespoons of volume. You cannot "see" this difference when it is in your body. So when, in doubt, choose the larger size. But how did you even get to the decision between 260cc or 300cc? Have you tried on implants in a bra and stretchy top? Have you shown your surgeon photographs of patients (or nude models) with what you consider to be the desired breast size?

Depending on your present breast size, measurements, and goals (just what IS a small-C anyway? I know what I think it is, but that may differ from what YOU think it is!), you may need something entirely different from one of these sizes. Are other implants available in your surgeon's facility or at the hospital/surgicenter where your surgery will be performed? Does your surgeon use sizers? Just things to be aware of and know the answers to!

In general, I believe that it takes about 250cc to equal one cup size of enlargement, so 300cc adds just over a cup to your present size. If you are a small B now, then 250-300cc is about right. If you size in a bra, it takes about 50-100cc more than the chosen implant volume in a bra to look the same in your body under the muscle. If your breasts are not a small B now, then you may want to "go back to the drawing board" and size, show photographs, and have a more detailed discussion with your surgeon.

Better now, than after surgery when it takes a re-operation to get the "right" size after an "oops!" And, make sure you have discussed fees for revisional surgery BEFORE your operation. For more information, click on the link below, and check out my article (on the About tab on my profile page on this site) titled: "What is the Right Breast Implant Size for You?"

If you are not sure what size implants will be best for you, return for another consultation with your surgeon to discuss.  The correct size depends on your breast width, your current breast size, your desired breast size, and the compliance of your breast skin envelope. 

After evaluation of these factors, your surgeon should offer you an opinion about the best style and size implants.  Try them on, and make a decision you are comfortable with.  The dimensions of the implant are more important that the volume.  260cc and 300cc could mean a wide flat implant or a narrow full implant.

This is always a tough question.Being 5'5 doesn't seem like 300 is too big.Alot depends on how much laxity you have.But the 260-300 should be fine.

Clear communication with your plastic surgeon is important in achieving the desired goals of the patient.  I like to communicate with patients with “goal” pictures.  During surgery, I use temporary sizers to determine the size/profile that will give the patient the look she is looking for. Trying to predict the size of the implant preoperatively is not ideal.  I think it is too much responsibility for the patient to choose the size of the implant.  Ideally, the surgeon would make that determination once he/she is in the operating room with sizers in and examining the patient in the upright and supine position.  There are many variables that come into play when choosing the correct implant size (how much breast tissue the patient currently has, the shape of the chest wall (concave vs. convex), etc.. It is difficult to determine exact cup size pre-operatively. Every manufacturer produces a variety of bra styles, which may differ in size and shape.

On this site, I do my best to give advice without a physical examination but I want you to know that a physical examination by a board certified physician is always the best way to get the most accurate information.

If you are having your surgery performed by a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who took the time to listen to your goals and perform a thorough breast examination, then trust in his/her judgement. Implant sizing is a combination of your breast anatomy and your goals. It is impossible for us on a website to tell you what size/shape implant would work for you. If you are uncertain, why not have a second consultation with your surgeon or seek a second opinion from another plastic surgeon?

In many cases where the choice is between 2 implant sizes, women are happier with the larger size. Remember that the larger the implant, the more the breast will look like an implant and the more round the upper pole of the breast will look. Few surgeons will guarantee a cup size as there is no standard measurement system for cup sizing.

This is very common. Patients put too much emphasis on the number of cc's especially differences of 20-50cc's. In reality, it is very hard to tell the difference as you will probably "Love" either one as this is a very gratifying operation. I use the sizer method intraoperatively and rely on staff comments as well as my own to determine the final choice. Having an unsatisfied patient is extremely rare with this procedure so I am sure you will be very happy in the end.

I would encourage you to discuss this again with your surgeon before your surgery date. Don't focus on the number of cc's but let your surgeon understand what u want and let your surgeon use their judgement on which would be better looking at your breasts with implant sizers intraoperatively. Shape trumps volume. Good luck