Breast Implant Size More Likely to Give Full C Cup?

There are many diffferent methods to perform sizing but I would suggest you try the rice test to begin with. Your best option is to try silicone sizers available through your plastic surgeon's office. Bring a desired C-cup bra that you wish to fill and see if the 450 silicone implant achieves your goals.

Hello! Thank you for your question. In general, implant size does not correlate with bra cup size. The cup size itself will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer as well as who is doing the actual measurements. Thus, cup size is never a reliable indicator for your breast size. I typically encourage my patients not to communicate her desires in cup size but more on the actual look and appearance. This will vary also with your height, weight, and chest width. Good communication between you and your surgeon of your expectations is warranted - choosing your surgeon wisely is the first step. Discussion of your wishes and having an honest and open dialog of your procedure is mandatory (e.g, implant type, implant projection, incision, placement, lift, etc). I have found that photographs brought by the patient is helpful to get a visualization of the appearance you wish for in terms of size, shape, fullness, etc. In addition, your surgeon's pre and postoperative photographs should demonstrate a realistic goal for you. Once this has been accomplished, allow your surgeon to utilize his/her best medical judgment during the procedure to finesse the best possible result for you after preoperative biodimensional planning and fitting the right implant for your breast width. Hope me that this helps! Best wishes for a wonderful result!

This is a great question as it is very difficult to determine the exact size and shape implant you will require in order to reach a C cup without an examination by a board certified plastic surgeon. 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 tough to answer your question. For example your native 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, but much less of a difference if you have a wide chest wall and wide breast “foot print”. Additional critical decisions will also be made by your plastic surgeon such as: whether your implants will be above or below your pectoralis muscle. These choices are recommended to you based on the look you desire, the amount of sagging you may have, and other deciding factors. I always find it helpful for patients to bring in photos from my or other plastic surgeons’ websites to illustrate what they would like to look like. I bring these photos to the operating room for reference during surgery so that I have the advantage of “seeing through my patient’s eyes” to achieve their wishes.I personally order more than one set of implant sizes and use sterile sizers placed in the pocket during surgery to know in advance exactly which implant would work best for you. Software morphing programs 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).My advice is to accept advice from your board certified plastic surgeon after a formal consultation and examination with measurements.. If still confused don't hesitate to get a second opinion.

There is no way to guarantee a particular bra size. Bra sizing varies greatly between bra manufacturers and a C in one bra will be a D in another. What matters more than the assigned bra size is the way the implant looks on you. The best option for your body and aesthetic goals can be determined in a thorough implant sizing session.Implant sizing depends on several factors. One of the most important factors is your breast width. Generally, your surgeon will measure your breast width, and then provide you with a range of implant sizes appropriate for your native breast size. There are more nuances to it than just what I've described, but this approach works for most women.I usually have my patients bring in a large bra and a tight t-shirt to do sizing. I'll then choose 3-4 implants that I feel are appropriate, and have my patients place them in the bra under the tight t-shirt. My patients can then look in the mirror and get a good sense of what they will look like with the provided implant sizes. My patients like this approach and get a great idea of how they will look.By using this technique, your surgeon can outline a range of appropriate implant sizes that will be aesthetically pleasing, and you make the final decision.I hope this helps. Good luck!Sincerely,

Hi,

As most of the other surgeons have indicated, there is no formula that automatically links implant size with bra cup size. A very reasonable thing to try, if you want a ballpark estimate prior to consultation with a plastic surgeon, is to order the Natrelle Pre-Consultation Sizing Kit. Although the kit has some limitations, it comes with 4 sample implants, which will help guide you prior to a fornal consultation.

After you try the kit, you would benefit from evaluation by a board-certified plastic surgeon. He or she can discuss some of the nuances of breast augmentation, including differences in silicone and saline, differences in breast implant profiles, etc.

Hope this helps. Best of luck.

Hi there-
There is, unfortunately, no standard volume implant that can be said to give you a certain cup size after surgery. Even with a good understanding of your height, weight, shoulder dimensions, etc, there is no reliable way to predict the most important variable when it comes to selecting an implant for any particular patient-- the elasticity (or stretchiness, if you will) of the tissues that will overlie the implant.
Think of it this way- if you had an identical twin with an identically shaped body, but who had led a different lifestyle and thus had skin and tissue elasticity that was different than your own, and you both received the exact same implants, the two of you would have a (possibly significantly) different outcome. The elasticity of the tissues is that important.
In my experience, the only good way to measure the interaction of the tissues with the implant is at surgery.
If this is not complicated enough, consider also that a woman's choice of bra is a very arbitrary decision, and will depend on where you like to shop, the manufacturer of the bra (a "C" cup bra at Victoria's Secret may be a different size than a "C" bra at Bloomingdale's), and whether you prefer to wear your bra tightly or loosely. Therefore, what you mean when you say you want a "C" cup may be very different than what another patient means....
So, how can you as a patient help your surgeon be most likely to achieve the outcome you want? Rather than worry about the letter on your bra, or even the number of cc's in the implant, spend some time thinking about WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO LOOK LIKE.
That's really what this is all about, right? If, after surgery, you have the appearance you wanted and can't pass a mirror without smiling, you're not going to care what letter is on your bra or what number is on your implant, right?
Help your surgeon understand what you would like to look like, and trust that they'll do their best to achieve the look you want for you.
As always, it is important that before you get to this point you've done your homework, and know that your surgeon has been to a good medical school, completed a quality residency training program in Plastic Surgery, is Board Certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery, has a lot of experience doing this type of surgery (ask to see photos), is performing the procedure in a facility accredited by the AAAASF, and has a reputable anesthesia provider assisting them in surgery. You'd be amazed how many people assume that their surgeon has these qualifications just because they are advertising that they do this type of surgery, only to find out their "plastic surgeon" was an ER doctor or something.
BE CAREFUL, and be your own best advocate. Once you have a surgeon and situation you think you can trust, concentrate on communication the appearance you want. Your chances of achieving your goals will be greater.

In order to make an accurate size recommendation, I would need to assess your chest wall and breast mound measurements and characteristics.  Unfortunately, there is not a general rule of thumb or objective criteria to implant selection.
Your plastic surgeon will perform several measurements of your chest wall and breast anatomy and determine a range of implants that both fit your chest wall and reach your desired goals.
The next step is to try on this range of implants in the office with your doctor.   The key to this success is showing your surgeon the body proportion you desire with a bra sizer and allowing your surgeon to guide you to the right implant.   It will be much easier to communicate in implant cc's than cup size when determining the appropriate implant for you.
I wish you a safe recovery and fantastic result.
Dr. Gill

The more breast surgery I do the more I realize that there is no correlation between the size or model (profile) of implant used and resulting cup size.  This may have to do with several factors including: the amount of breast volume the patient starts with, the shape of the patient's chest wall (concave or convex), the type and model of breast implant selected (saline/silicone  and low/moderate/high profile), bra  manufacturer variance  in cup sizes, the  degree  of filling of the cup  with breast tissue,  and the subjective differences in patients perceptions of cup size. 
Much of the final “look” achieved after breast augmentation surgery  depends on several factors:

1. The initial shape, size (volume of breast tissue), symmetry of the patient's breasts. In general, the better the  preoperative breast appearance the more likely the breast augmentation “look” will be optimal.


2. The experience/skill level of the surgeon is important in determining the final outcome. For example, the accurate and gentle dissection of the breast implant pockets are critical in producing  long-term  well-placed breast implants. I personally think that these 2 factors are more important than any others, including type (saline or silicone)  or model (low/moderate/high profile)  of implant.

3. The type of implant used may  determine the final outcome, especially if the patient does not have significant covering breast or adipose tissue. For example, some surgeons feel that silicone implants have a more natural look and feel than saline implants because silicone gel has a texture that is similar to breast tissue. Each patient differs in the amount of breast tissue that they have.  If a patient has enough breast tissue to cover the implant, the final result will be similar when comparing saline implants versus silicone gel implants.  If a patient has very low body fat and/or very little breast tissue, the silicone gel implants may provide a more "natural" result.
On the other hand, saline implants have some advantages over silicone implants. Silicone implant ruptures are harder to detect. When saline implants rupture, they deflate and the results are seen almost immediately. When silicone implants rupture, the breast often looks and feels the same because the silicone gel may leak into surrounding areas of the breast without a visible difference.  Patients may need an MRI to diagnose a silicone gel rupture.   Saline implants are also less expensive than the silicone gel implants.
Other differences involve how the breast implants are filled. Saline implants are filled after they’re implanted, so saline implants require a smaller incision than prefilled silicone breast implants.
On May 10, 2000, the FDA granted approval of saline-filled breast implants manufactured by Mentor Corporation and McGhan Medical. To date, all other manufacturers’ saline-filled breast implants are considered investigational.
As of 2006, the FDA has approved the use of silicone gel implants manufactured by the Mentor Corporation and Allergan (formerly McGhan) for breast augmentation surgery for patients over the age of 22.


4. The size and model of breast implant used may  make a  significant difference in the final outcome. Therefore, it is very important to communicate your size goals with your surgeon.  In my practice, the use of photographs of “goal” pictures (and breasts that are too big or too small) is very helpful. I have found that the use of words such as “natural” or “C cup” or "fake looking" or "top heavy" means different things to different people and therefore prove unhelpful.
Also, as you know, cup size varies depending on who makes the bra; therefore, discussing desired cup  size may also be inaccurate.
I use  intraoperative sizers and place the patient in the upright position to evaluate breast size. Use of these sizers also allow me to select the breast implant profile (low, moderate, moderate plus, high-profile) that would most likely achieve the patient's goals. The patient's goal pictures are hanging on the wall, and allow for direct comparison.
I have found that this system is very helpful in improving the chances of achieving the patient's goals as consistently as possible.
By the way, the most common regret after this operation, is “I wish I was bigger”.

I hope this helps.

What is a C cup? Honestly, I don't know. Neither do any of the manufacturers. Victoria Secret thinks that it's smaller than Frederick's of Hollywood, who think its smaller than Target, who thinks its smaller than Sears.
Find yourself a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. Spend some time at his office getting measured: your chest circumference, your breast width, your breast height, the breast thickness, the breast laxity, etc. After he suggests a few sizes for you, why don't you try representative implants on while wearing clothes that you would like to fit. Create a dialogue.
Then, bring photographs to his office so that he can post them in the OR during surgery. He can use "sizers" (temporary implants) to achieve the look that you are after.

It's difficult to give you an arbitrary size without an examination. The most important measurement is the base width of your breast, which tells you what size implant will comfortably fit into your breast tissues. The other issue is that because bra manufacturers vary widely with their own ideas of cup size, your idea of a "C" cup may be different from that of your surgeon. Another surgeon suggested ordering the Natrelle pre-consultation kit which contains several trial implants which will allow you to get an idea of your ideal size at home. This will assist you when you see your surgeon for a discussion. Good luck, /nsn.