What Cup Size Should I Have if I Add 500cc to B Cup Size Breasts?

The elements that form up the breast shape and size and the overall frame can be different in each person. Depending on the individual anatomy and desired results, estimations and measurements should be made for each patient individually after a detailed mutual conversation. It will be best to consult a board certified plastic surgeon who is experienced in cosmetic breast surgery in person and discuss your goals and options after a physical examination.

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.  Try some bras now once you are content with the size of your reconstructed breasts in clothing - the size should be similar. 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, incision, placement, 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!

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,

the expander should give you some idea of cup size as the implant dimensions will be similar.  the shape may be better but the volume the same

As you probably know, cup size is an inexact and misleading measurement as it varies greatly among bra companies and even within the same company. The size of the implants are based on a combination of a patient's goals
and objectives and her anatomy. In order to provide a natural looking
augmentation, the surgeon needs to evaluate many factors including soft
tissue coverage, skin laxity, chest wall width, breast imprint width,
the shape of the breasts and relative level of constriction to ensure
that the breast implants are appropriate for your body.

Hello,

If you have 500 cc expanders and are happy with the size the implant size that should be used to replace your expanders should be about 10% bigger.

All the best,

Dr Repta

Since you have expanders in, I would not be bogged down by cup size. I usually tell patients to let me know when the volume I put in the expander matches the volume that they would like in their bra. Period end of story.  This usually suffices, and the cup will be what it will be based upon the various bra companies.

I would suggest you look on line for some postoperative photos of women post mastectomy with implants, and see the approximate size implants they have, and you like. I think a 500 cc may be slightly large depending on your frame to achieve a small c cup. 400-450 may be closer. your surgeon should also have photos to show you to help correlate size desired to implant size.

Thank you for the question.

Unfortunately there is no direct correlation between size of implant and the resulting breasts'  cup size. It would be in your best interest to communicate  your size goals as clearly as possible with your plastic surgeon.  You will find that every surgeon has a different technique in ascertaining what his/her patient is trying to achieve.

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.


Achieving realistic expectations is also important and should be discussed with your plastic surgeon as well.

I hope this helps.

It is important to realize that sizing post-mastectomy is different from sizing for a non-mastectomy procedure, and that has to do - obviously - with the amount and contour of the remaining tissue.  But there is an advantage from this standpoing - you can basically see what you'll look like after ward (from the standpoint of volume).  Granted, your skin will stretch some but how big are you with the 500 cc expander?  The implant will not be that much different in terms of volume (though the shape may be a little different).  And once you know what size you want to be, and assuming you have enough tissue (skin and subcutaneous tissue) to accommodate the size you want, many surgeons will over-expand you a bit (if possible) to allow the implant to determine the shape of the breast, rather than the other way around.  And you should, of course, discuss all of this in more detail with your PS.

I hope that this helps, and good luck,

Dr. E