Is It Possible That Your Chest Cavity Can Be Too Small for Breast Augmentation?

Question

I have recently had a brest augmentation, i was a size 12b looking at going to a size large c.. after surgery my Doctor informed me that my chest cavity was too small and that the implkants i had originaly asked for would not fit, he therefor gave me the smallest implants available.. i have seen in pictures girls with smaller body frames than i get impp\lants as big a d cup if not bigger. I was not informed before surgery that this was a possability.. can you please give me some advise. Thankyou

Otto Joseph Placik, MD · Answer

Of course you can go bigger than recommended as evidenced by the pictures you describe but this may result in a higher risk of ripples and implant complications. See my realself article on going with larger breast implants.

Christopher V. Pelletiere, MD · Answer

Chest width and breast width are two factors that play a large role in deciding which implant will do the best job to get you where you want to be.  I am not sure what happened during your surgery to lead your surgeon to put in " the smallest implants available," but this generally should not happen.  If the planning is done correctly, there really is little guess work involved at the time of surgery.  I would giveyourself 3 months of healing, and then address your issues with your surgeon. I hope this helps.

Peter A. Aldea, MD · Answer

Regarding: "I have recently had a brest augmentation, i was a size 12b looking at going to a size large c.. after surgery my Doctor informed me that my chest cavity was too small and that the implkants i had originaly asked for would not fit, he therefor gave me the smallest implants available.. i have seen in pictures girls with smaller body frames than i get impp\lants as big a d cup if not bigger. I was not informed before surgery that this was a possability.. can you please give me some advise "

	It certainly sounds as if you and your surgeon in Australia should have spent more time discussing all your options and choosing a breast implant appropriate for you.

	A well-done Breast Augmentation which is to produce a long lasting attractive result is NOT an exercise of stuffing the biggest possible implant into a woman's breasts and walking away. Common sense should tell you that the size of the breast and the skin tightness would limit placement of certain implant. Just as an elephant cannot fit into a telephone booth, you cannot stuff a 800 cc implant into a flat chest A or B cup breast.

	Furthermore, shoe horning a large implant into a small breast has severe near and short term consequences. In the near term, the blood supply in the skin may fail resulting in breast skin death, ulcer formation and exposure / infection of the implant forcing its removal. In the long term, the pressure of the implant against the breast and skin above it causes the breast tissue to go away and the skin to thin. As a result ALL the ripples and folds of the implant become palpable and visible and are hard if not impossible to repair. In addition, the size of the breast weighs it down rapidly resulting is sagging breasts which will require repeated breast lift procedures.

	The BEST Breast Augmentation results are obtained by picking a breast implant that can be covered by YOUR current breast and muscle tissues and which can sit on the front, flat portion of the rib cage without falling sideways doing battle with your arms as they move forward.

	Aside from your immediate disappointment you lost nothing. In the future, as your skin gives you can have slightly larger silicone gel implants which will be lighter and ripple less.

	Good Luck.

	Dr. Aldea

John P. Di Saia, MD · Answer

Hello,

	It is possible that the size implant you wanted placed might not fit well. This really depends upon the condition of your tissues before surgery and we are usually able to tell this before operating.

	It is time to discuss the situation with your surgeon and figure out your options.

	Best Regards,

	John Di Saia MD (Dr D)

Darryl J. Blinski, MD · Answer

How can any of us address your issue without a photo -frontal view! You may have needed an expander implant or post operative adjustable type. Awaiting the photo from MIAMI DR. B

Is It Possible That Your Chest Cavity Can Be Too Small for Breast Augmentation?

Answers (5)

Answer: Well...yes.

Answer: Well...yes.

Answer: Chest cavity can be too small

Answer: Chest cavity can be too small

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Everything you need to know about Breast Augmentation

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Is It Possible That Your Chest Cavity Can Be Too Small for Breast Augmentation?

Answers (5)

Answer: Well...yes.

Answer: Well...yes.

Answer: Chest cavity can be too small

Answer: Chest cavity can be too small

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Breast Augmentation

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.