How many cc are in C cup, and a D cup?

hello feelinggoodaboutourselves It’s important to know what size bra you currently wear. Is it a 32,
34, 36 bra, and, of course, the cup size? The strap size is important to
know because that affects the diameter of the cup and subsequently the
diameter of the breast implant that we choose. We also need to know your
height, your weight, and it’s helpful to know your dress size as well.
In addition, it would be very helpful if you include photos of
yourself. A front view, a side view, and a three-quarter view are most
helpful. This will let us see if there are any breast asymmetries, if
the breasts are narrow, if the breasts are wide, what your chest wall
looks.
Breast Implant Sizing (generalization for most patients)
32A to 32C needs about 250-275cc34A to 34C needs about 300-350cc36A to 36C needs about 350-400cc

Cup sizes measured by subtracting the diameter of your ribs from the diameter around the largest portion of the breasts. Because both of these are moving targets there’s no way to estimate a specific volume that relates to a specific cup size. 

There is not a well-defined correlation between the volume (cc's) in an implant and the cup size that will be achieved.  As you can imagine, a 300 cc implant in a 90 pound person who wears a 30A cup bra before surgery will achieve a very different look than the same 300 cc implant in a patient who weighs 170 pounds and wears a 38B bra.  In addition, a woman's bra sizing is quite variable depending on who measured her, what brand bra she's wearing, and the style of the bra (for example, if there's padding).  I try to encourage my patients to think more about their proportions than the bra that they will wear after their surgery.It sounds like you currently have saline implants and don't know their volume.  If you are planning a revision or size change, surgeons will typically have several different implant options available during surgery and choose which one to use based on the size of the implant they're removing.  In the case of saline implants being removed, the surgeon can measure the volume of saline in the old implants as your surgeon mentioned.

The reason your surgeon could not answer that question is because there is no direct conversion between an implant size and the cup size it will give you. There are way too many factors to account for, such as 1-how much breast tissue you have to start with (putting 300cc into a patient starting with a C cup already is very different than putting 300cc into a patient starting with an A cup), 2- how wide each breast is (putting 300cc into a patient with wide breast diameter may not change the cup size much, whereas putting it into a patient with a narrow breast diameter may add 2 cup sizes), choosing saline versus silicone (even the same volume can look different on a person), etc. On average it takes about 150-200 cc to increase a cup size, but again this is variable. Also, the brand of bra you wear makes a huge difference too, because sizing between brands is not consistent. The same way a size 2 in one brand is different than a size 2 in another brand, the same goes for bras. C cup bra in one brand may be the same as a D cup in another brand, or a B in another. The more important thing to discuss is your goal, and ask a board certified plastic surgeon how to best achieve it. 

Breast cup size is dependent on many factors.  It depends upon how much breast tissue you started with, how many cc are in an implant, and your particular anatomy.  The answer is different for every patientBest of luck!
Dr. SubbioBoard-Certified Plastic SurgeonNewtown Square/Philadelphia, PA

Thank you for the question.   There is no accurate/reliable/predictable correlation between size/profile breast implant utilized and cup size achieved. For example, I do not think that the generalizations of "200 cc equates to 1 cup" hold any validity or are helpful in any specific or practical way.  In my practice, I ask patients NOT to communicate their goals, or evaluate the outcome of the procedure performed, based on cup size references.If you are considering revisionary breast surgery, my best advice: communicate your goals very carefully.   In my opinion, this is best done with the help of goal pohtographs.
 Best wishes.

Implants are sized in volumes such as 200 cc and 300 cc.  In general, about 150 cc make up one cup size.  For the average patient, a 300 cc implant will increase you two cup sizes.  There of course are many variables that will change this.  Patients with a wide chest wall, will require more volume to go up a cup size.  Some patients have lots of existing breast tissue going into surgery.  Another tool we have is the VECTRA imaging system.  This system can give a volume estimation that can help us estimate your post-augmentation cup size.  Remember all of these things are tools, they are useful for estimations, but no one can tell you your exact cup size following surgery!

Volumes of implants do not always match up to bra cup size. You are best to perform a baggy test to see what volume fills the desired bra that you want to fill.