I Feel Too Big After My Implants. Is There Any Way I Will Go Down to a Small C cup? (photo)

Question

I am 26 years old, no children. 5'7" 120lbs BWD 12, started out with 34 small B. I told my surgeon I wanted to be a small C-I wasn't concerned with looking full in clothing, mostly just swimsuits and strapless dresses. I wanted nothing huge. I decided on 339, bc I liked the 304 and everyone says to compensate for going under the muscle. (silicone) While in surgery he chose to put in 371. I feel huge!! Im still early but is there any way I will go down to a Small-mid C cup? My survey was June 15 2012. It's still early I know, but I have not been sized yet but if I had to guess a 34D at the moment.

S. Larry Schlesinger, MD, FACS · Answer

The good news is that you are as swollen as you are going to be at 8 days.  Your breasts will definitely decrease in size as the swelling goes down.  Whether it will become a small C is a hard question to answer, but I can assure you they will be smaller and appear smaller to you than they do at 8 days.  I have learned that women do not view their breasts in the mirror regularly, but rather view from above looking down.  Since your implants are silicone under the muscle, the pectoralis muscle pushed upward on the implant causing fluid displacement upward, and therefore, from your point of view, they will look bigger now than later when your muscles relax and the fluid settles.

	Secondly and unfortunately, there is no standardization in the bra community with reference to cup size.  If you go into Victoria's Secret right now, you might be a D whereas if you go into Macy's, you might be a C.  I have found in my practice at about 8 days, the patients who think their breasts are too big, on average, become happier after the silicone settles and the swelling goes down.  The patients who are thrilled at this point with their size end up being dissatisfied and wishing they had chosen a larger size implant. 

	Implant sizing is one of the most difficult part of the pre-operative decision making for all patients.  In my practice, we use before and after pictures, we try on implants in various sizes and shapes in bras with tight fitting shirts that we provide to the patients, and we encourage our patients to come back as often as they want pre-operatively with their significant others so they can refine their decision as to size and feel comfortable that they have made the best size decision for them. 

	In short, the swelling will go down, the implants will settle, making your breasts look smaller.

Ralph R. Garramone, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question and thank you for the photographs. Congratulations for going ahead with the surgery. Given that you're surgical procedure was performed 8 days ago you should understand that you are as large as you will be because of the postoperative swelling and the fact that the implants are a bit higher than they will be 4-6 weeks from now. Extra fullness in the upper part of the breast as to the feeling of the large size. I suspect that when the swelling has resolved and the settling has occurred that you'll be happy with the size.

	In my opinion, there is not that much difference between 339 cc, returned with 304 cc and 371 cc. You would certainly not feel more comfortable if at 8 days after surgery you had had the 339 cc implant placed. It takes some women longer to get use to their new appearance and I would be patient with that and do try to re-post how you feel with new photographs in about 6 weeks or so.

	Good luck, be patient and congratulations for proceeding.

I Feel Too Big After My Implants. Is There Any Way I Will Go Down to a Small C cup? (photo)

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I Feel Too Big After My Implants. Is There Any Way I Will Go Down to a Small C cup? (photo)

Answers (2)

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Everything you need to know about Breast Implants

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