What Cup Size Will 400/425cc Make Me If I'm A 34B Now?

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. Given
your desires, a breast augmentation, with an implant or fat grafting,
would be an ideal procedure that would meet your expectations. Breast
augmentation is now the most popular procedure performed in plastic
surgery today. One tolerated very well by women with minimal downtime
and high patient satisfaction. 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). Your height,
weight, breast width, and body habitus will make a difference for which
implant style/projection to choose. Implant
profile will also make a difference on the projection, which will
influence overall breast/cup size. 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 of results.
Sizers are helpful during an in-office consultation. 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. This is the most important determinant
for the sizing of implants, which will provide the optimal result and
most aesthetically-pleasing result for you.Consult with a
board-certified plastic surgeon well-versed in breast procedures who
will examine and discuss with you the various options and factors to
consider and help you decide which one will be the right one for you.
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,

It is very difficult to predict what cup size you will be after your procedure.  Cup sizes are not standardized.  So a D cup in one designer could be a C cup or B cup in another designer.   This is the approach I use to help guide my patients with their implant size selection:

I consider two factors when selecting implants for my patients:

1.Dimensional planning
2.Gel Implant Sizing system

Dimensional planning – The measurements of your chest wall are taken. Also, the breast dimensions including the height, width, and current dimensions of each breast form the basis of dimensional planning. Based on these measurements, the implant size is recommended. This will give you a unique breast implant that is suited for your body frame. However, there are some limitations of what size we can recommend. For instance, some implants may just be too big for a narrow chest wall. Your surgeon can review this with you during the consultation.

Gel Implant Sizing system – During the preliminary breast implant consultation, you will be provided with an option to “try on” a variety of implant shapes and sizes. You can also visualize the possible outcomes of your surgery which helps you to get that perfect size to give you the shape that you longed for. This way your preferences are known and you can then pick a range of implants that will “fit” just right to give a soft natural fuller look.  If you have decided on saline implants, then based on the gel sizer you select, we can guide you to the saline implant that achieves a similar look.
Hope this helps.
Dr. Basu
Houston, TX

Thank you for your question. Unfortunately, cup size following breast augmentation surgery is not an exact science as there is no standardization of cup sizes between manufacturers.  Different manufacturers have different cup volumes and as the chest size increases so does the cup size,  which is to say that a 38 B cup is larger than a 34 B cup.  To further complicate matters the final cup size will also be influenced by your rib cage shape, breast width, shape of your breast, laxity of the skin, bulk of the pectoralis muscle, etc. You can see how this can get quite complicated. As a general rule of thumb with a 34 size bra each cup size is around150 cc. So if you are truly a 34 chest ( as measured around your chest just under your arms but above your breasts) you should expect to go up three cup sizes with 400 cc implants. 

So what is the best way to determine breast cup size?

There are many different approaches to this dilemma.  Some surgeons make the decision at the time of surgery by placing different implants into the patient to determine the appropriate size. The only problem with this is that the patient is not actively involved in the process and has to rely on preoperative  photo review of other patients to determine the size. This can be  difficult as no two patients  breasts are exactly the same size and shape.    I prefer  to have my patients actively involved in sizing before surgery.  I have patient obtain a underwire bra of the size they would like to be.  They then come into the office and we try different size implants to determine what will fill the bra appropriately.  When the final size has been determined an additional 30 cc is added to account for the bra itself.  Using this technique I have found that patients satisfaction with the size of implants  has been very significantly improved.

 

Commonly when I use that volume in a "B" cup breast patients report back to me that they usually get into a "D" cup oar sometimes slilghtly larger. It is hard to say for you.  If you know the volume that you are going with, then you can try them on and look at some bras to get an idea.

Predicting cup size after breast implant placement is far from an exact science. There are many factors that go into how any size implant will look on one's chest not to mention the variable of how any woman interprets what she is seeing and what size she thinks it is. The best that anyone can predict is that you will be somewhere in the C/D range but, quite frankly, that projection is not that helpful to you. You need to sit down with your plastic surgeon and show pictures of breast sizes that you like and go through a sizing exercise. While there can never be a completely accurate prediction, this type of discussion with your surgeon will help make your more comfortable with your size selection.  

Predicting cup size after breast augmentation is difficult to do. With the limited information provided, you may be somewhere between a full C and small D cup.

Cup sizes vary from different manufacturing company. You may be 34B cup size from one brand and 36A with another brand. Therefore, cup sizes are not a predictable outcome. In general, the estimated assessment is that one cup size is like 100 -150cc volume. Therefore, you may end up being C or D cup size depending on what brand you choose. How I determine what size implant would be appropriate for you is taking your breast diameter measurement, which give us a good determination  what size implant to choose. . Next, what profile of the implants will depends on how much projection you wish to have. High profile will give you more anterior projection, whereas moderate profile will give you more of the natural slope projection.

Thank you for the question.

As you mentioned,  cup sizes always difficult to determine depending on the person and the specific bra manufacturer.

Likewise,  there is no direct correlation between  the size of breast implants  and the resulting cup size.

In planning your breast augmentation procedure it will be very important to communicate your size goals with your surgeon.  in my practice I find the use of goal pictures to be very helpful.  in your case you could use your own before breast-feeding pictures as the goal. 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.

Predicting cup size after breast augmentation is tricky because bra manufacturers use different standards. It is usually best not to be too concerned about what cup size you will be, as a 36C will be a different cup size than a 38C, even though both are "C cups".  My patients view my before-after photos and can usually find one of my patients who has a similar body size and build. They can then get an idea of what different size implants can look like, and will have a preference we can work with.  My patients also try on sizers so that they can see what  the various size implants (400 cc vs 350 cc or 300 cc, etc) would look like on their own body.  Since everyone has their own taste in body proportion, I feel this is a good step in helping my patients select the size implants which look and feel best for them.