I have naturally large breasts but am interested in implants - which size will help me achieve projection? (photo)

Hello and thank you for your question. Honestly, a formal in-person evaluation would be needed to determine the best treatment. There are several reasons for this:
1) Bra sizes vary based on the clothing store (for example, Victoria's Secret tends to upsize everyone by a whole cup size)
2) Most women do not wear the proper exact fitting bra size for their bodies
3) The exact volume (in cc) needed to change cup size is different for different body types (e.g. 32A to 32D requires a different implant size than 38A to 38D)
4) Be careful NOT to fall into the trap most women do- they see a certain implant size (e.g. 285 cc) or perhaps their friend had a certain size, and they want or request this or another size based on that. Everyone's body is different- 285 cc implants on your friend might look VERY different than they would on you. Be very careful not to make this mistake, because the goal is to find the right size and shape for YOU- for your particular body and your breasts.

Because of those multiple factors, and because it is KEY to fully evaluate your breasts in person to make a full set of precise measurements to select the proper implant for you (incorporating factors like amount of breast tissue, implant type, base width, projection, etc), answering your question really would need a formal personalized consultation- to say anything before that would simply be guessing, which would be both unfair and unhelpful to you. Also, just FYI, each surgeon's measurements are slightly different, so numbers, experience, and overall aesthetic from one surgeon aren't necessarily the same as those from another surgeon!

Your breasts are such a KEY area of your body and your femininity- therefore, you should ONLY trust an experienced aesthetic plastic surgeon. As such an expert, I have had extensive training and experience with complex aesthetic surgeries under a multiple world-renowned experts in the field. I’d recommend for you to setup a formal consultation with me (or another plastic surgeon who is extremely comfortable with aesthetic plastic surgery procedures) for a formal consultation to thoroughly discuss your surgical goals, undergo a formal examination, evaluate all your options (surgical and nonsurgical), and decide on the best procedure(s) and type of anesthesia for your specific case. I hope this helps!

Dr. Donald Groves
Aesthetic Plastic Surgeon

The best place to begin is a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon near you. During this visit your surgeon will take measurements of your breasts (this is different that bra sizing) and discuss your surgical goals with you. A range of implants can be recommended for you based on this information and her/his expertise. The implants you mentioned are very large and would be very heavy. This would need to be taken into account as well. I've included a video about this process I hope you find helpful.

Picking the correct size implant is much like picking the correct size shoe for a foot. If you do not pick the correct size, you can have serious complications related to your breast implant surgery. Based on your photo, I would recommend performing a breast lift only and avoiding the implants completely as you already have a large amount of native breast tissue. We can use this breast tissue to your advantage and create an aesthetically pleasing breast mound. If you wish to have implants placed later (1 year), that would make the surgery much more predictable. I would highly recommend finding a highly trained aesthetic plastic surgeon (preferably 6 years of dedicated plastic surgery residency and 1 year of aesthetic fellowship). Best of luck!