What Will High Profile Breast Implants Look Like?

In my experience, there is a tremendous difference between high profile saline versus silicone. High profile silicones can look very natural whereas the saline implants tend to have the undesireable appearance you describe. Be sure you are discriminating between the photos of the silicones versus the salines.

High profile implants are best for patients that want large implants and have a narrow frame.  I use these about 80% of the time.

There are HUNDREDS of breast implants out there in all sizes and dimensions to fit the huge variety and asymmetry of women's' chests. It a laudable but impractical ambition for a non-Plastic surgeon to understand and visualize what each implant would look like inside of you.

Websites for Natrelle/Allergan and for Mentor have tried to simulate the ultimate appearance of their implants on their websites but these are mere estimates because we do NOT have an accurate way to predict appearance based on mere physical measurements.

I disagree that most Plastic surgeons recommend High Profile (saline) implants. I use them only in a minority of my patients reserving them mostly in petite women with narrow chests who cannot be fitted with wider based implants but who want more forward reaching breasts. On the other hand, the Mentor High Profile SILICONE GEL implants are very similar to their very popular Moderate Profile PLUS (Saline) implants which the vast majority of women in my practice prefer.

You appear to have reasonable expectations which can be met with either a Moderate Profile Plus Saline implant or a High Profile smooth Gel implant. You need to find a surgeon who can fully explain this to you. I think you have the potential for a beautiful Breast Augmentation. Find someone who can get you there.

Thanks for the photo. I primarily use HP implants but if you want Only a moderate projection than I would consider moderate profile plus. Remember the diameter is slightly wider on the non high profiles.

From MIAMI Dr. B

There are several questions and answers here. 

The first is that there is currently no really simple or reliable way to measure breast size or show what the result will look like. Computer imaging is getting better at it and standard view photos of others can be helpful but stuffing bras is distinctly not helpful. I find it most helpful to show the patient standard pre and postoperative results of my patients who chose high profile implants (with the patient's permission of course). 

The second is that "high profile" is  poorly defined term in breast implants. In saline-filled breast implants it's totally misleading because the Allergan/Natrelle high profile implant is properly scaled for the width of the implant and will give about a two cup increase in size from whatever the patient started with (assuming the width is scaled to the patient's breast width). The Mentor high profile saline-filled implant is not scaled for the width and is not very useable for predictable results. Their "moderate plus" saline-filled implant is an appropriate step up from their medium profile (and Allergan's medium). 

In gel implants a high profile implant is scaled properly and the Allergan version and Mentor version are roughly equivalent. 

Using a high profile or two cup size increase it is virtually impossible to predictably  get a straight line profile above the nipple level even if the implant is properly under the pectoralis muscle and regardless of whether it is a gel or saline. To achieve the look you want I would use a medium profile saline (Allergan or Mentor) below the pectoralis muscle and in gels choice the mid-range profile in Mentor or Allergan with both matched to the width of your breast. This will increase your cup size by 1 1/2 cups and look the most natural. 

The moderate profile implant made by Mentor is made to give you the "look" you are describing.  The only problem with it is that it might leave you feeling smaller than you want since you look like you have a narrow base width behind the breast and this determines just how wide an implant your body can handle.

Actually, the HP gel from Mentor is similar to the mod plus saline and it doesn't look as outrageous as you might think.  In fact, I think the HP Mentor gel actually looks more natural in a small size than the moderate plus gel.  But neither are as "natural" as moderate profiles.