Will my 450cc get bigger as they drop? I thought I'd at least be a DD. (Photos)

Hi C_T17,

I understand your concern. However, it would be difficult to determine what size your breast will be after surgery, as there would still be swelling of the tissues surrounding the implant. Also, the implants take about 6 months to drop, fluff, and settle into its final position. You should speak with your plastic surgeon for further advice and reassurance.

Daniel Barrett, MD, MHA, MS

Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery

Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery

Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

At 7 days post op, you are about 5 percent settled, shaped, softened, dropped and fluffed. "Drop and fluff" refers to the fact that as the skin stretches and the muscles relax, the implants move down and out slowly – about 1 percent a day. It’ll be about six weeks before they even begin to settle down, but they’ll be close to 80 percent settled and softened at three months. Watching their progress is like watching your hair grow. You don’t see a difference in your hair growth daily, but all of a sudden you need a haircut. 
Be patient after surgery. Give yourself a few months before making a judgment about your surgical results. You won't know the outcome until then. 
Dr. Ted Eisenberg, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and Author

Thank you for your question.You are very early in the healing process. It is way too soon to determine your final size. I would continue to follow your instructions from your surgeon, it may take 6 months before you know what size you will be.

I am sorry to hear about your concerns after breast augmentation surgery. Your plastic surgeon will always be your best resource when it comes to accurate assessment, advice, and/or meaningful reassurance. 
It may help you to know that a significant percentage of patients at your early stage of recovery will feel that they are too big or (more commonly) too small.
Generally speaking, breast implants will "drop" into the pocket that was created during surgery. The rate of breast implant "settling" may depend on factors such as size of breast implant pocket dissected, tightness of the overlying skin/muscle layers, and size of breast implant utilized. Normally, it takes about 3-6 months (for some patients longer) to see the final result.  Therefore, I routinely ask my patients to wait at least 3-6 months before evaluating the end results of the breast augmentation surgery. This waiting time allows patients to (usually) physically and psychologically adapt to the new body image. 
Many of my patients report that as the swelling around the breast implants (for example, in the sternal area) decreases, they feel that their breasts appear more projecting (and that they have better "cleavage"). Also, in my opinion, the "drop and fluff” phenomenon does hold some validity; as breast implants “settle”, many patients feel that their breasts actually look larger. Similarly, it takes a few months for the breasts to "soften" in most cases.  Most of my patients tell me that their breast implants feel "part of them" somewhere between 3 to 6 months after surgery was performed.  
In other words, it is much too early to evaluate the outcome of the procedure performed; your breasts will undoubtedly change over the course of the next several weeks/months.   The vast majority of patients with your concerns at your stage in the recovery process, turn out to be much happier two to three months after the procedure was performed.  Understandably, patients often experience significant emotional "ups and downs" around the time of surgery.
 My best advice: continued patience.  Keep in mind, that once patients have adjusted physically and psychologically to their new body image, the vast majority of patients are very pleased.
 
 Best wishes for an outcome that you will be very pleased with.

Dear C_T17,Thank you for your question.  Your breast will have some shape change over time as the swelling resolves and the implants drop.  Follow your surgeons post-op care protocol.  As far as the size goes it is unlikely you will see a significant size change with time.  I wouldn't fixate on an absolute cup size so much as the overall appearance of your breasts.  If your happy with the way they look the actual cup size should be secondary.  LEt things heal but talk to your surgeon about your concerns.  Hope this helps.James Sheridan, MD