This is a question about implant shapes, would you recommend a tear drop implant? (Photo)

Question

My breasts are unequal in size (right is slightly smaller) and have flattened up top completely. They sit on my chest like a flat oval but are to the extent they are not very droopy. Would a tear drop implant be recommended?

Ron Soltero, MD, FACS · Answer

Dear Patient:  great question!  I would first do my homework and interview or consult with Board Certified Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) who are the correct specialists that can give you the best advice you are looking for.  In my opinion, and I have been doing this procedure for lver 15 yrs now, the tear drop implants have a high insidence of "rotating" meaning the implant moves ans thus produces an uneven looking breast.  For this reason I tend to stick to the round low profile/ moderate profile/ high profile or extra high profile Implants for my patients.  Looking at your photo you should be doing great with a moderate to high profile round implant.
Please be sure to consult with your Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and let him know of your goals, you shoulf be able to discuss with him/ her your realistic expectations and the outcomes of a Breast Augmentation Surgery in all its details.
Wish you the best of luck with your research and hope this helps!

Richard G. Reish, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question.  The
best advice you can receive is from an in-person consultation.  You are a great candidate for a breast augmentation and this can help correct your asymmetry also.  The size,
profile, and shape of the implant is based on your desired breast
size/shape, your chest wall measurements, and soft tissue quality. 
This decision should be based on a detailed discussion with
equal input from both you and your surgeon.   Make sure you
specifically look at before and after pictures of real patients who have
had this surgery performed by your surgeon and evaluate their
results.   The most important aspect is to find a surgeon you are
comfortable with. I recommend that you seek consultation with a qualified
board-certified plastic surgeon who can evaluate you in person.
Best wishes and good luck.
Richard G. Reish, M.D.
Harvard-trained plastic surgeon

Stefan Rene Adair, MD · Answer

I typically prefer smooth round gel filled implants which seem to have fewer problems long term in my experience.
Even these implants have an anatomic shape when standing, and seem to be less problematic when moving in the breast pocket, as they cannot go off axis the way a shaped implant can.
Best of luck.

SA

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

I prefer round implants to get you to where you want to go.  You are best seen in person to be properly evaluated.

Kenneth R. Francis, MD, FACS · Answer

Dear KathrynD,I would not recommend an anatomic shaped breast implant for you with that description.  In general, anatomic shaped implants provide less upper pole breast fullness than round implants and would not reverse your "flattening" as well.  Good luck!

David A. Sieber, MD, FACS · Answer

Thanks for the great question. I do not use tear dropped shaped implants very often at all. There are a few reasons for that. The first is that not even plastic surgeons are able to tell the difference between the two implants once inside for an augmentation. The second is that the shaped implant cost you, the patient, more money to use. The third reason is because the shaped implants rotate. I published a paper this month showing that 42% of women have one of their shaped implants rotated. All of the "benefits" of using shaped devices can still be accomplished using round implants without any of the associated risks. Best of luck!~Dr. Sieber

Tom J. Pousti, MD · Answer

Thank you for the question. These days there are a variety of breast implants available; the variety of breast implant available raise a lot of questions from women considering breast augmentation surgery. Personally, I think that for most patients considering breast augmentation surgery, careful selection of plastic surgeon and careful communication of goals, far outweigh the specific type of breast implant utilized (when it comes to the success of the breast augmentation procedure).
Anatomical breast implants were designed to better simulate the natural breast shape; the problem with these implants is that if they shift or rotate, the entire breast will change shape as well. This change in breast shape may require further surgery to correct. Round implants, under the hand, can shift or rotate without changing the shape of the breasts. ***Overall, I find that beautiful outcomes can be achieved with the use of round saline or silicone gel breast implants for the vast majority of patients.
Generally speaking, the best online advice I can give to ladies who are considering breast augmentation surgery ( regarding breast implant size/profile selection) is:
1. Concentrate on choosing your plastic surgeon carefully. Concentrate on appropriate training, certification, and the ability of the plastic surgeon to achieve the results you are looking for. Ask to see lots of examples of his/her work.
2. Have a full discussion and communication regarding your desired goals with your plastic surgeon. This communication will be critical in determining breast implant size/type/profile will most likely help achieve your goals. 
In my practice, the use of photographs of “goal” pictures (and breasts that are too big or too small) is very helpful. For example, I have found that the use of words such as “natural” or "C or D cup" etc means different things to different people and therefore prove unhelpful.
Also, as you know, cup size varies depending on him who makes the bra; therefore, discussing desired cup size may also be inaccurate. Again, the use of computer imaging has been very helpful during the communication process, in our practice.
3. Once you feel you have communicated your goals clearly, allow your plastic surgeon to use his/her years of experience/judgment to choose the breast implant size/profile that will best meet your goals. Again, in my practice, this decision is usually made during surgery, after the use of temporary intraoperative sizers.
I hope this (and the attached link, dedicated to breast augmentation surgery concerns) helps. Best wishes for an outcome that you will be very pleased with.

Mahmood Kara, MD - Account Suspended · Answer

Hello. Thank you for your inquiry. It is important to have an in-person assessment regarding your concerns as it is difficult to determine virtually.

Exact end results and cup sizes are usually quite difficult to calculate as everyone has a different starting point.

There are many different factors that go into choosing a breast implant size which will correspond with your body dimensions while concurrently achieving your aesthetic results. Some of these factors are: Implant size (CC's), Implant profile (Low, Moderate, High), Placement of the implant (Subglandular vs. Dual Plane) etc. We utilize smooth round cohesive silicone gel 'gummy bear' implants for the best results.

During a consultation your aesthetic goals are heard and taken into account with the measurements of your breasts and the integrity of your tissue, as well as level of ptosis (sag). From here we collectively can find your 'perfect fit'. You are able to try out sizers and different implants in our office such that you can get an idea of what size you would be post-operation. We also offer Crisalix 3D plastic surgery virtual simulator during our in-person and virtual consultations to preview potential results. After your consultation, you will receive your very own implant sizers to take home with you (at a small cost) whether or not you decide to go forward with your procedure.

I usually recommend that my patients stop smoking, take vitamin C daily, and avoid aspirin/ibuprofen and vitamin E 3 weeks prior to surgery. I specialize in the 24-hour Recovery method which minimizes trauma to the breast and decreases pain post-operatively.

We encourage you to look at our website and Instagram (drkaraplasticsurgery) for lots of before and after pictures!
Please note that this response does not substitute patient-doctor relationship. We welcome any and all patients seeking advice to come in for a complimentary consultation available for limited time only.

During the COVID-19, we are offering complimentary online consultations as well as in-office consultation with social distancing and masks. Procedure done in-hospital private surgical facility while taking covid-19 precautions. We utilize UV-light to clean the air of viruses and bacteria during our consultations and surgery.

We invite you to come in to discuss your options more thoroughly. Please send us an email at info@drkaraplasticsurgery.com with the subject line: "Attention Meagan" and we will be happy to coordinate your appointment!

M.Kara,MD,FRCSC (27+ years experience) - Specializing in 24 hour recovery/ out to dinner breast augmentation in-hospital private surgical facility for your added safety and peace of mind
Hello. Thank you for your inquiry and congratulations on your surgery! It is important to have an in-person medical assessment regarding this issue as it is difficult to determine virtually. Continue to update your doctor in the matter and follow their post-op protocol.

Please note that this response does not substitute patient-doctor relationship. We welcome any and all patients seeking advice to come in for a complimentary consultation available for limited time only.

During the COVID-19, we are offering complimentary online consultations as well as in-office consultation with social distancing and masks. Procedure done in-hospital private surgical facility while taking covid-19 precautions. We utilize UV-light to clean the air of viruses and bacteria during our consultations and surgery. We invite you to come in to discuss your options more thoroughly. Please send us an email at info@drkaraplasticsurgery.com with the subject line: "Attention Meagan" and we will be happy to coordinate your appointment!

M.Kara,MD,FRCSC (27+ years experience) - Specializing in 24 hour recovery/ out to dinner breast augmentation in-hospital private surgical facility for your added safety and peace of mind

Barry M. Schwartz, MD (retired) · Answer

It is very hard to determine which style of implant would best suit your body shape. Most implants when placed get more fullness in the lower portion to mimic breast shape. A consultation with a qualified plastic surgeon with accurate measurements should answer your question

Marc J. Salzman, MD, FACS (retired) · Answer

One of the more frequent questions I'm asked as an aesthetic plastic surgeon for patients considering breast implants is "how do I know what size, and shape I need?” The answer to this question has changed dramatically throughout the 25 years that I've been doing breast augmentation. I've also learned that the words that patients used to describe either what they want or don't want can be completely misleading into what I interpret their meaning to be. Therefore, I like to request that our patients considering breast augmentation bring in photos of both what they think they like and what they don't like. There seems to be a multitude of sources on the Internet where these photos can be downloaded. By looking at the patient's desires, I get a better understanding of what they want. We no longer recommend that we place the exact implant on top of the existing breasts and then place a stretchy bra over it to give us any idea what that exact same implant under the muscle would produce in size. That method, in my opinion, will always over represent what the actual result will be. If you are going to use a sizing type method, then Mentor makes a shell sizing system such that, when the shell size corresponding to the implant that it represents is placed over the existing breast and in a bra, it will better represent what that size implant under the breast and muscle will look like. We've also used 3-D imaging called Vectra® since its inception some 6 to 7 years ago. With this method, a three-dimensional photograph of the actual patient is taken and can be seen on a large screen television by both the physician and perspective breast augmentation patient at the same time. We then can place all of the different implants that are available under that image and decide what size, shape, fill ratio, and height to base width relationships will look best for each patient. Silicone gel breast implants come basically into shapes either round or shaped. They also come with either a textured or smooth surface. In my mind, there are advantages and disadvantages of every scenario and combination of those choices. Most of the time a round smooth implant placed under the muscle works very well for breast augmentation patients. It's then very simple to just look at size and ratio projection to base width and select the perfect implant for that patients shape and desire. Sometimes we would like to use a textured surface implant. Here the advantages are that the textured surface implants tend to migrate less in the pocket, as there is some frictional resistance to motion. Another advantage of textured implants is that the capsular contracture rate, especially when implants put above the muscle, is less than for smooth wall implants. Shaped implants, because we do not want them to turn in the pocket, are always textured. My planning method to optimize the best implant for each patient is begun with a measurement of the base width of the breast. We would then like to subtract about a centimeter and a half total off of that number so as to have coverage of breast tissue over the implant. We then will have a range of implants whose base width matches that number. If we go larger than that number, which sometimes patients will want, we as plastic surgeons know that these larger implants can have more problems down the line. For instance, larger implants may migrate below the crease which one has to lower at the time of surgery in order to get the implant in. When these implants migrate below the natural crease, they can create a second crease in what we call a "double bubble". Large implants can also; because of the pressure they put on the overlying breast tissue, thin that tissue out such that there is less overlying breast tissue over the implant as time passes. After we have the base width, our next decision needs to be what is the ratio of the base width to the projection of the implant. Essentially, there are usually four choices ranging from fairly flat which is called low-profile, to progressively more height and less width with the same volume of silicone gel, which is called ultrahigh profile. There are two profiles in between which are the ones more commonly used and these are called moderate profile and moderate profile plus. Common scenarios in which taller implants would be desired may be in patients who want a larger look than their natural base with would allow or have a fair amount of loose overlying skin that were trying to hold up. For patients who want a more natural look, a moderate profile or moderate profile plus shape is more desirable. There are also anatomically shaped implants. Rather than being around these implants can either be taller than they are wide or wider than they are tall. There are good reasons in patients to use either. For instance, in the patient's with very widely spaced breasts and a large breastbone, a shaped implant that's wider than it is tall can help hide that a little bit. Another example of the patient in who a shaped implant would be best, is that patient with laxity after childbirth or weight loss. When the nipple is just at the level of the inframammary crease, we can sometimes get away with a tall implant that is anatomically shaped such that the nipple when is it at the lower two thirds of the breast mound created by the implant still looks good and natural and may obviate the need for a breast lift. By spending some time, long before the operation takes place, using the Vectra® 3-D imaging method, we can decide what type, shape, and ratio of width to height would best serve the patient's needs. We can then avoid what is sometimes done which is the placement of sizers at the time of surgery. These sizers, in my opinion, have a few negative implications. One is that there is a cost inherent in using them and usually multiple ones are needed to make a decision as to which implant would look best. I also believe that placing sizers in and out of the breast pocket can be traumatic to that pocket and can cause bleeding. For me, the state-of-the-art in today's breast augmentation is to decide long before the operation exactly which implant would look best using computer animation. A new wrinkle into the choice of breast implants is that breast implants now come with silicone gel that is filled to a higher volume in the shell where it is placed. This will allow for a round smooth implant, for instance to collapse less in the upright position mimicking more of the look of the shaped implant. When patients show me a photo of a very rounded upper part her breast, I would likely choose one of these higher volumes implants such as the Natrelle Inspira® silicone gel breast implant. Often times patients will present with breasts that are of different sizes. One of the options to correct this is to use breast implants of different sizes in order to best create symmetry. One of the newer methods to help in symmetry creation is to do what we call a hybrid breast augmentation. In the hybrid breast augmentation, the patient who has asymmetry of the breast to begin can have matching silicone gel implants placed and the overlying breast tissue can be made to look the same in volume and shape by using fat grafting. In that way, no matter what the change in weight of the patient is over time, the breast is more likely to have the same or similar size. When it comes to symmetry, I like to tell our patients that they should consider their breasts to be sisters that live across the railroad tracks from each other rather than twins. With proper preoperative planning and flawless execution of breast augmentation, this can be one of the most satisfying aesthetic plastic surgery outcomes for both patients and physicians.

This is a question about implant shapes, would you recommend a tear drop implant? (Photo)

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