Will my implants look the same as the sizers when I tried them on?

Question

I am 5'7 120lbs. At my first consult we had decided on mentor memory shape 330cc's. I decided I wanted bigger and went for another consult. After showing pictures he decided to do a 420 and 375 because of size difference. I tried those on and they felt pretty big. So what I'm asking is if they will look that size under the muscle, or if they will look a little smaller?

George Volpe, MD · Answer

Sizers are very helpful in giving an idea of approximate breast size. That is of course if they are used appropriately. There are different sizers on the market made of different materials, some conform to an individual's chest better than others. When implants are placed in the body, there is no empty space around them. If one is utilizing a sizer, it should be placed against the chest in a manner that it is flush with the skin of the body. In other words, the edges of the sizer should conform to the skin. If one places a tight bag of rice in a bra, that often can fall forward and give the illusion of a larger volume than the amount of rice in the bag when wearing a blouse over. Your surgeon will assist you in choosing an appropriate size. Do remember that sizers are not as good for predicting shape and positioning.

Joel M. Stewart, Jr., MD · Answer

Trying on sizers in the plastic surgeons office with a sports bra and a thin top can give you a good estimation of post operative appearance in clothes. This is by no means exact.A board certified plastic surgeon will measure your breasts and help you determine the optimal size implant based on your desired goals.Don't get caught up in the numbers.

Aldo Guerra, MD · Answer

Hello SummerLove. Your surgery result will look different than the sizers. In my opinion, sizers are the best way to get a glimpse into your breast future, but no technique is perfect. Best, Dr.ALDO

Bryan Correa, MD · Answer

I don't personally think the sizing process is accurate enough to answer your question. I tell my patients that sizers are similar to bra cup size - they are imprecise and do not translate into an exact size implant. However, I do find sizers to be helpful in getting a 'ballpark' idea of size - e.g. a patient who tells me she is happy with 250 compared to one who tells me 550 is clearly helpful information. Whether you're trying on sizers in the 420 range or actual implants in the 420 range, they will certainly look different when placed within your body. It is virtually impossible to mimic your final post-surgical result with sizers. The decision of what implant to make is largely based upon your physical exam and your discussion with your surgeon, with actual sizers only providing supportive information to that process. I hope this is helpful.

David Finkle, MD · Answer

Breast implant sizers are very helpful in determining which implant to choose, however it is not exact science.  Typically the actual implants will look smaller than the sizers because of compression of the tissues overlying the implant and making them appear smaller.  The most common complaint after breast implant surgery is that the implants are too small in size, this needs to be addressed during the consultation period.Good Luck!

Tom J. Pousti, MD · Answer

Thank you for the question. Although useful as rough guidelines and as communication tools, all the modalities currently used to predict what breast implant size/profile will best achieve a patient's goals with breast augmentation are not very accurate, in my opinion. The use of the rice test, sizers placed beneath a patient's bra, goal pictures, computer imaging technology… are all useful, but not necessarily as accurate as one would hope.In my opinion, nothing will replace careful verbal preoperative communication with your plastic surgeon, preferably in front of a full-length mirror along with the use of as many "communication" tools” listed above.In my practice, I use all of the above modalities and then use intraoperative temporary sizers to help determine the best breast implant size/profile to achieve a patient's specific goals as closely as possible. For this reason, I think it is helpful to have the entire range of breast implant  sizes/profiles available in the operating room.Achieving realistic expectations prior to proceeding to the operating room is also an important part of the preoperative communication process. Patients should be aware that the results of their breast augmentation will not necessarily match exactly what they are visualizing with anyone of the above-mentioned communication tools.Given your questions and concerns, and given that your surgery is coming up soon, I would suggest that you schedule additional time to spend with your plastic surgeon. This additional time spent will be helpful in the communication process and in alleviating some of your anxiety.Best wishes; hopefully you will be very pleased with the outcome of the planned procedure.

Brooke R. Seckel, MD, FACS (retired) · Answer

No, the implants will look much better and more natural than the sizers. They also will look a littel smaller especially if they are placed under the muscle.

Richard Kofkoff, MD, FACS (retired) · Answer

I believe that sizers are helpful but you should not expect that they will necessarily look the same as implants of a similar size.  As your question implies, the actual implants will be placed behind the breast tissue and muscle which will affect their appearance.  Although some doctors disagree, I find sizers that are used in the OR to also be very helpful in choosing the final implant size.

Ashok Govila, FRCS, MCh, MS - Account Suspended · Answer

Hi Summer love,Its just an amazing question and I would love to reply you in detail.What is a sizer.All PS has different kind of sizers.Like cups of the size of a breast ,like removed implants of the past patients that have been sterilized to be used as sizers ,like rice bag test and lastly software used to show you animation and do the calculation of the size of the implant to be used.Having tried all methods and sizers I have concluded to use implants that have been removed for various reasons to use them after being though washed using ultra sonic devices and sterilization and reach a conclusion with the patient in front of mirror and tell her that what you see is smaller than what you are going to look.If its under the muscle the over lying muscle makes it look larger than what they see in the mirror and in front of muscle will be close to the observation that they see in front of the muscle.

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