How Much Smaller Will my Breasts Get Once Swelling Goes Down? Im Worried I Went Too Big?

Your 350cc implants can be expected to add about 1 1/2 cup sizes to whatever breast volume you started with, but "too big" is one of those subjective assessments that depend on so many factors.

Careful surgery with precise technique (even below the muscles) yields almost no bruising and usually minimal swelling, but there are still surgeons who use blunt dissection, minimal cautery bleeder control, and toss in a drain to evacuate the bleeding. These surgeons also usually use a surgical bra or Ace bandage wrap to help put pressure on bleeding vessels. The usual result is LOTS of bruising, LOTS of swelling, and a somewhat longer more uncomfortable recovery for their unwitting patients. (And, a higher risk of capsular contracture or re-operation.)

Even if you had the most careful, precise operation possible and hardly any bruising or swelling, your tissues still have to accommodate to the presence of your implants, and you can expect your breasts to soften, settle, and drop over time. This is usually perceived as decrease in size and improvement in natural appearance and softness.

Also, if you buy your bras at Victoria's Secret you may fit best into a D-cup bra, but bras by most other manufacturers will be a C-cup with equally-good fit. The letter on the label does NOT determine your breast size, any more than a particular shoe size should be considered "gospel."

Be patient with yourself, and don't worry. Keep up a dialogue with your surgeon, who wants you to be as happy as possible! Best wishes! Dr. Tholen

Thanks for your question...You are early post op and it can take up to 3 months for your breasts to "fluff and drop". If you are still concerned please speak to your surgeon. You can learn more on our social media (Instagram and Snapchat): @realdrsix.

Regards,

Thank you for your question.It can take quite a while for patients to see what we as surgeons see in the operating room.  Implants, especially when placed below the muscle, tend to look a little 'high, hard and ugly' immediately after surgery and can take 3-4 months until they have settled and are in the proper position within the breast pocket.  It takes some time for implants to settle because the muscle and skin/tissue has to stretch to accommodate this additional volume that the implant has brought to the breast.  For these reasons I would caution you from judging your results only a few weeks out from surgery.  As your body stretches to adapt to your new implants, everything should settle into place and  you will find that it is during this period that your breasts appearance will continue to change and evolve.  Things always look a little 'odd' immediately following a breast augmentation, but most patients are ultimately happy with the size chosen once they have fully healed and the implants have had time to settle (if anything, patients will wish that they would have gone a little bigger!).  I would recommend following up with your operating surgeon to discuss your concerns and to have your progress evaluated thus far.  Breast massages can help to facilitate the settling process and softening of your implants, and this is something I would encourage that you discuss with your operating surgeon if you have not done so already.  I hope you find this helpful and I wish you the best of luck on your recovery.

Two things happen and seem paradoxical. As as the swelling goes down there will be some shrinkage but at the same time as the muscle relaxes your breast projection grows. In general the breast shape and size proportionality improves..Breast implants initially after surgery when placed in a submuscular position often give superior fullness that corrects itself with time, the "fluff and drop" phenomena. In reality the pectoralis major muscle takes a while to adjust its size to accommodate the implant as well as occasional muscle spasm which keeps the implant projection higher than its final resting shape. Additional variables include:laxity of skin, size difference during prior pregnancies, position of implant,size of muscle, and size of implant.As the muscle relaxes the projection of the implant often increases and the breast shape improves. Massage and use of a superior placed elastic strap can often make this process go faster.

Thank you for your question. During the post-operative period the breast are swollen, and the breast implants appear in a much higher position. Over time they descend and fills out the lower half of the breast. It may take several months for this to happen and can be encouraged with breast massage and compression. After the swelling goes down the breasts will appear smaller.  However, as the implants settle, it may appear that the breast enlarges as the lower aspect of the breast fills out (at the expense of the upper portion of the breast).

We frequently see patients who express concern about the
size of their breast implants following breast augmentation surgery. In some cases, this occurs in the immediate
post-operative period. The majority of
these patients are concerned that their breasts are too big rather than too
small. As swelling subsides, most of
them are ultimately happy with the breast size.

Immediately
after surgery, it’s hard to make judgements about breast size because of
swelling and muscle spasm. It may take
weeks for the majority of swelling to resolve.
In addition, muscle spasm can increase upper breast fullness and make
the breasts look larger than they really are.
This may also take weeks to resolve.


Many
patients also experience transient adjustment reactions following breast
augmentation. These patients have
difficulty adjusting to larger breasts and often feel as if people are staring
at them. With the passage of time, most
of them are able to adjust to their new implants. Eventually, they may even forget that the
implants are there. The adjustment
process varies from patient to patient but may take months.

Immediately
following surgery, it’s not unusual to see patients who feel that their breasts
are too large. After several months,
they adjust to their new implants. They
feel that their new breasts fit nicely on their body and they are happy with
their results. Occasionally, some of
these patient request even larger implants.

If
you have concerns about breast size following breast augmentation surgery, you
should communicate with your plastic surgeon.
He has dealt with this situation in other patients and can address many
of your concerns. With time, many of
these concerns may resolve without intervention. Ultimately, you may still be very happy with
your breast augmentation.