Implant Profiles Breast implants come in choices between saline and gel, shaped or round, as well as different profiles. These profiles describe the ratio of the width of the implant compared to its height. Breast implants in the 1970s were originally made with very wide base diameters but very flat in their projection. Over the last 7-10 years, breast implant manufacturers have made implants of various different ratios of width compared to projection. They range from flat, to not so flat, to taller, and super tall. All of these shapes of round implants can be useful in different patient requirements and anatomies. In general, the taller the profile, the more evident under the breast or muscle, that there is a round shaped object beneath the breast tissue. In patients in who the need is to push the breast tissue away from the chest wall, such as in loss of volume commonly seen after weight loss or pregnancy, these higher profile, or taller implants can be quite useful in taking up the space of the extra skin without causing a wider looking breast. This may allow the plastic surgeon to place this type of implant beneath the breast to take up the slack of the stretched out skin without the necessity of removing skin as in a breast lift. The flipside to the taller implants is that when there is little breast tissue overlying the implant, the transition from the chest wall to the breast can be quite abrupt. This can lead to the look of a very round object under the skin. While sometimes this is the desire of the patient, it may look to “done” or “fake” for others. The most modest of implant profiles is the flatter ones usually called moderate profile. In these breast implants, the transition of the shape from the chest wall to the breast and underlying implant is softer and less harsh and will therefore be less evident to the eye. Most of the time the two choices in the middle of the range are the ones most used. These include the moderate profile plus and high profile configurations. Some manufacturers may have a range of three choices will others may have four, but the concept of the ratios remains the same. The moderate plus and high in my practice are the ones more commonly used. The difference being the high profile is taller and less wide and the moderate plus is wider and less tall. There can be very compelling reasons to use each of these profiles. In patients who desire a larger appearance to the breasts than their natural base width of their natural breast will allow, the placement of a high profile implant may make the breast visually larger but still allow that size implant to fit in the space of the natural breast. In the patient with a wide chest wall sternum and a large space between the breasts, the placement of a wider implant such as moderate plus may fill in that space making it look more narrow. Because the change from the chest wall to the breast in a moderate profile implant is less abrupt, it may make the cleavage area look more natural and narrower. For the seasoned plastic surgeon practicing cosmetic breast surgery, all of the variables can be adjusted to give the patient the look they desire and minimize the chance for creating a look that my not be what the patient had intended. Because these small differences may be subtle but visible to the patient and physician, I have found the Vectra 3D imaging platform invaluable in showing prospective breast augmentation patients on a 3D image of their own body, what these different profile implants can produce as far as a post operative result. You can talk and try to describe what these differences are, but there is nothing like seeing them for yourself on a large screen. Using Vectra 3D imaging , I believe we can formulate a plan for the size, shape, and profile of the implant that will best match the patients desire for a result with their pre-operative condition. I hope this information is helpful. Good luck with your surgery.