Will Decreased Breast Implant Projection Produce Significant Downsizing Results?

Hi there-
I think you are being too analytical about the process- in the final analysis, you are trying to achieve a certain improvement in your body contour, not a certain number on your implants or letter on your bra, right? The major concern in your situation is that it is not possible to take into consideration the elasticity of your tissues until the force of the implant is in place, so choosing an implant based SOLELY on the numbers is an imperfect science, and I would be worried that you still won't be as happy as you could be.
I would focus more on communicating your goals for appearance effectively to your surgeon and trust him/her to use their best judgement in the decision making process.

Breast Implant Size is a combination of subjective and objective
criteria.380 cc is a reasonable recommendation. There is not a direct
correlation between the cc's of a breast implant and the corresponding
cup size, as cup size is an inexact measurement that varies considerably
among companies and even within the same company. Online consultants
will not be able to guide you as well as surgeons who perform in person
consultation.The size of the implants are based on a combination
of a patient's goals and objectives and her anatomy. In order to
provide a natural looking augmentation, the surgeon needs to evaluate
many factors including soft tissue coverage, skin laxity, chest wall
width, breast imprint width, the shape of the breasts and relative level
of constriction to ensure that the breast implants are appropriate for
your body.

Based on the numbers, I think you will notice a significant decrease in breast size with the implants you have chosen.  Although there is very little science behind the "Cup Size", highly projecting implants have a significant effect on the appreciated cup size, so dropping 2 cm will make a noticeable difference.  The mentor implants should be significantly softer than your current implants.

Best wishes,

Dr.B

The Inamed 410 cohesive gel implants are a very projecting, firm implant. The Mentor 200cc round moderate gels are much softer, with a significantly lower projection. When choosing an implant, the width is important to size the device to your breast anatomy. Projection then allows you to fill out the breast at increasing volumes while maintaining a natural base width to the implant. This helps prevent the "implant under the armpit" scenario as well as reducing the incidence of "symmastia." The 200cc moderate implants will definitely give you smaller breasts in comparison to the current 410's that you have.

Determining implant size is very difficult. However, based on the information, it seems that you will see a significant change in size and projection. Mentor is a very high quality implant and use it for many of my patients. I usually use moderate to moderate plus profile implants to achieve a more natural look. Internally your anatomy is very different and depending on whether your chest is convexed or concaved, the projection will make a difference. 

I recommend finding before and after photos of what you would like to achieve and show it to your surgeon so that you have a good understanding of the look you want. Make sure you have a board certified plastic surgeon performing your surgery to acheive the best and safest possible results. For more information regarding removing and replacing breast implants, check out and compare before and after photos of patients who have downsized as well. Good luck.