Breast Contour After Augmentation Mammaplasty

When discussing breast implants, the size is not the only issue patients should focus upon.  They should also bear in mind that the shape and profile of the device, in addition to the appearance of their chest and amount of tissue and fat, can have a significant impact on the final result of breast augmentation surgery.

Breast implants come in two shapes: round in which all the sides are symmetric, almost resembling the contour of an M&M candy; and anatomical in which the lower portion has more volume than the upper part, leading to a teardrop appearance.

To date, round breast implants are more popular than the anatomical version not only because they are cheaper but also they are less likely to cause “aesthetic” problems.  In fact, they can rotate inside the breast pocket and the shape of the chest will still not appear distorted.

By contrast, contoured or anatomical breast implants can lead to deformity in case that they rotate inside the pocket.  And because of this risk, they only come in textured surface which aims to prevent gross movement; however, the same design that prevents implant rotation has its own downside including higher risk of rippling, traction wrinkling, and failure.

As mentioned earlier, implant profile—or its projection off the chest wall—also has an impact on the breast contour after the implant surgery. 

Patients should take note that by using the right implant profile, they can avoid having breasts that appear too pointy or “unusually round.”  Fortunately, most board-certified plastic surgeons today can tell which one can provide the most desirable and natural result by simply looking at the patients’ body-frame.

For instance, high profile implants, which offer more projection but come with a smaller base, can result to a pointy appearance if they are used by women with a wide upper body, thereby leading to a very unflattering appearance.  On the other hand, the design provides a natural outcome if used by patients with a narrow frame.

For patients with a broad torso, it has been sacrosanct to use low profile implants, which offer less projection but come with a wider base so they can fill up more space.

Aside from the implant type, the appearance of the breasts and amount of tissue and fat also affect the outcome of breast augmentation surgery. 

Patients with a fair amount of tissue and fat tend to enjoy a more natural result with the use of saline implant, which has a watery consistency.  By contrast, women with limited tissue and fat would likely end up having a dome-shaped breast if this implant type is used.

Fortunately, a dome-shaped breast can be avoided with the use of silicone implants particularly when dealing with patients whose tissue and fat are quite limited.  This is because the implants are filled with a cohesive gel designed to simulate the consistency of the natural glandular tissue.

Also, the breast contour after surgery is affected by the structure of the chest.  For instance, women who have a pigeon chest, which is associated with the protrusion of both the sternum and ribcage, should expect that it would be more difficult for them to achieve a prominent cleavage (both upper and medial cleavage) than patients in the general population.