The eternal topic of breast prosthetics is the choice of a breast implant. At first glance, it may seem that how many people, so many opinions on this issue. In fact, it all comes down to a small amount of initial data and the desire of the patient to have a certain breast size. Today I will only indirectly touch upon manufacturers and the differences between implants from each other. In the future, I will devote a separate article to this.
Shape and volume.
It must be said right away that these are general criteria characteristic of any breast implant. As you probably know, the shape of a breast implant can be round or teardrop.
Moreover, the degree of convexity of the implant can also be different from flat (low profile) to strongly protruding forward (high profile).
Breast implant volumes can vary between 150-800 ml, but breast implants with a volume of 200-400 ml are predominantly used. This is due to more or less similar initial characteristics of women.
Two interesting facts:
– at the beginning of his career in breast augmentation, the surgeon uses implants with a volume of 200-270 ml, and as experience is gained, 300-400 ml.
- in the initial experience, the surgeon tries to use teardrop-shaped breast implants more, believing that they will give the best result. With the accumulation of experience, impressions from his work and correction of problems, he uses more round implants or approaches their choice more selectively.
Another feature is that the opinion of the patient herself regarding the shape and volume of the implant is always very subjective and often erroneous. It takes the surgeon time and effort to justify the choice, as well as the patient's willingness to accept this information. But when such an understanding is reached, the result satisfies the surgeon and the patient, and errors are excluded. When the opinion of the patient dominates, and the surgeon is forced to compromise, then the likelihood of displeasure is high.
Quote from the article: "... a woman often has difficulty in choosing an implant for breast augmentation." A woman should not experience difficulties in this matter. This issue should be dealt with by a plastic surgeon who will explain and convince of the correctness of his recommendation.
Choosing the shape of an implant for breast augmentation It is quite simple if we operate with the initial data of the patient's mammary glands. And the main thing is the position of the nipple (more precisely, the areola and nipple) on the mammary gland. If it is in the center of the chest, that is, in the center of the sphere, then the chest itself is round and the implant, accordingly, should be round. If the areola and nipple are closer to the inframammary fold with a small distance to the nipple from below and a large one from above, then, naturally, this is a teardrop-shaped breast and the implant should be teardrop-shaped. The teardrop shape of the implant is also called anatomical, by analogy with the natural shape of the breast.
The choice of profile (projection of the implant) - the thickness of the implant in the widest part, is determined by the following simple criteria. If the breast needs to be expanded at the base, then the implant should be wide and flat (low profile). If a woman has her own breasts, but is small, then the profile may be average. If the breast is "absent" or slightly sagging, then the breast implant may be high-profile (as far forward as possible). This is a simplified diagram, but it helps to understand the principle of selecting a breast implant according to the profile.
The choice of volume is also not particularly difficult, but it requires taking into account height, weight, chest width, and initial breast size. With average initial parameters, the final breast volume will be the sum of the volume of the own mammary gland and the implant. Conventionally, one can also proceed from the consideration that the increase in size is at least 100 ml of the implant volume.
It turns out that the initial zero, and the desired 1st, then the implant is 200 ml. The initial zero, and the desired 2nd, implant is 300 ml. The initial zero, and the desired 3rd, implant is 400 ml.
Initial first, and desired 3rd, respectively -300 ml Initial first, and desired 4th, respectively -400 ml
Initial second, and desired 3rd - 200 ml Initial second, and desired 4th - 300 ml
This conditional scheme is only for a general understanding of the volume of the breast implant.
There are other logical methods for fitting breast prostheses. They are based on measuring the width of the circumference of the mammary gland spot and selecting an implant in accordance with this width. In these methods, the volume of the implant is a function of its diameter. That is, if you need a breast prosthesis with a diameter of 13 cm, then simply look at the table, what volume it will have and that's it.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, manufacturers offer implants with a step of 25-30 ml, thereby expanding the possibilities of a more accurate selection. But a noticeable difference between the volumes is 70 - 100 ml.
Example. A girl with zero breast size and normal height and weight wants to increase her breasts to 2-3 sizes. In the absence of one's breasts and goals 2-3, the volume of the implant can be in the range of 300-400 ml, and the profile is high.
A 40-year-old woman with the original 2nd size and sagging breasts wants to return to the previous volume, which was 3-4. Height, weight and width of the chest are average. The implant volume can be in the region of 300 ml, and the profile is high for ptosis correction or medium if ptosis is absent or minimal.
The following questions remained outside the scope of the discussion:
Implant, which company is preferable?
What is the difference between breast implants of different companies?
What is the difference between the range of volumes of different manufacturers?
What is the difference between smooth and textured breast implants?
How are breast implants selected for initial breast asymmetry?
Does the volume of prosthetic breasts change with age?
I will devote the next article to answering these questions and to a wider coverage of the topic of breast implants.