
Textured breast
implants are made from the same material as smooth implants, with the exception
that they have a rough surface. Scientific studies in plastic surgery medical
literature have demonstrated that textured implants are less likely to get
hard. This is caused by formation of a thick scar capsule. The disadvantage of
textured implants is that they might be more palpable and may cause more
rippling (wrinkles). This means that you might be able to see and feel the
boundaries and irregularities of a textured implant more than that of a smooth
implant. Because submuscular placement of implants reduces the risk of capsular
contracture of smooth implants to nearly that of the textured implants, I often
use smooth implants in the submuscular pocket in order to minimize the risks of
capsular contraction as well as rippling. In patients who have had a history of
capsular contracture, I would instead use textured implants in the submuscular
pocket.
Anatomic implants are
usually narrower and longer. Their projection peaks not at the center of the
implant, but towards the bottom of the implant. Esthetically speaking, a woman
who has had children, breastfed, or has lost breast fullness in the superior
aspect of her breasts would benefit from a round implant that compensates for
this loss of fullness superiorly. On the other hand, a very thin woman who does
not have sagging breasts will have less superior breast fullness with a
teardrop implant. In addition, anatomic implants are more challenging to place,
and run the risk of turning onto their sides (which will make one of your
breasts look like a horizontal loaf of bread). MRI radiographic comparisons of
round and teardrop implants in women that are standing do not demonstrate any
significant difference between their shape and appearances.
Who would benefit most
from high profile breast implants?
Standard breast
implants are round and have low to moderate profile. Women who want very large
and protruding breasts, but have small and narrow chests, would benefit from
high profile implants because they have a relatively small diameter but a much
higher profile than standard implants. In certain types of cases, when breast
augmentation is combined with a breast lift or reconstruction, high profile
implants might also be of advantage.
How small or how big of
a breast implant can I get?
You can have a
saline-filled breast implant as little as 120 cc or as big as 850 cc. If you
are a small size, the 120 cc implant would make you a size A, and the 850 cc
implant would make you DD. The size of the breast implant is not the only
determining factor in your bra size; obviously it also depends on the size of
your existing breast tissue. As the size of breast implants increase, their
width increases relatively faster than their projection. Therefore, the larger
the implant size you choose, the wider the breast implants will be. While
larger or wider implants create a strong cleaveage, there is a limit on how
large of an implant can fit on your chest. Your plastic surgeon will make a
chest wall measurement and most likely recommend a range of breast implant
sizes that you can choose from. In my practice, I have the patients try on
different size breast implants in order to see how it looks on their figure.









