Current Trend in Breast Implant Size

The trend in cosmetic surgery nowadays is the natural look.  This is particularly true in breast augmentation that most patients are choosing implants which come in “conservative sizes.”

Anecdotal evidence shows that a significant number of patients choose breast implant sizes (described in cubic centimeter) between 350cc and 500cc.  They can provide enough volume especially in the upper poles without leading to inappropriately large, grapefruit-shaped breasts.

Women should remember that cc alone does not determine the final size, although in many cases a 150-200cc can increase the breast to one cup. 

(Important note:  Implants with a size of 250-350cc may transform a petite lady’s AA cup to D cup, while the same size may only increase the bust size of a larger and/or taller lady by a cup or two.)

Large breast implants usually start at 600cc, and women with a large body frame more often than not have no problem using them.  This is particularly true if they have sufficient amounts of breast tissue and fat, reducing the risk of visible and palpable wrinkling.

By contrast, large implants can be very problematic for thin and petite women not only because they often lead to a “heavy top look,” but they also result to higher risk of wrinkling and rippling.

Also, when large implants are used on thin women or patients with very little tissue, more often than not their breasts appear unusually round—the most common telltale sign of plastic surgery.

Meanwhile, there are two kinds of breast implants used in the US:  the saline implant which is filled with a sterile mixture of salt and water, and the silicone implant which contains a cohesive gel.

Currently, breast manufacturers in the US do not produce silicone implants larger than 850cc, even if there is no law prohibiting them to do so.  This is because common sense tells that excessively large sizes can lead to chronic back pain, longer recovery, stretch marks, and bottoming out which will eventually force a patient to downsize her implants.

But some saline implants, which are filled once inside the breast pocket, are larger than 850cc.  However, they are rarely used as [ethical] plastic surgeons will not push the body’s limit for the sake of aesthetic goals.  

Contrary to popular belief, patients can achieve a prominent cleavage without having to choose larger implants.  In fact, some smaller implants can provide this sexy feature by offering more projection.

Asian Breast Augmentation

About 307,000 breast augmentation surgeries were performed in 2011, making it the most popular cosmetic plastic surgery during the period.

In a 2011 survey released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, breast augmentation was one of the top three cosmetic surgeries performed on Asian-Americans, which has always been the trend. 

Because Asian women often have a smaller frame than Caucasians, the general rule is to limit the implant size particularly if the aim is to create a natural appearance instead of an operated look.

Small- to moderate-sized breast implants are particularly ideal when dealing with patients who have little breast tissue to prevent or at least minimize the risk of visible wrinkling and rippling. 

Nowadays, the trend is the natural look which can be easily achieved by using smaller breast implants.  In fact, many plastic surgeons have noticed that most of their recent patients asked for implants filled between 300 and 350 cubic centimeter or cc which is often enough to add volume without giving a heavy top look.

Aside from the implant size, Asian women should also consider the implant profile or the projection off the chest wall.  As mentioned earlier, they generally have a smaller frame and chest “band” than Caucasians so these certain anatomical features should be taken into consideration.

In general, patients with a small chest “band” should use high-profile implants which offer more forward projection and smaller base, which is important to avoid the unnatural look. 

On the other hand, petite patients in general should avoid low-profile implants which have a bigger base but offer less projection as they can occupy too much space on the chest band, resulting to “bursting” appearance.

To date, a growing number of women choose silicone breast implant over the saline version because it provides a more natural look and feel with its viscous filling.  Meanwhile, the US Food and Drug Administration has recently approved the fifth generation of silicone implant which has a more cohesive gel than its predecessor, in addition to being form-stable.

But still, salineimplants, which are filled with a sterile mixture of salt and water, can provide a natural look and feel as long as there is an ample amount of breast tissue and fat; but if this is not the case, unnatural contour and higher risk of wrinkling are usually the results.

But despite some concerns, saline implants are still endorsed due to their surgical flexibility and are easy to replace during a revision breast augmentation.

Film School in China Bans Students Who Had Plastic Surgery

With the growing popularity of plastic surgery in China, a film school has made it clear that anyone who alters his or her appearance will likely be disqualified from the entrance examination.  Officials from the illustrious performance institute of Beijing Film Academy said that “changes in the faces and other body parts might affect the acting of students.”

Even students with tattoos may be disqualified from entrance examination.

Surprisingly, many people think the decision to ban those who had plastic surgery is “fair,” arguing that actors who had “surgical enhancements” are somewhat cheating.

Some people even say that plastic surgery is a fraud.

However, what they fail to realize is that plastic surgery is not all about looking better than others.  For some people, this may be their only way to live a normal life, improve body functions, and repair deformities caused by illness and accidents.  Does it mean individuals who had reconstructive plastic surgery are also banned from the film school?

One student’s parent even said that she agrees with the plastic surgery ban because “what matters is the performance and acting, not how a person looks.”  With this argument, what is the point of excluding those who had “cosmetic enhancements” when their talent is the most important thing rather than their appearance? 

And not to mention the freedom of choice.  The choice to undergo “surgically-assisted beautification.”

Another potential loophole is that how on earth the film school’s officials can determine if someone had surgical enhancements or not?  What kind of criteria they are going to use?  Perhaps it would be too tedious to conduct background check for the sole purpose of determining if a student had plastic surgery or not.

Currently, eyelid surgery is one of the most common cosmetic plastic surgeries in China.  And with 94 percent of the population consisting of Han people who usually lack a prominent eye crease, individuals with this feature may end up being accused of having “surgical enhancements” even if they did not.

The issues surrounding plastic surgery are somewhat analogous to guns.  Guns are neither bad nor good as the situation depends on who will use them.  The same thing is true in cosmetic surgical enhancements. 

But perhaps the plastic surgery ban imposed by the prestigious film school has its own merits.  According to the country’s health ministry, about 70 to 80 percent of those who seek cosmetic surgical enhancements are high school and college students who are too young to understand the ramifications of their decision.

Also, another concern is that teenagers are not yet physically mature to undergo cosmetic plastic surgery.

Bizarre Stories About Breast Implants

Just recently, a Florida woman made headlines after she was attacked by her ex-fiance’s new girlfriend.  While crime of passion is not uncommon, what makes the story bizarre is that she survived because her salinebreast implant prevented the pocket knife from piercing her heart and lungs.

If this story sounds weird, hold yourself from more bizarre news involving breast implants.

1.     Snake dies after biting a woman’s chest.

In 2011, a model from Israel was attempting a stupid act live on air: kiss a snake.  Unfortunately, the boa constrictor died after it bit her surgically-enhanced breast; reports showed the cause of death was silicone poisoning.

Surprisingly, the model did not suffer from any serious problem although she was rushed to the hospital right after the incident and was given an anti-tetanus shot.

2.     Politician raffles breast implants to raise funds for campaign.

In Venezuela, a politician raised money for his campaign by raffling off breast implants.  Gustavo Rojas defended his action and said that while people raffle televisions and other appliances, he decided to offer cosmetic surgery which he said was far more interesting.

“It is an interesting prize…I’m not showing disrespect to anyone,” Rojas said.  

3.     Woman survives gun attack because of her breast implants.

A Los Angeles woman was shot in the chest but survived when her breast implant stopped the bullet from reaching her heart.

When Lydia Carranza was brought to the hospital and underwent a CT scan, doctors were amazed to realize that the bullet fragments were millimeters away from reaching her heart and other vital organs.

Carranza was at her office when a co-worker’s husband fired at her and his wife.  The wife died during the shooting incident.

4.     Woman survives a car crash thanks to her breast implants.

A 24-year-old Bulgarian woman survived a head-on collision when her 40DD breast implants absorbed most of the impact, preventing fatal injuries on her ribcage, lungs, heart, and other vital organs.

While she survived the accident, her silicone breast implants did not.  A police officer said the devices worked like airbags—they absorbed the impact and protected the victim’s ribcage.

5.     Woman accused of faking breast cancer to get implants.

Trista Joy Lathern from Texas lied about having breast cancer to raise $10,000 which has been used to pay her breast augmentation surgery.  She even shaved her head to look like she was terminally ill.

When authorities found out her scam, she was charged with theft by deception.

Miley Cyrus Denies Breast Augmentation Rumors

Former Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus has denied rumors of breast augmentation surgery after she was seen wearing a plunging neckline dress during a red carpet event. 

To disprove the rumors, she Tweeted: “Thank you for the compliment, but these babies are all mine,” adding that people should “realize that you don’t have to be fake to be beautiful.”

The 19-year old actress-singer also said that she her body is still maturing so there is nothing surprising about her seemingly larger breasts.  Her explanation sounds convincing since her breasts do not appear unnaturally big given that she is not petite, and perhaps her dress just created an “optical illusion” of a larger bust size.

And because of the plunging neckline dress she was wearing, it is not surprising that her cleavage looked more defined.  In fact, one may surmise that if it wasn’t for the low-cut design, her breasts wouldn’t appear as big as they were.

Meanwhile, Cyrus was irked by the comments of three “experts” hired by Star Magazine (via RadarOnline) who said that “there’s a strong indication that the young actress has gone under the knife to achieve her voluptuous look” at the CNN Heroes: All-Star Tribute.

One of the cosmetic surgeons added that the “outline of the breast implants are visible in the lower portion of her breasts,” adding that it is impossible to have a significant increase in bust size, even with large weight gain, without having breast surgery.

Whether her new voluptuous look is a product of breast augmentation surgery or just because of her low-cut dress, she looked stunning during the event.  That’s a fact which is hard to deny.

Subfascial Breast Implant Placement Overview

With the advances in plasticsurgery, there are many available surgical techniques in breast augmentation to accommodate a specific anatomical feature, achieve the goals and expectations of a patient, create the most natural result possible, and minimize the risk of complications.

Nowadays, there are many breast implant placement techniques available to patients, although the most popular are the submuscular (the device is placed behind the muscles) and subglandular (the device is placed behind the tissues).

Meanwhile, there is a new technique called subfascial breast implant placement which is a compromise between submuscular and subglandular methods; it combines the benefits of the two primary placement options while eliminating the disadvantages associated with them.

The subfascial technique greatly resembles the subglandularimplant placement, with one major difference.  While the pectoral muscle is not touched, the fibrous fascia tissue is dissected from its front wall in order to place the breast implants beneath this layer.

Perhaps one of the possible advantages of subfascial implant placement is that it can isolate the device from the breast tissue, which leads to greater accuracy during mammogram examination.

Another benefit is the shorter recovery because the chest muscles are not disturbed, which is the case in submuscular implant placement.  And for this reason, patients can also expect less swelling, bruising, pain, tenderness, and other postoperative symptoms.

In terms of breast appearance, the technique provides a very natural result because it mimics the innate movement and contour of the tissue.  In addition, it provides added support from the strong fascia layer.

And unlike the subglandular implant placement, the subfascial technique prevents the risk of visible and palpable wrinkling because there is a fibrous fascia that provides coverage to the implant shell.

While the subfascial placement can lower the risk of capsular contracture (hardening of the scar tissue around the implants) compared with the subglandualr technique, it is not as effective as the submuscular implant placement which completely isolates the breast implants from the tissue, which is believed to harbor high levels of bacteria that can potentially increase the risk of complication.

Advocates of this new implant technique believe it works well for patients with small breasts and limited amounts of fats and tissue who want to achieve a smooth and natural-looking bust after breast augmentation surgery.

But for those who want to further minimize the risk of implant visibility, the submuscular implant placement is still the best technique.