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BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101

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Comments

  • brownlee
    brownlee Member Posts: 21

    movingforward/cheryl - my left breast seems much smaller.  I had nipple sparing/BMX on Dec. 19  I have 350cc TEs and I am filled to 400 - met with PS yesterday, he said he would use high profile implants and fix the size difference in surgery.  He said I could get 450-475 or 500cc.  He recommended the 500 based on my request to be a tad bigger than before -  I was a full C.  My husband is hoping for Katy Perry boobs - not happening!  I 5'3.5 with a 29.5 inch rib cage and 133 lbs.  So my  PS also doesn't seem fazed by the size difference.  I can't wait for my surgery date-March 19!

    Good Luck

  • Dulcigirl
    Dulcigirl Member Posts: 864

    My lefty was noticeably larger when I went in for exchange last week. They are now both the same size. It can be done! ;-)

  • movingforward11
    movingforward11 Member Posts: 6

    cheryl, what is your te size? my te size is 250 but filled to 300. i would say that one breast is about a medium b while the other one is definitely a small b.  on me it's a big difference.   so tell me, can you be filled to 300cc and have a 500cc implant and actually be bigger?  i thought the te's stretch you just so far and that the final outcome, when you have your implants, the implants will look smaller than the fill with your te's.  ??? 

    my ps will be bringing different sizes but now since the one breast is smaller, it sounds like he is going smaller.  is it possible to be bigger at exchange?  my exchange surgery is not till april 19th.  oh, btw, i measure about 29 & 3/4 under my rib gage.  

  • movingforward11
    movingforward11 Member Posts: 6

    Dulcigirl how did your exchange go?  

    were you concerned with the different sizes?  did you have different size implants put in?

  • movingforward11
    movingforward11 Member Posts: 6

    brownlee,  so it sounds like your ps is not concerned about the size difference.  do you know how it gets fixed?

    i'm just worried he'll have to make me smaller. 

  • jenamae
    jenamae Member Posts: 10

    Can someone tell me how TE feel and Look im about to have skin and nipple sparing and kinda freaked out id like to know what people who actually have them think. Im afraid im gonna leave the hospital flat chested. more then i already am.

  • Crescent5
    Crescent5 Member Posts: 64

    Jenamae, ask your PS if s/he will fill a little during surgery. I think I woke up with 150ccs. Look, some people will say TEs feel like hell, like rocks ...etc. They don't really. You'll likely have some little breasts when you wake up, and things will be under wraps so you won't notice at first. Honestly, the first time after my surgery that one of my drs used the word "mastectomy," I was taken aback. It never really felt like a mastectomy. I just felt all along like the Scarecrow of OZ when he got restuffed. Sure there were no flying monkeys, but I'm pretty sure there was a witch. =)

    It will be OK.

  • Dulcigirl
    Dulcigirl Member Posts: 864

    My exchange went very well. I was very concerned at my pre-op appointment about the different sizes. I'm a tad (!!!) OCD about symmetry. My PS assured me that he would do his best at exchange to make everything match. And he did. My implants are actually the same size/# of cc's, so my assumption (I have NO idea if I am correct!) is that he tightened up the skin on the larger side. My left TE at exchange was 50 cc's larger, but looked like more to me.



    I am larger than I planned on being but each day I get more used to them. Plus I am entertained by all of the colors my skin has gone through as I'm healing. Lol. Today the lower halves are mostly yellow with occasional brown patches and purple splotches. (Sounds like a weather report!)



    I'm excited for you all to get here too. It IS emotional, so be prepared for that. My PS warned my husband post surgery that now I would need to heal physically and also learn to accept these as the new me.



  • jenamae
    jenamae Member Posts: 10

    Ya i keep hearing things like they are rocks and ugly and all that. is it true that all feeling goes away and no sensation in nipple to hot cold ect. ?

  • Chrisrenee77
    Chrisrenee77 Member Posts: 693

    Jenamae- at first mine were very uncomfortable, and more so on fill days. But I got used to them and I would describe as rocks. I was getting 100cc's filled every week . You do get used to them. I was filled to 750 on left and 800 on right. They are pretty even. As far as sensation goes I have sensation every so often but I did have 3 surgeries in 6 mos so I'm hoping that in time I do feel more. I have no nips at this time but am getting close to that stage hopefully I a month or so. Good luck with your surgery!

    Dulci- a LITTLE OCD you say?!?!? Haha love ya girl!

  • Crescent5
    Crescent5 Member Posts: 64

    I have some feelings in my nips, but nothing like what they used to have. The skin has feeling in most spots (not at incision sites though). A few weeks after surgery I had a breast exam at an onc's office. The intern had cold hands, and I felt every finger tip. She kept apologizing, but I said it was the best thing I had felt in weeks. I did not expect any feeling.

    I ignored my TEs for the first month. I was suppose to go direct to implant, but had a complication and woke up with those. But they were not bad. Most women will do fine, and the ones who have issues will post about it. So it sounds worse than it is if you go by reading the boards. Mine seemed pretty big after the last fill, but they weren't gross or anything.

    My recollection is week 3 was not comfortable for whatever reason, and I found that to be the case with my last surgery as well. At some point, your nips may feel very uncomfortable. But this is a blessing in disguise. It simply means that some feeling is coming back. So while it's not a great feeling, it's great progress.

    Everyone is different though. I can tell you with absolutely honesty that today I sit here one year later with 2 very pretty boobies. I hardly notice anymore that they aren't the originals. They mostly just feel part of me.

    Best wishes to you. I think anticipation is the worst part.

  • ndmk
    ndmk Member Posts: 27

    Whippetmom and/or anyone else that might be able to help...

    I am scheduled for my bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction and I'm slightly at odds with my PS.  Prior to being diagnosed with BC, I was scheduled for a breast augmentation (currently an A, wanted to be a C).  Fast forward to today, my PS says at most he strongly recommends a full B and highly discourages going any larger.  He mentioned that there would be more complications.  I don't see how my size request is unreasonable as many women on this forum seem to go from an A to a C with no problems (relatively).  I have a rib cage of about 28-29inches, I'm 5'3 and 98 pounds.  

    I've seen other women with my frame size at around 350cc's and it looks great.  Any thoughts?  Thank you so much in advance!

  • Estel
    Estel Member Posts: 2,780

    ndmk - a lot depends on your skin ... You're tiny and if you were small before, your PS has only so much skin to work with. I'm 5'5" 110# and while I would have liked to be a little bigger, skin integrity wouldn't allow it. I had 310cc's in my TE's and they were swapped for 325cc implants. I don't have the projection that I had with my natural breasts but I look fine in clothes and a well-fitted bra can work wonders.



    Implants are wider than natural breasts so it is unlikely you'll end up with a b cup. Focus on size (what they look like) and not on cup size. I wear a 30D bra but look like a b cup in my clothes.

  • cheryl_e
    cheryl_e Member Posts: 111

    Movingforward11, my TE's are Mentor medium height 275s. My PS and his nurse assured me I can be a bit bigger than my TEs. He is using ultra high profile on me instead of just high profile.



    I know I have read where several ladies have a little bit different sized implants on each side and look perfectly symmetrical. I have noticed that my left is a tad bigger than my right, which was the exact opposite with my natural breasts, LOL. When whippetmom gets back to you, I know she will clarify things for you and you will feel better. :)

  • islandmom
    islandmom Member Posts: 131

    ndmk,  I am 5'-2" weigh 100 lbs and my rib cage is 27 1/2 inches.  I am a uni and I have a 450 cc implant on my mx side and a small implant on the other side. My bra size is 32 DD or 30 E, so yes it is possible to go with a big implant but as Dawne-Hope mentioned there are other factors such as skin integrity or just the way some of us are built.  Have you doctor explain why the limitation if you are not satisfied get a second opinion.  

    In my case I ended up bigger than I had envisioned but I have gotten used them.    

  • ndmk
    ndmk Member Posts: 27

    DawnHope & Islandmom- thank you so much for your response.  I actually lost some weight and used to be about 105 pounds and I was a 32B.  After I lost weight I'm a 32A but my breast tissue is, for lack of a better word, stretchy.  But you brought up a good point about skin integrity...that makes complete sense.

    islandmom...did you have small or large breasts prior to reconstruction?

  • bcs22
    bcs22 Member Posts: 20

    Thanks to those who responded about the pocket work. Could someone post the member I should pm for access to the picture forum?

    ndmk-I am 5'2" 125 with 29 in ribcage. I was a 32A pre BMX-skin and nipple sparing. I have TE's filled at slightly less than 400 and am aiming for C territory. I have nursed four kids. So,my skin has been stretched in that area many times:) Maybe that's the difference. I was concerned about skin integrity. But PS seemed like it wasn't an issue at a C. Did your PS give reasons he was concerned?

  • Lilah
    Lilah Member Posts: 2,631

    Roadwarrior -- wow that is big news!  I will google to read but yes the gummy IS the Allergan (or Natrelle) 410.

  • roadwarrior28
    roadwarrior28 Member Posts: 161

    Dulcigirl - I work in healthcare and get alerts about all new FDA approvals. It just happened yesterday :)

  • roadwarrior28
    roadwarrior28 Member Posts: 161

    Lilah - (not sure if my last message posted) I work in healthcare and get alerts about all new FDA approvals. It just happened yesterday :)

  • Lilah
    Lilah Member Posts: 2,631

    Roadwarrior -- it's just been so long in coming.

  • whippetmom
    whippetmom Member Posts: 6,028

    ndmk: Read the thread header above - Item #4. Do not discuss cup sizes with your PS or you are almost guaranteed to end up unhappy with your results. I think frankly that you would be better with nothing more than 325 ccs in a high profile smooth round silicone implant. But your ribcage could probably handle 12.0 cm, if indeed it is 29 inches. So a midrange/moderate PLUS profile implant would work well also - something around 300 ccs. But do you know what style or type of implants your PS uses? He might use Sientra shaped implants - he might want to use the Allergan 410....so many things to discuss with him. For your small frame though, I like the Allergan SV or SX TE - around 250 ccs....which should enable the PS to use an implant in the 300 cc range.



    Deborah

  • whippetmom
    whippetmom Member Posts: 6,028

    Congratulations Dulcigirl....you will grow accustomed to the size. Now onto healing and then into some great bras!

  • 2nd_time_around
    2nd_time_around Member Posts: 14,084

    Whippet Mom,

    Once again you were spot on correct! Went to PS yesterday for last fill and we started discussing implants. She uses Mentor and like you said, she plans to bring a couple sizes into surgery, but the 750 HP style you suggested for me is the one she plans on using.  Also, she was surprised and impressed I was so educated - thanks to you! So appreciate your advice and sharing your knowledge! This site would be vey different without your assistance.

  • ndmk
    ndmk Member Posts: 27

    whippetmom, thank you so much for your response.  My PS only uses saline but he said he'll make an exception for silicone with me.  He said that in his professional opinion, he thinks silicone has a higher rate of capsular contracture which is why he steers towards saline but given how thin I am, he would do silicone.  I've decided I don't want the natrelle 410 just because i've seen other women say its very firm and my understanding is that its more technique sensitive.  

    I'm also really concerned about implants that will look too far apart.  I understand that this outcome has a lot to do with your anatomy, correct?  Will moderate plus help to correct that?  I should measure my ribcage...29 inches is an estimate.  I did find a blog of a girl who is a similar build (height, weight, etc) as me and she has high profile, 375cc's and it looks great.  the blog is http://sameerandapril.blogspot.com/  just scroll all the way down and she has photos up of the reconstruction and info on the size, type of implant etc.

    Thank you again so so much. Invaluable help...

  • Estel
    Estel Member Posts: 2,780

    ndmk - Get a soft tape measure and measure at your IMF.  

  • tinat
    tinat Member Posts: 2,235

    ndmk - Sorry to jump in, but I post this link from time to time:

    http://www.advanced-art.com/Breast-Aug-Cleavage.htm

    Of course, this is a site geared to augmentation rather than reconstruction.  Plus, if you have nipple-sparing surgery that places some limitations on cleavage since you want your nipples to be in the right position.  This site helped me to understand why I had no cleavage before BC and why my reconstruction looks pretty natural - still no cleavage due to my ribcage configuration, but I still look like "me".

  • ndmk
    ndmk Member Posts: 27

    TinaT-  thank you for the link.  Very informative and a great resource.  This definitely helps to clarify my expectations.

    I measured my rib cage and I was a bit off...I'm 28 inches right under my breasts.  Whippetmom....do you think that makes a big difference?


    Thanks!

  • whippetmom
    whippetmom Member Posts: 6,028

    ndmk: Based on what you describe as your vital stats and ribcage circumference, you would be fine with high profile smooth round silicone implants with a volume of 325 ccs to 375 ccs. It just is up to your PS to determine if this is possible, based on the amount of tissue he has to work with after the BMX, and your response to expansion. Certainly you can tell him your desires regarding implant volume. I think you are headed in the right direction and I think that HP silicone rounds are probably the best fit for you.

  • whippetmom
    whippetmom Member Posts: 6,028

    2ndtimearound: So glad it is all working out for you. Cannot wait to hear from you after the exchange!

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