Choosing The Right Natural-Looking Breast Implants For You
Many women who desire breast augmentation want their breasts to look larger and more attractive but also natural. If your goal is to choose the most natural-looking breast implants, many factors will affect your decision. Your choice of implant type, size, shape, profile, and placement as well as your body shape, chest wall, and breast tissue will all influence how natural looking your breast augmentation results will be.
Implant Types
Saline Implants
Saline implants consist of a silicone shell filled with a sterile saltwater solution. They are either pre-filled or inserted and then filled to the desired size. Saline implants are more prone to wrinkling or rippling, but ruptures are easy to identify without needing an MRI.
Silicone Implants
For a more natural look, silicone implants may be the best choice. The cohesive gel in silicone implants gives them a more natural look and feel than saline implants. Additionally, silicone implants are less prone to rippling, and implant rupture should not produce noticeable cosmetic issues.
Form-Stable Implants
Form-stable implants, also known as “gummy bear” implants, contain a highly cohesive gel that is more solid than the gel in traditional silicone implants, which helps maintain the shape of the implant long term and helps reduce the chance of leakage. These implants have a textured outer shell made of silicone that can reduce capsular contracture (hardening of the scar tissue around the implant). They are available in a wide variety of widths, heights, and projections.
Implant Size
Generally, women should avoid implants that are overly large if they wish for natural-looking results. Unless you have a rare condition such as amastia, tuberous breasts, or Poland syndrome, where larger implants may be required, it is best to choose implants that are not unusually large because they may look disproportionate on your frame.
Implant Shape
Most women are able to achieve natural-looking results with round implants. Round breast implants form a teardrop (anatomical) shape when a woman is standing, but they flatten and soften when she lies down, like a natural breast.
Anatomically shaped breast implants will not change shape in different positions and may create an unnatural look at times. This is particularly striking in patients who have only one breast reconstructed after mastectomy. Anatomical breast implants may feel harder or stiffer than round implants because the gel is thicker, which many patients do not like. They also have a higher risk of rippling or wrinkling in both breast augmentation and breast reconstruction patients.
Implant Profile
Low profile implants may yield more natural-looking results because they are fuller at the base of the implant. However, your chest wall and breast placement will also determine which implant profile will look the most natural. Women with a narrow chest wall may achieve better cosmetic results with high profile implants, as low profile implants could produce unnatural-looking volume on the sides of the breasts.
Implant Placement
Placing the implants beneath the chest muscles tends to deliver more natural-looking results. The implants will provide the necessary volume enhancement, but the natural breast tissue is what is most seen and felt.
Body Shape
Your natural body shape will also influence your choice of breast implants. For example, if you have a more athletic build or if your figure is not particularly curvy, high profile or large breast implants may look unnatural on your body. On the other hand, if you have wide hips but naturally small breasts, you may want to choose larger implants that will give you a more prominent chest and create an attractive, natural-looking hourglass body shape.
Chest Wall
The width of your chest wall is crucial in selecting the appropriate implants for a natural appearance. If your chest wall is naturally wide, high profile implants could look unnatural, as though they have been stuck on your chest. Dr. Pollack will take careful measurements before recommending which implants would look most natural.
Breast Tissue
The amount and shape of your breast tissue will also affect your choice of implants. If you have little natural breast tissue, exercise caution when choosing large implants. If your breasts are asymmetrical, you may wish to select implants of different sizes or shapes to create a more symmetrical appearance.
All of these factors can affect how natural looking your breasts will appear after breast augmentation. During your personal consultation, Dr. Pollack will go over more details about your breast implant options and offer his expert recommendations for what will be most likely to lead to your desired aesthetic outcome based on your preferences and anatomy.
To schedule your consultation with Dr. Pollack, please call our La Jolla location at 858-450-9100 .