Breast implant size and the breast envelope

Breast implant size and the breast envelope

 

Hi. I'm Dr. Lee.

Today I will write about the details of the topic, 'How to choose the breast implant size for augmentation mammaplasty.

 

 

Last time I mentioned breast width has supreme importance for choosing the size.
But another important factor is the breast envelope.

 

Nearly everybody who wants augmentation surgery hopes her breast become as big as possible. 

For some patients, it is not difficult, nor problematic, but for some patients, it is very difficult and problematic.

Let me compare it to space of a house.
The actual area of a house fits for just 4 persons to live in.
But if its space was applicated very well, there could be room for additional persons. 6 or 7.
These ideas have parallels in breast augmentation surgery - the extensibility of breast envelope. 

 

If one's breast envelope is stretched very well, then a big size implant can be inserted easily, and the shape must be natural enough.

If one's breast envelope is very tight and tense, then a big size implant will not be available even for a big-built woman, and the shape must be unnatural.

What is breast envelope?

It is the covering tissue of the mammary tissue.
That is, skin, subcutaneous fat, muscle (pectoralis major), and fascia.

These tissues cover the underlying implant.

Breast envelope goes looser with age, less tight, more stretchy. 

Other factors related to the stretchy breast envelope are  as follows ;

Number of delivery.
Massive weight loss (10~20 kg)
Big breast

Breast feeding is not yet established as the culprit of the saggy breast but could be considered as that of stretchy breast envelope.

If a breast augmentation surgery candidate is very young and has no history of delivery, the breast envelope  must be very tight.

It does not stretched well. The surgeon has to struggle to insert something under it.

If a candidate is aged or, has many children, with saggy breast then generally the implant volume could be very big. The envelope would be well stretched and the insertion process might be easy.

In these cases scar would be vague because, a bad scar is made when there is strong  tension between the opposite side of the wound.

 

But the size should be adequate even for these people because, if the implant is very very big, the weight of the implant must be very heavy and it can stretch the envelope too much. That condition could result in a saggier breast.

Round up ;  when we make a decision of the breast volume, 

 

firstly we consider the width of original breast. 

 

Secondly consider the tightness of breast envelope. 

Big-built woman (wide breast width)  with  loose breast envelope, can have very big implant.

Small-built woman (narrow breast width) with tight breast envelope, should have smaller implant for natural - looking breast.

If a candidate for the surgery is small build but the breast envelope stretches well, then she can use bigger implant than expected.

 

 

That's it for today.

Thanks for reading and have a great day.