BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101

Thank you whippetmom. I scheduled an appointment with her for next Friday to see what she thinks. I'm obsessing and driving myself crazybecause I just want this to get this right the first time so this can be the last surgery.

I've been reading (and appreciating) this thread for awhile, and decided it was time to throw myself into the ring.

I'm 5'4", 125 lbs. My ribcage is around 31' and before surgery I was wearing a 34/36C bra.

I had a bilateral mastectomy at the beginning of the summer; they removed 325-330 ccs from each breast. My tissue expanders are Allergan 133-MX-T - the brochure says they are 13 cm wide, 12 cm tall and hold 500 ccs. I currently have 350 ccs in them and we're not planning on more fills.

I'd like to end up as close as possible to the size I was before, but since implants are shaped differently than natural breasts and some of the tissue removed wasn't from the breast mound itself, I'm not sure what the best choice is. My priority is to be comfortable and active.

I'm leaning toward the anatomical implants - my surgeon thinks they are a good choice for someone with my build, but is willing to do the rounds if I prefer. He's happy to do either Mentor or Allergan, but he likes the medium height implants.

The one other option we discussed is the possibility of doing some pocket work to drop back to a 12.5 cm width rather than 13. Right now my implants touch in the center, and I'd kind of like a little bit of room in between. If we did that, obviously it would change the volume options as well.

Any thoughts or recommendations?

What do you need to know and I will send it.

Coach Vicky

These are the notes I have on my TEs:

Mentor CPX4 with suture tabs.medium height, style 9200, 550 cc.

Before surgery I was a 38G, 175 pounds.

I am 130 pounds and my rib cage is 30.

Thank you again for your help. I am grateful.

Coach Vicky

Dear whippetmom,

I have been reading through a lot of the older posts. I found one from last year where you were talking about eventually switching out your style 20 550cc (which you previously suggested would work for me) for SRX 580 with the same diameter of 13.5 but with a projection of 6.4. You stated the other option was a style 45 with the same diameter of 13.5and projection of 6.4 but was 700cc and you did not want to go that route.

My question is this. If the dimensions are the same, how are they able to contain different volumes?

My PS appointment was rescheduled for this Friday and I just want to be as informed as possible with what I might suggest I want.

Thanks!

Thank you whippetmom! As for the autologous procedure, I was referring to fat grafting. Maybe fat grafting is not considered an autologous procedure. Thank you for helping me. I appreciate it.

I know the doctor said he will use a dome shape on me, as he finds them to look more natural on some patients and felt that they would look best on me. I am not sure what the cc's add up to, so that is why I am thinking of size in relation to cup size. This is all happening so fast. I breasts are perky but soft looking...I don't want to look like I have these hard mounds on my chest. I am petite. Plus, I know they would distract me if they were too large. I know I will have the advantage of checking out the size since I will have the expanders, but it is far away...at least my surgery seems like it will never get here, and who knows how long it will take to have them filled at all. I wish I had a better idea of what by chest will look like one day. I look online and see many and size is not clear to me as well as the amount of scarring. Some reconstructions with silicone implants are so uneven and dents. I think I am assuming I am going to have these perfect breasts like one does with an elective breast augmentation without a mastectomy involved.

Nothing is perfect. I know this is the case with cancer and treatment and reconstruction and everything else we must face. But I am learning that the more understanding I have and the more I narrow down my layman's ideas, the better I feel. I guess knowledge is somehow a way to feel I have control of something.

Thanks for the help.

orcaporkka thanks but that's the question.

The volumes of these implantsare different but the dimensions are the same. Same diameter. Same projection. How can there be different volumes? I'd like to know how that's possible and what effect it does have on shape before I even suggest it to my PS. My exchange is two weeks and 1 day away and I'm kinda going nuts. That's why I have so many questions about what will look right on me. I just hope after seeing her again Friday and talking this out will help settle things for me.

Thanks. Whippetmom.

So since the dimensions are exactly the same (13.5 diameter 6.4 projection) does that mean the shell of the SRX is thicker than the style 45 and that is why one holds 700 and the other only 580? Does that make the SRX more firm like a tissue expander? Why would you personally want the SRX over the 45? I tried to get access to the picture forum but was denied because I haven't been a member long enough and haven't made enough posts. My exchange is before the minimum time period of a month passes. I appreciate your input

Hi whippetmom & bc community

I am 3 weeks post-op on BMX with direct to implants. As my swelling goes down, I am beginning to notice visually and through pain, that my Natrelle 410 implants sit very high on my chest. The top of the implant seems to be about 1" above the top fold of my armpit on my right, dominant side and slightly lower on my left. I experience pain near armpits whenever I move my upper arms inward and whenever I take deep breaths. I was hoping that they would "settle" but the more I read about drop & fluff it seems that is not applicable to reconstruction.

I asked PS to go small (A or and with as much natural droop as possible but this things feel like they got shoved way higher into my pectorals than necessary or comfortable. My PS did not measure me before surgery and now I look at my implant tags and they say 255cc and FF (highest and fullest projection). Of course, no PS showed me any implant catalogues so I had no idea about height and projection.

I swim, hike, run and I'm feeling devastated that he may have put in an implant that is too long for my body. I am not sure how to address this with him. Or if there are any solutions like banding the top of my breast to push them down. Wondering if you know anyone who has had this experience.