1. Prepare like a pro

The first secret to gorgeous results is having a productive, in-depth personal consultation with your plastic surgeon. And you’ll get the most out of that meeting if you prepare ahead: read about others’ breast augmentation experiences, look at before and after photos of patients who look like you in the ‘before’ images, and get a basic understanding of breast implant and surgical options.

Take notes, save examples, and write down the questions you want to ask. This will empower you to ask more detailed questions and help you receive personally relevant information. Patients who have prepared for their consultation are better able to clearly communicate their goals, helping them to get on the same page with their surgeon more easily.

As you research breast implants, take notes, save photos, and write down the questions you want to ask your plastic surgeon.

2. Pay attention to the details

Your surgical plan has a big impact on your results. Whether you want a subtle boost or notably bigger breasts, my goal is to create a volumetric look that perfectly suits your frame. Here are 3 key elements of the plan that I am thinking about when I meet with you:

• Breast implant options: There are a range of breast implant options, with variations in size/volume, profile, and material. During the consultation, you will have the chance to try on sizers and feel implant options for yourself. We’ll recommend a range of sizes and profiles of implants that we know will look good on you, and help you narrow down your options from there.
• Breast lifts: If your breasts sag, you may need a breast lift in combination with your breast augmentation. This is not always the case, as a little visible “lift” can be achieved with implants. But if your breast sagging is more than just mild, we may have to incorporate a lift in order to achieve your vision.
• Add-on procedures: You may desire add-on procedures (such as liposuction) to get ideal, comprehensive results.

Excellent surgeons customize the procedure for your anatomy, and discuss the details of the surgery with you. The best surgical outcomes happen when the surgeon and patient are collaborating—you bring your expertise about your body and goals, and I bring my expertise about breast surgery.

3. Optimize your health for a smooth recovery

The secret to an optimal recovery? It starts well ahead of surgery! Go ahead and start investing in your health to support your body’s ability to heal during recovery:

• Strictly abstain from smoking and vaping.
• Fuel a healthy recovery by eating a nutrient-rich diet full of protein, fruits and vegetables, healthy fats like nuts and seeds, and whole-grain carbohydrates.
• After breast augmentation, you will need to sleep on your back. So that you’ll be comfortable getting quality rest in this position after surgery, practice ahead of time! You may want to place pillows along your sides to support this position at first.

After recovery, follow these tips that are a key part of the secret to gorgeous results:

• Continue to refrain from smoking—and, ideally, don’t pick it back up! Smoking ages your skin prematurely, and therefore contributes to breast sagging.
• Continue to eat a nutrient-rich diet.
• Don’t do too much, too soon after surgery. Embrace this chance to rest and allow your body to do the work of healing!
• Wear soft, supportive surgical bras—no underwires until your surgeon gives you the OK.
• Sleep on your back.
• Take care of your incisions per the scar care instructions that we provide.
• Avoid the sun, which will darken your healing scars and contribute to early skin aging.

4. Do it for the right reasons

Breast augmentation is one of most genuinely confidence-boosting procedures available. Yet choosing breast implants is a personal decision, and the happiest patients we see post-op decide to have this procedure to feel like a stronger, more confident version of themselves—not to please someone else. Check in with yourself before booking your consultation to make sure that you are seeking breast augmentation as a gift of confidence to yourself rather than to make others happy.

Breast augmentation should be a gift of confidence you give yourself—not something you do to make others happy.

5. Choose a qualified plastic surgeon who gets you

Good rapport with your plastic surgeon may be the most important secret to your results. Look for someone who listens to you and works with you during the consultation to make sure they 100% understand what you want out of surgery. Find a surgeon who is board certified, has years of experience, has glowing reviews, and shows you stellar before-and-after results that resemble the look you’re going for. Trust your intuition, and if you don’t feel that your plastic surgeon gets you, get a second opinion!

Schedule your consultation with Dr. Cat at Swan Center in Atlanta

Female board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Cristen Catignani wants her Atlanta breast augmentation patients to feel empowered, safe, and listened to every step of the way. If you are ready to schedule your consultation and learn what breast augmentation with Dr. Cat can do for you, call 770-667-0904 or contact our practice online.

You are smart to do your research, as some basic principles of breast implant sizing will help you as you talk with your surgeon about the look you want. Here is everything you need to know to help you get gorgeous breast augmentation results in proportion with your figure.

How do you choose a breast implant size?

In collaboration with your board certified plastic surgeon, you will choose a breast implant size based on a number of factors. First and foremost, you and your surgeon will discuss the “look” you want. Do you want buxom breasts, or do you want a modest, more natural-looking augmentation? Before and after pictures of patients who resemble you can help at this stage. Then, your surgeon will examine you, considering a number of factors about your body:

• The measurement of your breast base (breast width)
• How wide-set your breasts are
• The width of your shoulders and hips
• Your height, weight, and overall shape
• Your current breast volume
• The quality of your natural breast tissue

Other considerations may come into play during this consultation, too. For example, athletes may want to choose more modestly sized implants for their comfort while active. Or, you may want a certain incision placement or type of implant that will affect your choice of size.

Finally, you will try on breast implant sizers in our office to get a sense of what different sizes look like on you. Once you and your surgeon reach an understanding of the result you want, they will still typically bring a small range of implant sizes into your surgery. This minor amount of leeway allows your surgeon to observe the specifics of your tissues during surgery and, based on that, select the most appropriate implants to achieve your desired look. This also helps surgeons to achieve greater symmetry between the breasts; often, one side will need a slightly larger implant.

What implant is best for broad shoulders?

If you have wide shoulders or a larger frame, you will most likely be happiest with low-profile implants. “Profile” refers to how much projection the implant has: high-profile implants are shaped more like gumdrops (a bit more “pointy”), with more volume projected out from the chest wall. In low-profile implants, volume is evenly distributed throughout the implant, filling out the breasts at the center and edges. Low profile implants tend to create a nice fullness in all directions for women with a wider chest, without needing to add so much volume that they are uncomfortably heavy; high profile implants, on the other hand, typically look more natural on patients with narrow or petite frames. Moderate profile implants are also an option that is ideal for many patients with wider chests.

The key to gorgeous breast augmentation results is breast implants that are in proportion with your figure.

Tall or broad-shouldered women also often find that they are surprised by the high implant volumes we recommend for them. This is normal; if you are tall, you will need a higher breast implant volume (measured in cc’s) to achieve a proportional look.

What should I consider before breast augmentation if I have a larger frame?

The most important choice you make before breast implants is your surgeon; if you have a wide frame, look for a surgeon who has patients who look like you in their before and after gallery—with results you like! Note that surgeons’ online galleries may be limited, but in your initial consultation, your surgeon should be able to show you many more patients with the kind of results you’re looking for. If their aesthetic is not right for you, there is no harm in scheduling a second consultation with another surgeon. Your results are (literally) in your surgeon’s hands, so make your decision with no less than 100% confidence they can give you the results you desire.

How many cc’s is equivalent to a breast cup size?

Bra cup sizing is not scientific, nor is a single “breast cup” on a 42 band size going to hold the same amount of volume as that on a 32 band size. This makes it difficult to use breast cup size to determine the implant volume in cc’s that will be right for you. While you can try to estimate your implant size ahead of time, it’s key to schedule your consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon and try on implant sizers. Each implant has a certain diameter, projection, volume, and fill material, so the best way to get a sense of how all these factors interact in a certain breast implant is to handle real implants and try them out!

Does my weight before breast augmentation matter?

If you are at a stable weight you expect to maintain, your weight before breast augmentation usually doesn’t matter. (You just need to be under a BMI of about 30 to safely undergo surgery.) However, if you are actively losing weight, or expect your weight to fluctuate by more than 15-20 pounds, hold off on surgery until your size and proportions are stable so that your surgeon can give you a gorgeous, proportional result that continues to look stellar far into the future.

Schedule your breast augmentation consultation at The Swan Center in Atlanta

You are not alone in choosing your breast implant size at The Swan Center! Our board certified plastic surgeons take their time and work with you to find the perfect breast implants for your body. From initial consultation to post-operative check-ins, we are on your team every step of the way. To schedule your consultation, call 770-667-0904 or contact us online today.