Sometimes after breast augmentation, the patient feels her breast size is inadequate. It’s easy to sympathize with these women who have endured the expense, time, and risk of surgery but are not satisfied because they feel their breast implants are too small. If you fall into this category, here are some options you may want to consider:
Be Patient
It’s common for women who have had breast augmentation to want to enjoy their new breast size as soon as possible. You may have spent months dreaming about how you will enjoy the enhanced size and shape of your new breast contour. However, results after breast implant surgery are not as immediate as one may think. It’s natural during recovery for your implants to ride high on your chest and appear smaller than you envisioned. They take about three to six months to fall into their intended position and plump into their permanent size.
We refer to this process as “drop and fluff.” The drop part of this progression means your implants will fall into a lower position in time. This dropping is true for all types of implants: silicone or saline, teardrop or round. Right after surgery, your breast tissue compresses the implants, keeping them flat and high. Once your breast tissue adapts to your implant shape and size, however, gravity will take effect, and your implants will descend and expand.
When the breast tissue relaxes, the implants will settle into their permanent place and move into their intended shape. In other words, they “fluff.” The drop and fluff can take from three to 12 months.
Add a Lift
Sometimes it’s not the size that needs addressing after breast augmentation, but it’s the location that needs help. Although breast enhancement surgery does improve shape and size, it does little for the location of the breast, and adding a breast lift will help your breasts look more round and youthful.
A breast lift will give your breasts higher elevation and nipples a more horizontal (rather than downward-facing) direction.
Breast Revision
There are times when women feel their breast implants are too small when, in fact, they are as large as they can be. It’s important to understand that optimal size is dependant on body type. To go too large will not only be aesthetically wrong but may cause physical issues like back or neck pain, or problems with an active lifestyle.
It’s unfortunate, but there are also times that the implants could have been larger than they are at present. Dr. Pugash and his staff work closely with you to determine implant size during consultations, but many women come to us with breast implants done elsewhere that are too small. When a woman’s implants do not satisfy the patient’s goals because they were not correctly sized, she may want to consider breast revision surgery. This process includes removing existing implants and replacing them with precise size. Although the procedure requires surgery, Dr. Pugash can trace the original incisions to insert the larger implants to decrease scarring and ensure successful results.
If you would like to explore your options if your implants are too small, call us today at 604.522.5199 or schedule a consultation