You may want to augment your breasts, but you would like the finished product to look natural. What you don’t want are artificial-looking breasts that are too round and that fail to follow the natural contours of your body. How do you ensure that your breast augmentation surgery results in an aesthetic that you want and doesn’t end up looking unnatural?
It turns out that the trick to natural breast augmentation is to choose a procedure which complements the current shape of your body. Although you may be tempted to go big, it’s not always the best policy and could lead to poor results.
In this guide, we’re going to investigate how to achieve the most natural-looking breast augmentation possible. We’ll delve into the technicalities of breast augmentation, as well as the conversations that you should have with your doctor before undertaking any procedure.
What Is Breast Augmentation?
Breast augmentation is a procedure which enhances the size and shape of the breasts. The purpose of breast augmentation is to give you a fuller bust and can be great if you think that your breasts are too small or you have lost breast tissue due to surgery.
Breast augmentation, however, is not a catch-all term for surgeries which change the shape of the breast. Breast augmentation, for instance, does not bring breasts closer together or solve issues such as sagging. The term refers solely to enhancements in the size of the breast, and that’s it.
How To Achieve Natural-Looking Breast Augmentation
Achieving natural-looking breast augmentation isn’t automatic, even with today’s advanced technology and procedures. You’ll have to consult with your doctor about how to obtain a natural-looking size and shape and consider a number of factors during your consultation.
Choose The Correct-Sized Implant
Breast augmentation implants differ in size considerably. Some implants will increase your breast size by a single cup, while others by many. Some people are tempted to choose the largest breast implants possible, but doing so might not be a good idea, especially if you’re trying to achieve a natural look.
Two possible problems could emerge if you choose breast implants that are too big. The first is that if the implant is too large, it might slip out of the breast capsule and into the surrounding tissue. Patients, for instance, can experience slippage of the implant into the armpit or the centre of the chest cavity, creating a “mono-boob” effect. The implant is too large for the body to contain.
The second issue is choosing the wrong implant shape. Round implants were popular in the past because that’s what the technology allowed, but natural breasts are not: they have unique contours. Round implants often lead to a “boob job” look: breasts which do not look natural at all. You can avoid this problem by choosing implants which mimic the biological form of the breast.
Choose The Right Surgeon
If you go to a clinic and the surgeon lets you decide which type of implant to choose, and what size, see that as a warning sign. Experienced and responsible surgeons know that their patients are not in a position to judge the optimal size and shape breast implant: that’s their job.
In the initial consultation, the surgeon should talk to you about the type of look that you want to achieve. If you want a natural-looking breast augmentation, then tell the surgeon. He or she can then take measurements of the breast and the surrounding area to determine the size and shape of implant that would be suitable. Honest surgeons should tell you the largest natural size you will be able to achieve, given your frame.
Choose A “Low-Profile” Implant
Implants come in a range of “profiles.” These profiles determine the height of the implant as it meets the chest. Low-profile implants rise gradually out of the chest towards the nipple, whereas high-profile implants rise more rapidly. Low-profile implants look more like natural breasts, while high-profile implants are more rounded and provide more impressive cleavage.
Your surgeon should talk to you about different profiles. Choosing a low profile implant will make your breasts look more natural and avoid that “boob job” look, but they may not provide you with the cleavage that you want. High profile implants will give you cleavage, but may not look as natural.
Choose The Right Material For A Natural-Looking Breast Augmentation
The material from which your breast implants are made will affect not only how they look, but also how they feel.
Silicone implants have been around for a long time and have gone through many generations and upgrades over the years. Today’s silicone implants are available in many options that feel different from one another. Standard silicone implants filled with regular gel feel mushy and pliable, just like natural breasts. Silicone implants with cohesive gel feel firmer and bouncier but, arguably, not as natural. Cohesive gel silicone implants are still deformable, meaning that they will compress when touched, but they won’t have the same feel as your regular tissue.
Why would you choose cohesive gel rather than standard? Although cohesive gel implants do not feel as natural as a regular gel, the fact that they can maintain their shape means that they can be shaped into a more natural-looking teardrop shape, whereas standard gel implants cannot. So it’s a tradeoff: if you want more natural-looking breast augmentation, you may have to sacrifice the feel of the breasts, and vice versa.
Can’t you have the best of both? Not exactly. At the moment, patients can either choose between congestive or standard silicone gel. However, if you have a good amount of existing breast tissue, you may be able to enhance your natural breasts with the use of a saline implant. Saline implants are elastic silicone bags filled with salt water. In some circumstances, surgeons can insert saline implants into the breast capsule, enhancing the size and shape of the existing tissue. However, while this approach may achieve both a natural look and feel, it can go wrong. Saline implants are prone to “rippling” which is where the implant takes on a wrinkled appearance, often near the top of the breast (which is a total deal breaker if your goal is natural-looking breasts).
Talk To Your Surgeon About The “Implant Pocket”
The implant pocket is the capsule of breast tissue in which the implant will sit. It is what provides the space for the implant and has a pivotal role in how natural your breast augmentation will look, once the procedure is complete.
The breast pocket needs to be the right shape and size for the implant. If the pocket is too small for the implant, the breasts may look bunched or crimped as the implant itself becomes compressed by the lack of space. Likewise, if the pocket is too large, then the implants may appear to float, leaving areas which look deflated.
Your breast pocket is a unique size and shape primarily determined by your genetics. What’s more, there’s little you can do ahead of time to ensure that you choose the right implant for your particular biology: the shape of the pocket is usually only revealed during surgery. When it comes to choosing an implant which fits your implant pocket, you have to trust in the skill of your surgeon.
If you want to achieve natural-looking breast augmentation, it’s worth having a frank conversation with the surgeon about the implant pocket. You want to check that they understand the potential issues and are prepared to insert an implant of the correct size and shape, even if that differs from the one that you chose together at the initial consultation.
Avoid The “Double Bubble Deformity”
Many breast augmentation surgeon believe that the only way to achieve a natural-looking breast is to place the implant underneath the chest muscle tissue. The problem with this approach, however, is that it does not allow the implant to spread out naturally into the breast pocket. Instead, it sits confined underneath the muscle and can’t move out to fill the entire breast volume.
While many people will be happy with the results, there is a chance of what is called the “double bubble deformity.” This deformity occurs when the implant remains at the top of the breast under the muscle, and the lower half of the breast sags down below, with a step-off in between. This is a look that you want to avoid.
Conclusion
Achieving natural-looking breast augmentation is possible, but it is heavily dependent on the quality of the surgeon. High-quality surgeons will cover all of the issues that we’ve discussed with you during your consultation and will take the lead in making critical decisions, even if they sometimes conflict with what you might want. Less experienced surgeons won’t.
Experienced surgeons will also choose implants that will continue to fit as your tissues change over time. They will have one eye on the present, and another on the future, ensuring that your breasts retain their natural form over the lifetime of the implant.