Whereas the most popular cosmetic surgery in the U.S. is liposuction and in Iran is rhinoplasty, the biggest demand in Estonia is for breast surgeries. The fact that Estonian ladies are wanting in the size of their breasts isn’t necessarily bad news. The techniques and materials for breast augmentation have greatly improved and making the right choices can bring attractive results.

What size is good for me?

Often, women have done their research before coming for a consultation and arrived at a conclusion about the size implants they want. But they tend to forget that implant sizes can’t be viewed independently. We must look at how the size of the implant will affect the future cup size and how that fits the rest of the body.

For example, a 300 cc implant increases cup size by about 1.5. That means that a smaller B will become a fuller C after the surgery. A 400 cc implant increases cup size by 2.5 so that the smaller B will become a fuller D. But whether a woman should have a C, D or E cup depends on the proportions of her whole body. Thus, you shouldn’t be disappointed if we recommend something other than the very popular 350 cc implant.

Nordic women have another peculiarity – namely, our breasts often need two different sizes of implant. This is a result of skeletal discrepancies on the two sides of the body, which results from a vitamin D deficiency. At the consultation, we have to explain to patients that their breasts only look like they are different sizes. The visual differences in the breasts are not a result of glandular or fatty tissue mass but rather the breasts are on different planes. In these cases, we try to make the breasts the same size after the operation. This can be done with implants that have different profiles, for example by using one implant with a medium profile and the other with a higher profile.

Before coming to the consultation, women should figure out how they want to look, what size breasts fit their figure and what cup size they’d like to have. But choosing the exact size and shape of the implants for the results you want should be left to the professionals.

What technique should I prefer?

Only 20 years ago, the techniques being used didn’t allow us to place implants behind the chest muscles for women with slightly droopy breasts. Back then, doctors didn’t know how to loosen the edge of the muscle and breast glands on several planes in order to perform an internal lift of the breast. Thus, there was a danger of a double bubble effect happening with the implant, meaning it looked like one ball placed on top of another.

Nowadays, surgeons use a dual-plane technique to place implants behind the muscle. During this technique, the edge of the muscle is opened and the implant is partially placed behind it. This covers the top of the implant better, which would leave a nasty edge sticking out if it were only covered by glands and fatty tissue. The more tissue that covers the implant, the more natural it looks.

The dual-plane technique has an advantage over previous techniques. It allows us to place the implant behind the muscles for fallen, lateral (nipples one the outside) and tubular (triangular shaped) breasts. The new technique also allows us to place implants up to size 500 cc – whereas before, the limit for a medium sized woman was 400 cc.

Today, we are placing the implants behind the muscle in 80% of cases where they would previously have been placed on top of the muscle. Even though the dual-plane technique gives surgeons more options, it is also more trying on the patient. Poor post-surgery care may eliminate the positive effects of the new technique. Thus, the patient, herself, has a big role to play in the preservation of her beautiful, new breasts.