Breast implants can look great on any woman — tall, short or petite. Women of a smaller stature often have questions about picking their implants and making important decisions about their procedure. Here, Los Angeles-area plastic surgeon George Sanders discusses the factors that short women must consider about breast implants.
Best Implant Size for Small Frame
Breast implants should be carefully chosen, with special attention paid to the size of the implant. A great way to start the implant selection process is to bring your plastic surgeon a photograph of breasts that are your ideal size and shape, and ask him how you can achieve a similar look. Try to select pictures of women whose height and frame are comparable to yours.
Also, instead of thinking of implants in cup sizes or even CC’s, focus on proportion. The proportion of the implant in relation to your body and chest size is important. A small implant can look large on a short, petite woman whereas it would not be as noticeable on a taller or bustier woman.
Profile and Projection
Another important implant factor is profile, or how far the implant projects from the chest wall. Generally, a low profile implant has a wider diameter and takes up more “real estate” on the chest, possibly leading to issues like the implants touching in the middle of the chest or extending too far toward the sides of the chest (toward the armpits). High profile implants have a smaller diameter and may fit the narrow chest of a petite woman better — but they also have the potential to produce an artificial-looking result. An experienced plastic surgeon can weigh the pros and cons of all options and advise the appropriate implant profile to satisfy your desired outcome. Shaped implants may also be appropriate if you are trying to gain or minimize additional fullness in the upper breast.
Position
Implants can be placed under the chest muscle or over the muscle. Many short, petite women considering breast implants have little native chest tissue to adequately cover the implants. Therefore, it may be a better choice for the implants to be placed under the muscle, to give them some coverage and prevent the implants from looking very obvious. Your plastic surgeon can weigh in with his recommendation, based on your body type and amount of natural breast tissue.
Conduct a Sizing Test
If you are considering breast implants, you are encouraged to “try on” different sizes of implants to get a visual preview of what the results would look like. This is very helpful in the decision making process. Most plastic surgeons offer implant sizing kits to be used in their office; you can slip different implants into your bra while standing in front of a mirror and determining which size looks best. Or, three-dimensional computerized imaging technology can be used to digitally simulate your body with different implants. These tests can be performed during the breast augmentation consultation.
Learn More about Petite Breast Implants
For more information about breast augmentation for small women or selecting the best implant size for a petite frame, please schedule a consultation with Dr. George Sanders by contacting our Encino, CA plastic surgery center today.
