I have dozens of them on my website. Most every plastic surgeon does. There are Breast Augmentation sites all over the internet that have huge galleries of before/ after augmentations.

They serve a valuable purpose. I think they allow the prospective patient a glimpse at what their prospective surgeon produces, they show what implants look like, and the allow you to see how the different types of implants look.

BUT…be careful trying to use them to answer your most important question…”How am I going to look?

The first problem that I encounter when women bring in after pictures is that they don’t take into account the starting point they see in the photo vs. theirs. For instance, if you are 38 and have had 3 kids and breastfed, your tissues are not going to be the same as a 24 year old who has never been pregnant. You may be the same height, same weight, same starting bra size, but your breast is just different. So, your result will probably be different.

The other main issue is size. I can put the very same type and size implant in two women who on paper are identical, only to have them look totally different from a size perspective. Why? Because the width of your chest, the base width of your breast, the amount of skin laxity you have all factor in. Plus, your band size has to be taken into account. A C cup on a 34 bra is smaller than a C cup on a 36 or 38 band bra. Why? Because a woman with a 38 band has a bigger torso than a 34 band woman, so it takes more breast to make a C cup on her than it does on the 34 band woman.

My advice is to use the galleries as a guideline for size and appearance. If you print out a picture and tell your Plastic Surgeon you want to look exactly like this photo, he or she will probably hesitate. Look at lots of photos and develop a size range and then see how your surgeon thinks this will work for you.

Lee Corbett, MD

www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

502.721.0330

All posts on this blog are presented by Louisville Breast Augmentation surgeon, Dr. Lee Corbett.