The Trident Approach To Choosing The Right Breast Implant

Choosing the right breast implant can seem daunting.

There is a dazzling array of sizes and shapes of breast implants out there and you will be forgiven for thinking that it is an impossible decision.

…but fear not

It is not as complicated as it may seem.

I have specialised in breast surgery since 2007 and have developed a process that simplifies the decision making and takes away the myths and opinions that you will find freely distributed by anyone and their aunt.

Here at The STAIANO Clinic, we follow a three step process known as The Trident Approach.

Step 1: measure the base width of your breast

This is the most important part of choosing the right breast implant, yet it is the least talked about on online forums and chats.

You cannot have any implant that you want.

When you look at the vast number of breast implants in the breast implant catalogue, a huge proportion of them are already unsuitable for you because they will not ‘fit’ your breast.

It is essential to get this right because if the implant is too wide, you run the risk of synmastia which is a web between your breasts, this is sometimes referred to as uniboob and is a difficult problem to correct. The other issue with using an implant that is too wide is that it can stick out too far to the side and your arm will catch on the side of your breast.

If your implant is too narrow, then, because they usually have a round base, it may not be tall enough to fill the upper part of your breast and will not fill the footprint of your breast, so you may not achieve the fullness that you desire.

Once we have measured the base width of your breast, you will automatically be limited at to the range of implants that will suit you.

Step 2 – look at the different shapes and profiles of implants

Breast implants come in 2 shapes:

• Round
• Teardrop

They also  come in different profiles which means that some are more prominent than others.

They are commonly termed, low, moderate, high and extra high profile. Although not all companies use this terminology – Mentor for example have a moderate plus profile (but not a low profile) and Motiva has different names for them, although the principle for all of them is the same – some implants stick out more than others.

It is not as simple as saying that a certain shape or profile will give a certain look, because it depends on the natural breast tissue that you already have.

When choosing the shape and profile, we need to take in to account the size and shape of your breasts – it is not a one size fits all.

This is why it is not possible to give a useful opinion online. You need to have an in person consultation with a plastic surgeon so that we can discuss your aims and then examine you and assess your body and breast shape before considering the shape of implant to have.

Step 3 – choose the implant volume

This is the final thing to look and yet this is often the starting point for many people.

Contrary to popular belief, the size of the implant is not as important as people think.

In fact, if your friend tells you that they have a 300cc implant and they have a good result, that is not really helpful to you. There are a whole variety of 300cc implants.

It mainly depends on the base width.

If your friend has a wide chest, then she may have a low profile 300cc implant, whereas if you have a narrow chest, then it may be an extra high 300cc implant that will be the best fit for you.

These will give two completely different looks, not to mention the need to take in to account yours and your friend’s breast size and shape before you start.

Clearly the size of your implant plays a part and you will need to be comfortable with the volume.

We use sizers at the clinic and this will allow you to ‘try on’ different volumes to get an idea of the sort of volume that you feel comfortable with, however the volume that you can have will be dictated by the base width of your breast and the shape and profile of the implant that you choose.

You can register for my webinar on ‘Choosing The Right Breast Implant’ Here

Whilst it can be a daunting experience to choose the right breast implant, when you approach it with The Trident Approach, it brings a system that takes some of the mystery away.

To find out more details about having breast implants at The STAIANO Clinic, click here.