This has been interesting reading for me as I am a plastic surgeon who specializes in BA. I perform about 450 such procedures annually. Let me tell you what I have learned. The best way to choose your implant is to forget about cc’s. Let the surgeon do that…it’s his job. What you should do is be able to communicate the look you are trying to achieve and often pictures of other people is a good place to start. There have been many times when a patient has told me they wanted to be a full c and then I see pictures depicting a d cup. It’s not exact but a good place to start. Take a look at the surgeon’s before and after pictures to se if there are sizes which you find appealing. The measurements which we take are guidelines for some of the decisions which we make. They are not exact criteria for the size you should get and neither are the implant dimensions. There are certainly people who have chosen implants smaller than what their chest could accommodate and the corollary has occurred very often, as well. DO NOT LET YOUR SURGEON PICK YOUR DESIRED SIZE. We are not the ones living with it. Unless there is a definite anatomic restriction it may be the time to get another opinion.
Now a few words about implants. Saline are still the most common in the U.S. but are they the best choice? Not in my humble opinion. I believe them to have too much rippling upon palpation. The only positive aspect is that they require a much smaller incision for placement. As for silicone, I find them to feel the most natural. Silicone implants are much different than the ones which were taken off the market in the early 90’s. The shells are much thicker and the silicone gel is much thicker (cohesive). Cohesive is a term for all silicone and is confusing because there are varying degrees of cohesiveness. The old implants were cohesive but in such a state that they would leak. The new implants (cohesive I) will not leak but if cut in half and squeezed it will not return to the original shape. Cohesive II (Mentor Lumera) are much thicker such that they have a jello appearance when cut and will return to their original form after being squeezed. These are available only in textured and tear drop shape. They offer a bit less rippling than the cohesive I but are also a bit firmer and I believe less of an option for purely cosmetic reasons. The last is cohesive III (gummie bear) which are the thickest. I have not had as much experience with these but am a little discouraged by the feel (too firm) and the incision required (long and inframmamary position). The cohesive II and III are much less pliable and require a larger incision as they are not pliable and have memory of form. My last point…there is never a reason to put an implant above the muscle (subglandular) position. It is a setup for problems. It appalls me that some surgeons still do it that way.