Augmented vs. Natural Looking Breast Implants

December 06, 2018

By Dr. Frank Lista, MD., FRCSC., Medical Director and Founder, The Plastic Surgery Clinic

Breast augmentations come in all shapes and sizes. Literally. Depending on the shape and size of the breast tissue you begin with, the breast implant shape, size and profile you choose can create dramatically different results. While some women are looking for totally natural looking breast implants, there are others who want a more augmented look.

This news might come as a surprise to some—after all, in patient consultations one of the most common worries I hear about is a fear of going “too big” with breast implant sizing. But these two different trends have actually co-existed for a long time. Here’s what goes into achieving each look.

What Contributes to Natural Looking Breast Implants?

This is truly in our wheelhouse: we’ve published journal articles and are invited around the world to lecture and teach other surgeons about how to achieve the most natural result possible. It’s not a humble brag but a straight up brag because we’re incredibly proud of the innovative work we do. So let’s talk about what makes a natural looking breast.

In a natural breast:

• Most of the volume occurs in the lower pole, or lower half
• There is a mild slope in the upper pole toward the nipple
• The nipple will sit at the part of the breast with the most projection
• The breast will sit around a mid-arm level and not too high
• Movement and feeling match natural breast tissue

Meeting all of these criteria when planning a breast augmentation operation is part of what keeps my job so interesting. I get to face new challenges with each patient and create an approach that is part art and part science.

Every patient is unique, and so there are certain key decisions that will affect each outcome. Depending on how much breast tissue a patient begins with, placement of the implant above or below the muscle can affect how natural it looks. We want the width of the breast implant to match the width of the breast, and we want the implant profile to create a natural looking projection while maintaining the slight slope in the upper pole.

Most of all, we want to choose an implant volume that is in harmony with the proportions of the body to create a born-with-it look. We hear from patients all the time that their breast implants are so natural looking no one can tell they’ve had an augmentation. Ultimately, we want you to have the option of keeping your surgery private if you choose to.

We also have countless patients who are so excited about their results they share their story with family, friends, blogs, Instagram, YouTube and the world. No matter which level of privacy suits you best, you should have the opportunity to choose it.

What is the Augmented Look?

As you might imagine, characteristics of the augmented look are essentially the contrast.

The augmented-looking breast:

• Has more volume in the upper pole to create a push-up look even without a bra
• Creates dramatic contouring around the breasts
• Is positioned higher on the chest
• May not move or feel the same as natural breast tissue
• Has a large volume in comparison to the proportions of the body

This look can best be described as totally accentuated and a little over the top—think Pamela Anderson in the 90s. It’s not for everyone, but it is still a look that some women prefer and request.

If that’s the look you’re going for, we’re unfortunately not the right surgeons for you as that’s simply not an area of expertise for us.

Learn More About Natural Looking Breast Implants

If the natural look is more in line with your goals, visit us to find out more about your options. Our consultations are always free and we’d love to discuss what we can do for you.