The concept of breast augmentation is usually associated with increased breast size. However, for many patients, the motivation behind breast augmentation is to improve breast shape and proportion, without becoming excessively large. Thats why many patients also visit us for breast augmentation revision surgery.
Why downsize your implants?
Several factors may contribute to your decision to switch to smaller implants.
- Unhappy or uncomfortable due to your existing implant size
- Changing aesthetic preferences
- Lifestyle changes
- Pregnancy or weight gain that impact breast appearance
- Desire for a more proportional look
Regardless of the reason, downsizing is an excellent option to help you feel more comfortable with your body image. Fortunately, the availability of various breast implant materials, shapes, and sizes helps accomplish this. Other benefits of switching to smaller implants include achieving a more natural appearance, improving your comfort, and lowering your risk for certain implant-related complications like rippling or malposition. And it’s a trend that’s growing, as noted in this Today.com article.
Is a Second Breast Augmentation Easier?
In many ways, downsizing can be more technically difficult than upsizing because the pocket for the implant is too large and must be reduced to fit a smaller implant. Likewise, the skin covering the implant can be stretched out and often needs tightening to avoid a “droopy-looking” breast.
For patients with fairly tight and elastic skin, the surgery can be as simple as re-entering the breast through their old scar, exchanging the current implants for new, smaller implants, and closing the incision. Care must be taken to ensure the base width of the new implant is still appropriate for the patient’s chest width, and this can usually be achieved by switching to a lower-profile implant to maintain reasonable width and reduce projection.
For the above reasons, it’s essential to choose an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon with extensive breast revision experience who can prioritize your safety and results.
Breast Augmentation with Lift: Your Options Explained
The larger the downsizing and the looser the skin quality, the more likely it is that a patient will need significant pocket tightening and a breast lift in addition to the implant exchange. In these situations, I generally use cautery to shrink the breast capsule, which reduces the pocket size and shifts the implant into a higher and more central position.
In some cases, I use textured implants or Strattice™ to stabilize the implants. Then after checking the patient in the seated position, I tailor the skin as necessary with a breast lift to fit the smaller, more youthful framework. You can learn more about how Strattice supports successful breast revision in this related blog post.
Is Downsizing your Breast Implants Worth it?
Women who downsize are generally very happy with their results and have a rejuvenated appearance. They report feeling more comfortable in their clothes and frequently appear as if they have lost weight. There is also a lightness to the chest that can improve the ability to exercise comfortably. Downsizing is not for everyone, but in the right patients, it can make a dramatic improvement in their appearance and well-being. Still, some patients opt to remove their breast implants altogether with breast implant removal surgery.
Take the Next Step
If you’re ready to embrace a more natural look and achieve other lifestyle benefits with a breast augmentation revision, request a consultation online or call (480) 423-1973. As an experienced breast plastic surgeon in the Phoenix area, I’ll work with you one-on-one to achieve the results you desire.
Published: 3/28/14, Updated: 5/12/18, 10/13/20, 9/11/2024
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