Cup Size Confusion, CC’s & Cleavage Concerns
Cup size and CC’s create the most confusion when it comes to breast implants.
It’s critical to remember that size isn’t the only thing that matters when it comes to the appearance of your breasts. A sensuous, sexy bust line is the combination of proportional volume for your frame and a perky shape. Perception of cup size varies from person to person. Every bra manufacturer makes bras differently and band width affects cup size, so things can get pretty confusing if you get your mind set on 34C. You may be a 34C in one bra and 32 D in another. When you go to Victoria’s Secret and try on different styles within the same store, you’ll understand why we say, “it’s all about the look and not the cup size!”
We discourage you from getting set on a cup size and the same is true for CC’s. It’s common for us to hear, “my best friend has 375 cc’s and they look perfect on her, so I want 375 cc’s too”. The critical words are “on her”. Even if you and your best friend are similar in body size, your final appearance will be determined by other factors like the shape of your ribs, the width of your breasts, and the amount of natural breast tissue you are starting with plus the size of your implant. Let’s focus on the look you desire.
It’s important to understand that increasing the sizes of your breasts isn’t necessarily going to give you cleavage. Cleavage isn’t really about volume. It’s defined as the gap or distance between your breasts, and it’s related to the shape and width of your breasts and where they sit on your chest wall. Dr. Gordon and Dr. Reid refer to this anatomical relationship of the breasts to the chest wall as “the breast-print”. It’s like a fingerprint that’s unique to you, and if affects your final breast augmentation result.
What makes up your unique “Breast-Print”?
- the distance between your breasts
- prominence of your breast bone or sternum
- the position of your breasts on your chest wall
- the position of your right and left IMF (infra-mammary fold) or breast crease
- the distance between the bottom of your areola and the IMF
Take a look at your breasts in the mirror. Do they sit close together or far apart? Do they sit high or low on your chest wall?
If your breasts are set very wide on your chest, you will definitely have more superior fullness after your augmentation, but not necessarily close cleavage. On the other hand, if your breasts are close together, you’ll have great cleavage, even with a small implant.
It’s important to understand that some parts of our anatomy cannot be altered surgically. Breast implants need to be centered directly under the nipple. In a patient with wide-set breasts, the nipples are naturally further apart from each other. If a surgeon attempts to place the implants closer together in order to get more cleavage, the nipples will then be on the outer side of the breasts and will be pointing outward. This is very unnatural.
For most patients, the width of their cleavage after augmentation is hardly an issue. And if it is, a bra can help.
