How big is the smallest breast implant?
When it comes to breasts in America, the popular aesthetic seems to be “bigger is better”, although the trend seems to be turning towards a more natural look in the last year.
As a plastic surgeon in San Francisco who performs thousands of breast augmentation surgeries, it recently occurred to me that no one was asking me about the smallest implant available.
I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised because who would want to go through the time, expense, and recovery from breast augmentation surgery just to look relatively unchanged?
But in case you were wondering, there is a small breast implant available. In fact, it is downright tiny.
The smallest breast implant available in the United States is an 80cc. That’s roughly the size you were when you bought your first training bra.
Does the smallest implant make a difference in cup size?
No, probably not. In general, 100cc of breast implant volume will increase the size of the breasts by one cup. So an 80cc implant would turn a natural B cup into a B + or a full B. I have not yet met the patient who wants to wear the same size bra after surgery.
Is the smallest breast implant made of saline or silicone?
Saline implants are inserted into the patient’s breasts as empty shells and then filled with saline to the desired size. Therefore, the smallest 80cc implant is made of silicone.
Who makes the smallest breast implant?
In the United States, only two companies can sell cosmetic breast implants: Allergan and Mentor. Allergan manufactures the 80cc silicone breast implant, and the smallest Mentor implant is a 100cc silicone implant.
What is an 80cc breast implant used for?
Well that’s a good question. Basically the smallest implant is not used often. Even in parts of the world like Asia, where women prefer smaller cup sizes, an 80cc implant may not work.
The original purpose of breast implants was reconstruction after breast cancer. After a total breast removal, the average woman would need an implant much larger than 80cc to achieve even a small cup size. For size C or D breasts, several hundred cc’s would be needed.
And no, 80cc don’t like a layer cake on top of bigger breast implants either. While some fringe physicians in other countries may place one implant on top of another for patients hoping to achieve massive HH or MM breasts, the standard and accepted method of breast augmentation in the United States only allows one implant within each breast.
I suppose there is a small implant in the same area as a singular tiny square of dark chocolate. Sure, it’s available for sale, but who buys it? Most people want more.
