Blog

beautiful happy woman

For more than 12 years, breast augmentation has been the number one cosmetic plastic surgery procedure in the United States. There are many reasons women choose to get a breast augmentation, from adding more volume to shaping more symmetrical breasts. Some women choose to get a breast implant after having children, and other women are looking to feel more feminine and beautiful by complimenting their form with breasts that make them feel sexier. Whatever the reason a woman chooses to get breast implants, the procedure will come with a lot of personal choices about the way they want their new breasts to look and feel.

Breast augmentation and the materials plastic surgeons use to give a woman’s breasts a fresh new look have changed in many significant ways over the years. There are newer types of silicone and form-stable implants commonly called “gummy bear” implants that allow us to create a range of shapes and textures. Most plastic surgery practices can even use modeling technology to show you how you’ll look with different types of breast implants.

Although the trend for decades has been for many women who get a breast augmentation to opt for larger implants, sometimes jumping more than a couple of cup sizes, in recent years that has shifted. Today, there’s a rise in the number of women who are opting for smaller implant sizes initially or when getting older implants replaced. In this post, we’ll look at some of the reasons women today are electing to get smaller sized breast implants.

If you’re thinking about breast augmentation but are unsure of what size would be best for your lifestyle and frame, please contact Dr. Wilson at AW Plastic Surgery. Send us a message through our website or call our plastic surgery practice in Portsmouth, MH at (603) 294-4526.

Smaller Breast Implant Sizes Because of Pop Culture

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, more than a quarter million breast augmentations are performed every year. In addition to the average implant size getting smaller, many women are also getting breast reduction surgery. In many ways, this is because more is known about how larger breasts can cause chronic lower back pain and other issues that may impact the quality of a woman’s life, but this may also be indicative in some ways of changes in our society’s beauty standards and how women want to look and feel.

If you think back a couple of decades when breast implants started to become popular and more mainstream, the trend tended to be large, round breast implants. Think about women like Pamela Anderson and other celebrities of the 90s who very clearly wanted their breasts to stand out. Many women today, however, aren’t looking for the obvious, surgical look. They’re asking for a more natural, perkier look for their breasts, which is made more available by the way plastic surgeons can shape breast implants today.

Smaller Breast Implant Sizes Because Of Lifestyle Trends

In addition to some of the pop culture influences that have caused attitudes toward larger, more voluptuous breasts to change, we’re also seeing more women who are living active and healthier lifestyles. Larger breast implants might not mesh well with lifestyles centered around fitness. Cardio workouts and strength training can be a challenge with larger implants, especially as a woman gets older. Many women who are athletic want breast implants that are firm and give them a fit, athletic look.

Smaller Breast Implant Sizes Because of More Implant Replacements

Another factor contributing to an increase in smaller implant sizes are the number of implant replacement procedures being performed each year. There are nearly 40,000 performed each year, mostly for women between 25 and 50. As many women who had implants years ago are now needing implant replacements, many are choosing newer implants that allow them a better shape with less implant materials.

Want to Learn More About the Latest Breast Implant Procedures and Types?

If you’re interested in breast augmentation, it’s important to choose a medically skilled and artistically talented plastic surgeon for your initial consultation. Dr. Wilson is a board-certified, Ivy League-trained plastic surgeon and specializes in silicone and gummy bear implants. Please contact our Portsmouth, NH plastic surgery practice at (603) 294-4526 or contact us through our website if you have questions or if you’re ready to begin building your custom breast augmentation treatment plan.