Can cleavage be improved with breast augmentation? By Plastic Surgeon Dr Chad Wu in Irvine and Newport Beach, Orange County, Ca
Cleavage can be improved by breast augmentation to a certain extent. The amount of improvement depends on several factors, as outlined here.
Other than size, what’s the most commonly requested feature that women want to improve with breast implants?
THE ANSWER IS THAT SPACE, OR GAP, BETWEEN YOUR BREASTS, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS CLEAVAGE.
You can determine how much cleavage you have by measuring the distance from the inner edge of one breast to the other, as well as the distance from nipple to the other. This space can be wide or narrow, depending on your unique body type. While each woman has their own preference, most prefer to be on the narrow side (which explains the popularity of pushup bras!). You might also like that there be a slight rounding of the upper portion of your breasts to indicate some firmness and “buoyancy”, for a more youthful look.
Breast augmentation is designed to make your breasts larger and improve their projection, but it is not designed to improve cleavage. If you have breasts that are naturally spaced far apart, then you’ll continue to have breasts that are spaced far apart after your breast augmentation. However, you may notice some improvement (although there is no guarantee of this). If you have breasts that are naturally close together and prominent cleavage, then you’ll continue to have prominent cleavage after your surgery.
In considering what your cleavage will look like after your surgery, the following factors are taken into account:
- breastbone prominence
- your chest wall structure
- how much fatty tissue covers your sternum
- the position of your nipples in relation to each other (and how they’re centered on your breasts)
These factors are examined prior to surgery to get a rough idea of how your cleavage will look after surgery. If cleavage is important to you, I’ll let you know what improvement you can expect during your initial consultation with me. That way, you’ll know if the amount of predicted improvement meets your expectations before your surgery.
Are you hoping to get more cleavage from your breast augmentation? While the above factors will dictate how much cleavage you’ll have, there are a few surgical techniques that can make your cleavage a little narrower if you have naturally widely set breasts.
CREATING BETTER CLEAVAGE WITH BREAST AUGMENTATION – IS IT POSSIBLE?
Generally, it’s not a good idea to rely on breast augmentation as a way to enhance your cleavage a lot, but some women do experience an improvement. If possible, I will be able to enhance your cleavage by doing two things:
- making sure that the correct implant shape is chosen
- positioning your implants in the ideal position during surgery
CHOOSING THE RIGHT IMPLANT SHAPE
The right implant shape can contribute a bit to how much cleavage you have after surgery. You might think that selecting larger implants with a wider base will work. Well, it may to a certain extent but if you go too wide or too large, it can increase the risk of visible rippling and also lead to bulging in your underarm area, making for a very unnatural appearance.
POSITIONING YOUR IMPLANTS
It’s obvious that placing your implants closer together will give you more cleavage. I can definitely do this, but I must still position each implant so that they remain centered underneath your nipples. Positioniong them too close together will just make your nipples point outward, on the outer side of each breast. You might get better cleavage, but there are three problems with doing this: your breasts will look artificial and “cockeyed”, there is a higher risk of rippling on the inner parts of your breasts, particularly if you are naturally thin and lack enough fat to hide the implants, and it may compromise the function of your muscles in the case the implants are placed in the subpectoral position.
Talk to me before your surgery about your cleavage concerns before surgery. I’ll be able to determine whether it’s possible to achieve your goals with breast augmentation.
