Do Round or “Shaped” Breast Implants Make a Difference?

Round or “Shaped” Breast Implants

When contemplating going under the surgical knife for breast augmentation surgery, there are of course many things to consider. Thinking about everything from the size you are leaning towards the time for recovery can be somewhat overwhelming. Now, there are options for “shaped” implants. These implants are shaped to be slightly different than traditional round implants and have a curve. The most common shape is teardrop, as it claims to mimic the natural curvature of female breasts. These shaped implants are still relatively new to the surgical world and are gel-like with the intention of creating a more natural-looking breast after surgery. This may seem appealing at first, as the aim of breast implants is to add size while maintaining a more natural appearance. However, does having a “shaped” implant really make a difference from traditional round implants? This may be an important thing for women contemplating this surgery to consider. One study has taken on the challenge of answering this question to see if the shaped implants do make a difference in appearance post-surgery.

Dr. Carlos Rubi of the IMED Hospital Department of Plastic Surgery in Valencia, Spain led a study to showcase whether or not round or “shaped” breast implants are distinguishable in patients post-surgery. The study aimed to address whether or not the shaped implants appeared more natural than the round ones traditionally used. The study asked plastic surgeons and nurses to review photos pre-surgery and post-surgery of thirty women who had used either round or “shaped” breast implants for their breast augmentation surgery. The group of women was divided up equally – half had the round implants and half had the “shaped” implants. Other than the shape of the implants, the women had other similarities regarding their surgery. The women all had their surgery done using silicone implants, the implants were all placed under the muscle, called subpectoral, and all had an average implant size of around 300 cc. In breast augmentation surgery, cc stands for cubic centimeters, meaning the size of the implants. The fact that all the women had these similarities made the results more fairly comparable to see if the shapes really made a noticeable difference in the appearance of the implants.

After the surgeries, surgeons and nurses on the panel of the study tried to differentiate between the two different shapes of the implants. Overall, both surgeons and nurses were not able to distinctively tell the difference between the implant shapes post-surgery. The conclusion of the surgery found that there was no visible difference in the results. While surgeons did tend to differentiate correctly more than nurses, this may have been in part to the before photos of the women because the surgeons would know which shape would most commonly be recommended for that woman. This study may be extremely helpful moving forward in surgical developments as the two options for implants may be confusing for women opting for breast augmentation surgery.

Shaped breast implants may seem like they would be a better option because they are more “naturally” shaped, especially since they are marketed as such. The study could allow surgeons and potential patients to have more information as they decide on the correct shape of the implant for them. The study found that natural results could be achieved with each of the shapes of implants. The teardrop-shaped implants may actually carry some other negatives with them such as costing more and potential implant rotation after surgery. Perhaps women who are considering the surgery may want to skip out on this option and opt for the usual round implants.

Journal Referenced:

Carlos Rubi et al. Comparing Round and Anatomically Shaped Implants in Augmentation Mammaplasty: The Experts’ Ability to Differentiate the Type of Implant. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2017 DOI: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000002896

Article Referenced:

Wolters Kluwer Health. “Round or ‘shaped’ breast implants? Even plastic surgeons can’t tell the difference.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 29 December 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161229141753.htm>.

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