There is no right or wrong when it comes to a person’s goals for breast surgery. Breast characteristics include breast symmetry, the size, natural shape, and breast and nipple position.
Of course, different people have different perceptions and opinions on what they want their breasts to look like, or what they may consider desirable. For some patients, it will be a fuller, rounder look and for others, it will be a smaller, more petite and athletic look. Each individual breast surgery patient will have a different surgical plan based on their own goals – what they desire as an individual.
Dr Jeremy Hunt is a specialist plastic surgeon performing breast cosmetic surgery. He performs different surgical techniques for breast augmentation mammoplasty, reduction mammoplasty, lift mastopexy, and reconstruction surgeries.
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Standard Breast Surgery Guide
A Cosmetic Breast Surgery Guide has been created by Dr Hunt and his team as a useful tool to help you plan and consider this procedure. Throughout the guide, we will discuss the ins and outs of different types of Breast Surgery, from what makes a good candidate, to pre-surgery planning answers to the most frequently asked questions received from real-life patients.
Consultation About Your Goals
Process of consultation is the first step, and this would involve discussing with patients their expectations, so that the image that they have in their mind can be formulated into a surgical plan.
It may take multiple consultations and is often worthwhile for patients to bring images of what they desire the results to look like. It will also be important to think about your goals realistically and understand the risks and things that could go wrong.
Factors that will need to be considered will be the height of the patient, the weight of the patient, the width of their chest, their lifestyle and the length of their chest, as well as torso in terms of a ratio.
Anatomy Of the Breast
Your breasts are mainly made up of three types of tissue:
- Glandular tissue: containing lobes and lobules that end in bulbs (glands) that can produce breast milk. The lobes, lobules, and bulbs are all connected by thin ducts
- Fat tissue: the adipose tissue that gives your breasts their volume. The fat fills the spaces between your breast’s glandular tissue
- Connective tissue: the tissue that holds your breast tissue together and gives your breasts their form
There are no muscles in the breasts. However, your breast tissues are organised on top of your chest wall muscles, known as the pectoral muscles. Hence, your breast on the inside has your breast fat, lobes, lobules, and ducts sitting on top of your chest’s muscles.
On the outside, almost in the centre of the breast, you have a pigmented circular area on the breast’s skin (areola) with the nipple.
The size, volume, and positioning of these different types of breast components give each breast its unique shape, form, and size.
What Are Common Patient Goals?
When you think of what you might want your breasts look like, a lot of things can pop into your mind. How big should the breasts be? How far apart? What’s the right breast shape? Where should the breasts sit on the chest?
There isn’t a right or wrong answer, and there isn’t just one component. A combination of different breast characteristics can give you breasts that you like.
A common desire is having 45% of the volume of the breast above the nipple and 55% of the volume below. This would give a gentle ramp from the top of the breast to the location of the nipple.
This though may not meet everyone’s expectations and different people will look for a different result.
Things that need to be considered would include breast symmetry, volume, shape, elevation and position on the chest.
Breast symmetry
A common desire of patients is for the breasts to be symmetrical. But breasts usually have some amount of natural asymmetry, which is completely normal.
The breasts can look asymmetric when one breast is larger than the other or when one sits further down than the other. Significant cases of asymmetry can be a motivation for breast surgery for some patients.
The breast size
Many patients desire breasts that are not too big or too small for their bodies. What defines “too big” or “too small” is personal preference and will vary from person to person.
While some people may desire for a dramatic change in their breast size, others wish to achieve greater body proportion by either reducing overly large breasts or increasing very small breasts. It also depends on the natural body type of the patient.
For example, full and voluminous breasts might fit the body of women with wide shoulders and a broad waist. The larger breast size can often better complement the dimensions of such body types.
On the other hand, the same breast size may not be desired for someone with a petite figure and a narrow waist. The breasts could look oversized which may not be good if the person wants a breast size that looks proportionate to their frame.
Whatever your goals, an experienced surgeon can cater to your desired breast size.
Breast shape
There are a lot of different types and shapes of breasts out there. You have the round, archetype, the bell-shaped, and many other breast shapes.
The natural shape of the breast resembles a teardrop; the breast tissue starts slightly thinner at the top and then gradually slopes into more fullness below the nipple.
Elevation
Greater breast elevation is one of the things that is commonly desired in breast surgery patients, especially in the case of mastopexy (breast lift). Losing a lot of weight, giving birth, or simply growing older can cause laxity in the breast skin.
Breast position on the chest
Then there is the position of the breasts on the chest. Whether they are high, low, close together, or far apart. Most patients desire for their breasts to be positioned somewhere in the middle of the chest; not too high up but not too low either.
Nipple position
One of the breast cosmetic concerns that many women have is the position of their nipples.
In some cases, the nipple can hang low on the breast or point downward; this is known as nipple ptosis. In other cases, nipples may be too far apart or too close to one another.
· Breast firmness
Goals for breast surgery isn’t just about how your breasts look, it’s also about how your breasts feel to the touch.
While firm breasts are a sign of youth and health, a lot of people also prefer the breast to feel soft. You can discuss breast firmness with your surgeon to determine what might work for you.
Comfort
And last but not least, comfort. Good results are often what the patient feels most comfortable with. This means they’re not too heavy on your chest, don’t cause discomfort, and that they suit your standards and aesthetic goals.
Deciding on a Surgical Option
Dr Jeremy Hunt performs a variety of plastic and reconstructive breast surgeries that can change different breast features.
1. Breast augmentation Mammoplasty
A breast augmentation mammoplasty surgery, is a cosmetic surgery done to alter the size and shape of the breasts.
This can be done using fat transfer or using an implant, be it silicone or saline and each individual patient has a decision-making process as to where the incision will be located for insertion of the breast prosthesis, whether the implant is located above or below the muscle, the shape of the implant could be round or teardrop shaped and the fill of the implant could be silicone or saline.
Ultimately, the volume of the implant can range extensively from 100 cc to 800 cc and each of these will have an impact on the final result that is achieved.
Your breast implants can be placed either above the muscle (subglandular implants) or under the muscle (submuscular implants). The placement of your implants can affect how your breasts end up looking.
2. Breast Lift Mastopexy
A breast lift or a mastopexy is another breast cosmetic surgery that can reshape your breasts without using implants.
If your breasts have enough volume but you’re concerned about their position or laxity, this procedure might help. It can also raise a low nipple position if required.
If there has been descent or drop in the height of the nipple, be it due to ageing, weight loss or potential changes with pregnancy, breastfeeding and childbirth, then a breast-lift mastopexy may be necessary to achieve the desired breast shape.
There are several mastopexy techniques, including:
- Lollipop lift
- Crescent lift
- Donut lift
- Anchor lift
3. Breast reduction Mammoplasty
Breast reduction surgery or reduction mammaplasty is a cosmetic procedure that can permanently reduce the size of excessively heavy breasts. For some patients this can involve the removal of back, neck and shoulder pain caused by excessively heavy breasts.
During a breast reduction mammoplasty surgery, Dr Hunt removes excess breast fat, glandular tissue, and skin to make your breasts look smaller and more proportional to the rest of your body. It can be a good option for some patients as it can relieve daily back, neck and shoulder pain and discomfort due to heavy breasts.
4. Breast reconstruction
Breast reconstruction surgery is a cosmetic surgery done to reshape the breasts and rebuild damaged breast tissue.
Dr Hunt performs reconstructive surgery of the breasts for patients with tuberous breast deformity and patients who’ve undergone breast cancer surgery.
Breast reconstruction can:
- Restore the breast’s symmetry
- Fix breast anatomical deformities
- Give the breasts more volume
- Alter the shape of the breasts
- Reduce the size of enlarged areolas
Dr Hunt custom tailors each cosmetic breast surgery to make sure you end up with the breast features that suit both your body and aesthetic goals.
FAQs About Breast Surgery Goals
How do you make lax breasts look good?
- Breast laxity cannot generally be addressed without surgery. A breast augmentation mammoplasty or lift mastopexy can be suitable for people who want to reduce the appearance of breast skin laxity.
What to do if one breast is bigger than the other?
- It’s normal for one of your breasts to have a slightly different size than the other. Breasts are hardly ever 100% symmetrical. However, if you’re concerned that one breast is visibly larger than the other, you might consider getting breast surgery. Asymmetrical breasts can be surgically altered by making one of the breasts smaller (breast reduction mammoplasty surgery) to match the other, or one of the breasts bigger (breast augmentation mammoplasty surgery) to match the size and shape of the other.
Further Reading about Breast Procedures
- Read Dr Hunt’s Breast Surgery page
- Read Dr Hunt’s Breast Asymmetry Surgery page
- Read Dr Hunt’s Breast Lift Mastopexy Surgery page
- Read Dr Hunt’s page on Breast Augmentation Mammoplasty with Implants page
- See Dr Hunt’s Real Patient Breast Surgery Before and After Photos
Medical References
- The Impact of Breast Symmetry on Eye Movement and Gaze Pattern: An Eye-Tracking Investigation
- Female Breast Shape in Balance with the Body Proportions of Asians – PMC
- Breast Augmentation Mammoplasty – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf
- Breast Lift Mastopexy with and without Augmentation Mammoplasty: A Synopsis and Primer for the Plastic Surgeon – PMC
- Breast Reconstruction – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf
About Dr Jeremy Hunt – Specialist Plastic Surgeon
Dr Jeremy Hunt is a specialist plastic surgeon performing breast, body, face and nose surgery. He is a member of FRACS & ASPS and has over 20 years of experience providing cosmetic and plastic surgery in Sydney.
Careful, considerate and honest, Dr Jeremy Hunt works with you to find a solution that is suitable for your body and your lifestyle. Every patient is unique and requires a personalised approach to reach their goals.
Dr Hunt has provided his one-on-one service and attention to detail to thousands of women and men from the Sydney & Wollongong NSW area and across Australia.
Dr Hunt’s qualifications and education
Dr Jeremy A. Hunt MBBS FRACS graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine degree from Sydney University in 1990 and is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and member of ASPS – the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons. He completed a Fellowship at the University of Texas in the United States, where he learnt from well-established and experienced plastic surgeons.
Next Step – Make an Enquiry or Request a consultation with Dr Hunt
Want more information before scheduling your consultation?
- Find out more about pricing, medical payment plans and paying for your surgery
- Request more information about the procedure – call on 02 9327 1733 or contact us
If breast reduction mammoplasty is something you’re considering, Dr Hunt can thoroughly explain all the options to you in a one-on-one consultation.
- Make an Enquiry or Request a consultation with Dr Hunt
Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health professional.
