Patients visit a plastic surgeon when they want larger breasts to fill out clothes, create a new body profile, and the feel better about themselves. Many women also want to know how they can get more cleavage. It would seem that larger breasts and cleavage go hand-in-hand but it is more complicated than that. Achieving cleavage depends on many things including your anatomy, natural breast tissue, implant size, and placement.
The first thing a plastic surgeon will look at in regards to cleavage requests is what is the shape and width of the patient’s breast-bone (sternum)? Placing the breast implant below the muscle is almost always performed. If your breast-bone is wide that means your muscle attachment is also wide. The muscle cannot be detached from the breast-bone when an implant is inserted, otherwise there would be nothing to stop the implants from touching in the middle(synmastia). This is also known as uni-boob and does not look good.
The shape of the breast bone is also important. Some women have a convex shape to the breast bone (pectis carinatum) also known as pigeon chest. Because of this chest shape the implants will naturally be spaced further apart. Some women have the opposite with a concave shape to the chest (pectis excavatum). Because of this chest shape the implants will give more cleavage. In some cases too much. Pectis excavatum patients should use smaller implants to avoid excessive cleavage.
Another anatomy question a plastic surgeon will look at is how far apart are the nipples from one another. If your nipples are naturally far apart your implants have to be placed further apart for balance and symmetry. Otherwise, placing the implants close together to achieve cleavage would result in the nipples pointing toward the armpits. Not a great look when your clothes are off.
The issues we have discussed so far have to do with a woman’s natural anatomy and the spacing of the breasts when undressed.
That being said, any implant will give you larger breasts. Larger implants have larger diameters, and larger diameters will result in more cleavage and more side cleavage (aka side boob). With the right bra, larger breasts can always produce more cleavage.
As always, size and shape and type of implants need to be discussed with your plastic surgeon. It’s always a great idea to bring in pictures of breasts and cleavage you like to discuss with your board certified plastic surgeon. You want to be on the same page with your desired outcomes. “Tasteful cleavage” can mean different things to different people. Often people will bring in picture of their favorite celebrity for inspiration. You can also see actual photos of Dr. Hubbard’s breast augmentation patients in our photo gallery.
If you believe that larger, fuller, or perkier breasts would improve your quality of life, call Dr. Hubbard’s office for a consultation. He and all the staff at the Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute are friendly and professional, and will walk you through the process every step of the way.