Less is Better in Boobs
The big-breasted look may be on the way out; subtle, small and natural is what women are asking for. “There’s been a lot of press about trends in plastic surgery, especially when it comes to breast augmentation, and one of those trends is a trend toward smaller implants,” says Dr. Maman.
Maman is a plastic surgeon in Manhattan, New York where he says smaller has been the norm for awhile. “It’s what my clients want and I think that’s true nationally, but I think that’s been a part of our practice for many years.”
Maman says he’s always favored smaller over larger implants. “We’ve always embodied the philosophy that a breast augmentation should look entirely natural, so that nobody knows you have had a breast augmentation, so they think you have naturally beautiful breasts.”
Why Do Women Want Smaller Breast Implants?
For years bigger was better, even in breast implants – so why the change? Maman thinks this trend is popular for several reasons. “A decade ago, people liked that augmented look – they liked the idea of a 20- year old woman on the beach wearing a bikini with a large looking breast.”
He says the ideal has changed because women’s picture of the ideal body has changed. “Now, the request that I get are, ‘I want to drop my kids off at school and I don’t want anyone to know that I’ve had an augmentation,’ so most women want a change, but they don’t want everyone to see it or know it.”
Maman says the days of “showing” cleavage to all after a breast augmentation are gone.
Smaller is Better in the Long Run
Experts say opting for smaller breast implants doesn’t just look more natural, it may also be beneficial for your health and the state of your implants down the line. “On the flip side, I think it’s nice from the medical stand point that implants are getting smaller because we know the smaller the implant the safer it is for the patient,” says Maman.
He says there is less chance of complications with a smaller implants. “When you talk about complications related to breast implants, the most common one is capsular contracture, which is scar tissue forming around the implant and atrophy or thinning of the tissue covering the implant.” Maman says if there is atrophy, there can often be a rippling effect that is visible. He adds that both of these complications are more frequent in larger implants.
Patients usually want to know how long the implants will last. “Patients with smaller breast implants that don’t distort and break tissue and don’t cause weight on the breast tissue, they will yield a longer lasting medical result,” says Dr. Maman.