The decision to have breast augmentation is big in itself, and deciding what size implants to get can be even more daunting and stressful! To help better communicate what patients truly want, Dr. Shaun Parson of Scottsdale, Arizona utilizes the Mentor Sizing System to provide a way for patients to see in advance what they will look like after surgery.
By Shaun Parson, MD
and Adam McMillon
ThePlasticSurgeryChannel.com
Communicating With Your Surgeon
Many times, patients think they know exactly how they’d like their breasts to look. Just as often, some have no idea what they’d want. In order to get the best result, communicating with your plastic surgeon is always step 1. “One of the really important things as a plastic surgeon is to listen to the patient,” says Dr.Parson. “If I can’t discern what they’re trying to tell me, I can’t do a good job in delivering a satisfactory result.” A healthy consultation with your surgeon is a great start, and a few technological devices have made it even better.
A Way to See Your Results Before Surgery
Dr. Parson finds that in addition to conversation about a patient’s desires, utilizing technology to give them a visual representation of their wishes is a big step in the right direction. “One of the key things that has come out in the past few years is the Mentor Sizing System,” says Parson. “There’s a wide array of different sizes that I can put together; 24 different size combinations. These implants are different than just taking an implant and putting it into someone’s bra. They are bioengineered implants made by Mentor to mimic what the actual implant looks like inside the patient’s body.” 
The sizing system provides a way for patients to come in with some outfits, put on the system, and see what different sized implants would look like. Before, surgeons might have placed an actual implant into a bra, which is a much more crude, inaccurate representation of the final result. With the Mentor system, the implants are designed to fit over the patient’s breast and give a real representation of the final result. “Everyone may go out shoe shopping and find shoes that are really beautiful, but their foot is a certain size. It’s the same with a person’s breast,” says Parson. “We’re only able to do certain sizes of implants, so the sizing system gives a realistic expectation of how they’re going to look in different clothes.”
How to Make the Best Decision
“It can be nerve-wracking to come into a physician’s office, put on the sizing system with different types of clothing and look at yourself in the mirror,” says Parson. “One thing we do is photograph patients when they come in to use the system. They can go home and look at those pictures on a secure website. They’re able to see what they look like in their own clothes with different size implants. They can show their significant other, friends, and family. Having the time to take a breath and process things so it’s not a rushed decision is great. It’s very mindful in terms of my trying to empower them to make the best decision for what works for them.”
The system seems to greatly affect a patient’s decision-making, removing thoughts of cup sizes and replacing it with a real picture of what they would look like with a certain sized implant. “Any type of successful plastic surgery is all about trying to achieve what a patient’s goals and desires are,” says Parson. “I need to be able to do that in a way where I’m listening to them, where they’re able to express themselves visually.
‘I’m not sure if this is a “C” a “B” or a “D”, but this is what I want. I want to look like this in my clothes.’
“I think the Mentor sizing system enables a surgeon to listen and to deliver what the patients want by showing them how they’re going to look after surgery, before surgery.”
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