Everyone’s favorite part of going to the movies is the previews, right? There’s no commitment—we just get excited about what we like. It’s almost a disappointment when the movie starts.
Okay, we’re exaggerating a bit. But there’s no getting around the fact that previews are pretty darn important. And not just when it comes to movies—we’re talking when it comes to boob jobs.
It’s Time to Preview Your Boob Job!
The proper medical terminology is breast augmentation. It’s kind of a mouthful. Women generally get a boob job when they want to increase the size of the breasts, even out the symmetry between breasts, or bring their bodies into alignment proportion-wise.
That’s why it’s helpful to have a preview. And these days, even your boob job gets a preview.
Deciding on the Perfect Size
Not all patients who want a breast augmentation know exactly what size they want to end up with. That surgeons usually talk about these sizes in “cc” units (cubic centimeters) doesn’t exactly help. It’s pretty difficult to visualize what 265 cc looks like.
Even holding the implants in your hand isn’t necessarily helpful. After all, it’s hard to, uh, add things up when you’re only using your imagination. Luckily, there are some ways that surgeons offer a way to help you decide on your oh-so-perfect size:
- Three-Dimensional Imaging: It sounds pretty high-tech, I know, but the concept is simple. A machine (such as a Vectra-3D machine) will take a scan of your bust. The software will then create a kind of 3d model of your chest, allowing surgeons to show you how large your bust can get with various sized implants. It’s nice to be able to see your results preview from any angle! And because the preview is “grafted” onto your body, it ends up being pretty accurate.
- A Very Special Kind of Bra: Fancy machines with their 3D models can help prepare us for the look of our new breasts, but they can’t prepare us for the weight and the feel. That’s why many breast surgeons encourage their patients to a wear a special kind of bra, in which the new breast implants can be placed. This can help make the weight and strain of breast implants feel much more real (implants do have weight, and that weight is something we should all be prepared for).
Size Is Important
However we end up selecting the perfect size for our breast implants, it’s important to remember that size is incredibly important. Most patients have an idea of what breast size they’d like to end up at. And plastic surgeons definitely want to help us get there.
Symmetry and shape and overall look are important, too. But a boob job is most often really about size. After all, it’s the size that we want to increase. So taking the time to preview what sizes might work, taking the time to select the absolute perfect size really is vital to our overall happiness and satisfaction.
We all need different sizes! The new breast size needs to work with our shoulder width, with our hips, with our tummy—there’s a lot of variables, let’s put it this way. So getting a preview is a really wonderful way to reassure ourselves that we’re making the right choice.
No Technology Is Perfect
But let’s not forget: sometimes your phone takes a crappy picture. That is to say, no technology is perfect. Even the best 3D imaging systems are going to have flaws, limitations, or errors.
We’ve all been duped by a bad preview (remember the last good M. Night Shyamalan movie? Neither do we). That’s why it’s also pretty important to keep some realistic expectations in mind. Those realistic expectations combined with a good outcome is how you pave the road to happiness with your procedure.
I guess, in that way, it’s just like a movie! The only difference is the best part actually comes after the preview.