What type of implants should I ask my surgeon to use in enlarging my mammaries through breast augmentation surgery?
There are multiple different types of implants available for use in breast enlargement. In addition multiple permutations of the various prosthesis types yield a fairly wide array of choices in terms of material, shape, coating, size. In addition, each of the two currently approved breast prosthesis manufacturers in the United States (Inamed™ and Mentor™) makes their own version of each implant with the varying characteristics. The availabilities are as follows. Each implant is encased in a silicone elastomer shell. The shell may be smooth, or textured. The shell may be shaped like a tear-drop, also referred to as anatomical, or the shell may be perfectly round. Each configuration of the round implant may have a different degree of projection even if the amount of volume contained within is the same. As an example, one style of implant may have a volume of 500cc and a projection of 3.6cm, while another, may have a volume of 500cc but a projection of 4.7cm as a result of a narrower base
