Plastic Surgery
Recovery
Products &
Medical Skin Care
Visit our online store.
Knoxville, TN • (865) 450-9253
Start by watching this helpful video produced by our office staff. It’s helpful, fun and will get you thinking in the right direction.
Don’t Get Hung Up On Bra Cup Size. Seriously.
Women tend to think in cup sizes because that is how we buy our bras. The most common comment we hear from women is, “I’d like to be a C-cup”. When we hear that we translate it to mean, “She wants her breasts to look like they fit the rest of her body.”
This is because cup size for patients having breast augmentation is a very subjective measurement. Everyone wears their bras differently and every bra manufacturer makes them differently. You may be a 36C in one bra and a 34D in another. And when you check out all the different styles at your local Victoria’s Secret, you can understand why the best advice is to think proportion and shape, and forget about cup size.
The Fun Part: Trying on Breast Implant Sizers
What you really want to do is try out our collection of silicone breast implant sizers when you come into the office. It’s everyone’s favorite part of the consultation. You’ll get to visualize what the end result will look like with some expert help from “The Sizer Sisters” (Mandi and Gracie pictured left) .
You’ll want to consider your body frame, height, weight, shoulder width, hip width and current breast volume when you’re choosing an implant. As you increase in size you will need to use a larger implant to maintain proportion (with the exception of starting breast volume of course.) So if you are 5′ tall and petite, you will typically need a much smaller implant than if you are 5’9” with broad shoulders and wide hips.
Breast implant sizers are based on the amount of fluid or gel in the implant itself. They’re available as small as 125cc (great for correcting asymmetry) and can go way up from there. Dr. Reath’s patients are generally in the 300cc to 400cc range.
Keep in mind there is no “perfect” size. Rather, there is a range of sizes that will work well.
For more on breast implant sizers you should read our award-winning eBook. It’s a must-read if you are thinking about breast augmentation and it’s written by our office staff. Download the 40-page “Girlfriend’s Guide to Breast Augmentation” free!
A Girlfriend's GuideSome plastic surgeons are using computer imaging programs like VECTRA to determine implant size. You’ll find that taking the time to work with sizers will give you a much better idea of how the implant sizes you are considering will look and feel. You are not an Avatar, which is why we don’t use computer imaging. If you’re curious about computer imaging versus sizers, Dr. Reath wrote a blog about it:
Listen to Podcast Here
Guess who the American Society of Plastic Surgeons interviewed when they produced their podcast on breast augmentation?
Dr. Reath and one of his patients! If you or someone you know is considering breast augmentation, you’ll want to hear the “Today in Plastic Surgery” podcast. Click on the podcast icon to listen.
In this twenty minute podcast:
From the Blog
Back in 2014, I wrote a popular blog about “gummy bear” or highly cohesive silicone gel (fifth generation) breast implants. Specifically, I addressed how these implants are made and why they weren’t like the gummy bear candies we know and love. It’s time for an update. For breast augmentation surgery, the highly cohesive gel implants … Read moreFrom the Blog
Questions I get a lot from patients are “How many consultations should I have before surgery?”, and “How many plastic surgeons should I see?” Is one enough? Are five too many? As you might expect, there is no simple answer. It really depends upon the quality of the consultation, and whether or not you have what … Read moreFrom the Blog
Choosing the best breast implant size is one of the most important decisions when considering breast augmentation. Generally, I think we do a very good job with this in our office. The use of sizers, silicone implants that we put in a bra to help a patient visualize what they will look like at a certain … Read more
If you have a breast augmentation with Dr. Reath, prepare for Mandi to become your new BFF. Whenever you read a glowing review of our practice online, it’s likely that you will see Mandi mentioned by name. Kind, caring and detail-oriented, Mandi has been a patient favorite since she started with our practice in 2002. Working side by side with Dr. Reath, Mandi takes the time during clinic to listen to our breast augmentation patients while kindly and expertly guiding them through the surgery process.
Mandi is famously known as a “sizer sister” because of her close work with our breast augmentation patients. She has literally helped thousands of women pick out the size of their breast implants. She will not steer you wrong.
Where she really shines is in our pre-op appointments. Mandi is the one who will help you finalize all the details prior to your surgery from what vitamins to take to when you can shower afterward. Her experience, patience and hand-holding are so reassuring to patients who are a little nervous just before and right after their surgery.
Mandi received her degree in Health Care Administration in 2001, has been a member of the American Registry of Medical Assistants since 2003 and is an active member of the American Society of Plastic Surgical Nurses.
“I feel very blessed to work for such an honorable physician. Seeing amazing results and positive changes in our patients makes my job so fulfilling.”