What is normal?
One of the statements I hear a lot is “I just want to be normal” and for a surgeon this is very reassuring because it tells me 3 things.
Firstly that the patient is realistic about the outcome that they want, secondly that they want to be in proportion with their body, and thirdly that they are going to listen to our advice. It means that I then have a realistic template on which to build a breast that is “normal” for each body. Obviously age has a lot to do with what is normal for each patient. It is unrealistic to think that a 70 year old will be able to have the same breasts as a teenager.
The average bra size in Australia is a 14 C cup
Indeed the era in which you are living also helps to define what is normal and did you know that there is trend toward increasing breast size. In fact from the 1920’s through until about 2000 the average bra cup size was a 12 B. Whereas now the average bra size in Australia is a 14 C cup.
Everyone wants a C cup!
Most people regardless of body size request a C cup. This will not always give you the best result and the surgeons at Horizon Plastic Surgery do not use a “cookie cutter” approach in order to produce clones. If you are a size 16 or 18 and wanting better breasts then regardless of whether you are having a reduction or an enlargement it is most likely that we would be looking at a larger size breast and in the order of a D – DD cup. This is in order to keep a good shape and avoid the appearance of looking “pear shaped”. Most size 14 women would actually look better with a D cup. Similarly if you are a size 6 then a B cup could suit you just fine. Now remember that a cup is not always a cup so please also read the Opinion piece on Breast Volume. Of course you must remember that all of this is just generic advice and should not be supplemented for the advice of a fully trained Horizon plastic surgeon.
This opinion piece was brought to you by Dr Damien Grinsell.
For more information or to answer any questions please feel free to call 03 85602999 or email enquiries@horizonplasticsurgery.com
