Breast Augmentation Types: Implants & Placement

The key to a satisfying breast augmentation is not choosing the "best" implant - it's choosing the right implant for your body. Every decision (type, size, shape, placement, incision) should be made based on your anatomy, tissue characteristics, and aesthetic goals. A competent surgeon will guide these decisions using measurements, imaging, and experience - not a one-size-fits-all approach.

The sections below cover the four choices every patient makes: implant type, shape, placement plane, and size. If you are still deciding whether surgery is appropriate for you, review the general plastic surgery candidacy criteria first, and see our breast augmentation cost guide for pricing and package structure.

Are You a Candidate for Breast Augmentation?

Augmentation is an elective operation, so good candidacy is about health, stability and clear motivation as much as anatomy. Most surgeons look for the following before recommending surgery.

• Physical maturity and stable weight: Breast size shifts with weight and hormones, so a stable weight gives a more predictable, lasting result.
• Good general health: No active infection, well-managed chronic conditions and no untreated bleeding disorder. Your surgeon will review your full medical history.
• Not pregnant or breastfeeding: Surgeons advise waiting until well after breastfeeding ends, so that breast tissue and volume have settled.
• Realistic, self-directed goals: The best outcomes come from patients who want the change for themselves and understand that implants enhance proportion rather than deliver perfection.
• Willingness to monitor implants long term: Implants are not lifetime devices, so candidates should be comfortable with ongoing self-checks and periodic imaging.

If you are unsure whether the timing is right, review the general plastic surgery candidacy criteria with your surgeon.

What Are the Main Types of Breast Implants?

Silicone Gel Implants

Silicone gel implants are the most popular choice worldwide - accounting for approximately 85% of all breast augmentations - due to their natural feel, as noted by the ASPS. Silicone implants contain a cohesive silicone gel that closely mimics the feel of natural breast tissue. They are pre-filled by the manufacturer in a range of volumes and profiles.

• Standard cohesive gel: Soft, natural feel. Most popular option.
• Highly cohesive ("gummy bear"): Form-stable - maintains shape even if the shell is cut. Firmer feel, less natural movement. Best for anatomical shapes.
• Ergonomic (responsive gel): Newer technology. Firm when standing (maintains shape), soft when lying down (natural spread). Combines advantages of both categories.

Saline Implants

Filled with sterile saltwater after insertion. The shell is silicone; the filling is saline. Advantages: adjustable volume during surgery, immediate detection of rupture (the implant deflates visibly and the saline is harmlessly absorbed). Disadvantages: slightly less natural feel, visible rippling in thin-tissue patients.

Round vs Anatomical (Teardrop) Shape

Round implants distribute volume evenly and add upper pole fullness and cleavage. Anatomical or "teardrop" implants carry more volume in the lower pole, producing a natural slope and a more subtle result; they are typically made from highly cohesive gel so the shape stays stable. Shell surfaces come in smooth, micro-textured, and nano-textured finishes.

"Implant selection is not a one-size-fits-all decision. We evaluate each patient's tissue thickness, chest wall anatomy, and aesthetic goals before recommending a specific implant type, profile, and placement. The goal is always a natural result that looks proportional to the patient's frame — not simply choosing the most popular option."
— WholeCares Partner Plastic Surgeon

Silicone vs Saline: A Side-by-Side Comparison

Both implant types are widely used and each carries clear trade-offs. This table summarizes the practical differences your surgeon will walk you through.

Should Implants Go Over or Under the Muscle?

Submuscular (Under the Pectoralis Muscle)

• Better coverage of the implant (reduces visible edges and rippling)
• Lower capsular contracture rate
• Better mammogram imaging (implant separated from breast tissue)
• More natural appearance in thin patients
• Longer recovery (muscle involvement) and animation deformity (implant moves when flexing chest muscles)

Subglandular (Over the Muscle)

• Faster recovery (no muscle manipulation)
• No animation deformity
• Better for patients with adequate breast tissue coverage
• Higher capsular contracture risk
• More visible implant edges in thin patients

Dual-Plane (Hybrid)

The most versatile and commonly used approach in 2026. The upper portion of the implant sits under the muscle; the lower portion under the gland only. Provides the coverage benefits of submuscular placement with the natural shape of subglandular - minimizing animation deformity.

How Do You Choose the Right Implant Size?

Cup size is a meaningless measurement for implant selection. Cup sizes vary between bra manufacturers by up to 200cc. Instead, sizing should be based on:

• Breast base width: The distance across your breast determines the maximum implant diameter. An implant wider than your base creates lateral overhang and unnatural results.
• Tissue thickness: Thin tissue (pinch test <2cm) requires submuscular placement and moderate sizing. Thicker tissue offers more flexibility.
• Desired profile: Low profile (wider, less projection), moderate (balanced), high profile (narrower base, more projection), or extra-high profile.
• 3D imaging: Modern consultation uses Crisalix, Vectra, or similar 3D simulation to visualize approximate results before surgery.

Most augmentation patients choose between 250-400cc. Going larger is not always better - oversized implants create more complications (capsular contracture, bottoming out, stretch marks) and age poorly.

"The most important measurement in breast augmentation is not the cup size — it is the breast base width. An implant that respects your natural base width will look proportional, age well, and have the lowest complication rate. We use 3D imaging to demonstrate this during every consultation so patients can see the difference before committing."
— WholeCares Partner Aesthetic Specialist

How Safe Is Breast Augmentation?

Breast augmentation has been the most commonly performed cosmetic surgical procedure worldwide for over a decade, according to ISAPS. The known complication rates are well documented:

• Capsular contracture: 2-5% of patients over 10 years (lower with submuscular placement).
• Infection: 1-2%.
• Implant rupture: approximately 1% per year. Silicone rupture is usually silent, so MRI or ultrasound monitoring is recommended.
• Asymmetry requiring revision: 5-7%.
• BIA-ALCL: extremely rare (around 1 in 30,000) and predominantly associated with heavily textured macro-surface implants that are now largely discontinued.

For a fuller picture of what can go wrong in aesthetic surgery and how partner clinics manage it, see our guide to plastic surgery risks and complications.

Common Misconceptions About Breast Implants

• "Implants must be replaced every ten years." The old ten-year rule is not evidence-based. Implants are replaced based on a clinical indication such as rupture or contracture, not an arbitrary date.
• "Bigger implants always look better." Oversized implants strain the tissue, age poorly and carry more complications. An implant matched to your base width looks proportional and holds up better over time.
• "Implants prevent breastfeeding or breast cancer screening." Many people breastfeed after augmentation, and mammograms remain possible with additional imaging views, particularly when the implant sits under the muscle.
• "Silicone implants are dangerous if they leak." Modern cohesive gel is form-stable and tends to stay in place rather than spread, which is why silent ruptures are monitored with imaging rather than treated as emergencies.
• "Cup size is how you order implants." Cup size is inconsistent between brands. Surgeons plan in terms of base width, tissue thickness and profile instead.

What Does Recovery After Breast Augmentation Look Like?

• Day 1-3: Compression bra, rest, moderate discomfort (worse with submuscular). Prescribed pain management.
• Week 1: Return to light activities. No lifting >5 kg.
• Week 2-3: Most patients return to sedentary work.
• Week 4-6: Progressive return to exercise. Implants begin to "drop and fluff" (settle into natural position).
• Month 3-6: Final position achieved. Implants soften and look natural.

Wearing the compression bra as instructed and following the clinic's scar-care protocol has a direct effect on the final result; our recovery and aftercare guide covers the details that apply across procedures.

At WholeCares partner clinics, breast augmentation is performed by board-certified plastic surgeons using premium-brand implants (Allergan, Mentor, Motiva) in JCI/AACI-accredited hospitals. All-inclusive packages cover consultation, 3D sizing, surgery, hospital stay, compression garments, and 12-month follow-up.

What Influences the Cost of Breast Augmentation?

Pricing reflects several choices and cannot be reduced to a single number. Reviewing these factors helps you understand a quote and compare options fairly on a like-for-like basis.

• Implant type and manufacturer: Different implant materials and makers sit at different price points.
• Surgical complexity: Placement plane, whether a lift is combined with augmentation, and any revision work all affect operating time.
• Anesthesia and facility fees: Accredited hospitals with full surgical teams carry their own costs.
• Imaging and planning: Consultations that include simulation and detailed measurement add value and cost.
• Aftercare included: Compression garments, follow-up visits and ongoing support all form part of the total.

Questions to Ask Your Surgeon

Bring these questions to your consultation so you can compare recommendations with confidence:

• Based on my measurements, what implant type, profile and size do you recommend, and why?
• Do you advise placement over or under the muscle for my tissue thickness?
• Which incision location suits my anatomy, and where will the scar sit?
• How will we monitor the implants over time, and what would prompt a revision?
• Which complications are most relevant to my case, and how are they handled?
• Can I preview my likely result with imaging before I commit?
• What does aftercare and follow-up involve once I return home?