Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) Concerning Breast Augmentation
How Much Overfill is Enough?
Q: My surgeon and I have decided to use 300cc-325cc implants. How much should I tell the surgeon to fill the inplants? My plastic surgeon and I tentatively decided to overfill the implant past the manufacturer's recommendations.
A If you have any type of ROUNDimplant manufactured in the United States at the current time, if the implant is filled to manufacturer's recommendations, the upper shell of the implant will collapse and fold after the implant is in your body and after your tissues relax in the first 3-6 months following your augmentation. Folding of the implant shell is not a good thing--it's one of the factors that contribute to early shell fatigue and shell failure
The amount of overfill required in ROUND implants to prevent shell folding is not a constant amount or a constant percent above manufacturer's fill. The larger the implant, the greater percent overfill is required to prevent shell folding. The best way to determine optimal fill is to fill one implant outside the body and perform a tilt test to assure that the upper shell of the implant doesn't collapse with the implant upright. Regardless of the filler material--silicone, saline, peanut oil--the more filler you add to a shell, the firmer an implant feels. It's your choice--which would you rather have? An implant that feels softer and deflates sooner, requiring you to have additional surgery (repeating all of the risks of your first operation), or slightly more firmness? Not a hard choice (no pun intended) if you know all the facts! Sounds like your plastic surgeon probably did a great job at protecting your implant shell and trying to avoid future surgery for you!
But you should be aware that overfilling past manufacturer's recommended fill volume voids the manufacturer's warranty, so you may incur the additional costs of new implants if your implants ever need to be replaced.
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