In this video, you'll get to see some of my techniques for using sizers (test implants) to achieve the best possible results in breast augmentation. Sizers are a crucial step in the process that I use to get my patients as close as possible to the shape and size of breast that they want.
This patient had a moderate pre-existing asymmetry of her breasts that I corrected by using a different implant on each side. As we go through several rounds of different sizers, I'll explain what I'm seeing and thinking at each step.
Pay close attention and you'll also get to observe my non-existent ability to give things cool names.
Dr. Robert Schwartz:
Now, this is a slightly smaller, broader implant than the one I put on the other side, and I think this is the match, is going to give us the closest match, but I don't know, which is why we always test to see. Because if I'm wrong, no big deal, I'll take these out and try some other combination to get it closer to working under the body.
Dr. Robert Schwartz:
Okay. So now this is the part of the operation that I call, The Looking At It. So let's see. So if you look at it from this angle, looks pretty symmetric, right? They're projecting about the same amount. Looking pretty good. Coming off to the side about the same amount, that looks pretty symmetrical, go ahead and sit her up. I call this part, The Sitting Up.
Dr. Robert Schwartz:
So let's see. See how close we are and what adjustments we need to make. So to my eye...pretty symmetric. But I don't think it's quite big enough for what she wants. So let's go up one level, let's go up one size on each one. All right, so I've gone up one size on each. Okay. So getting, I think closer and maybe to where we need to be in terms of size, we may be hitting our limits. I've drawn where basically the top of the implant is coming through on each side and the first thing to notice is that it's pretty even, even though the bottoms of her breasts remain where they always were, which is off by a little bit.
Dr. Robert Schwartz:
So by using the two different implants, I'm able to basically even out this upper part of the breast, which is critical, because that's really noticeable even through clothes. Okay. So we're good there. We're going to go up one more size and see. Okay. We may be hitting the limit of it coming too high in the chest if I go bigger, but we'll find out in a second. Okay, lay her down.
Interviewer:
So you just went up one size?
Dr. Robert Schwartz:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). I swapped things around a little bit. Yeah. Because I'm trying to get the best shape match. I think this is going to be it. I think we're there. Okay. So we've got at this point 470 X, correct? 485 F, right?
Nurse:
485 F, yeah.
Dr. Robert Schwartz:
Okay. So I need an SRX 470, right. And an SRF 485.Interviewer:So these are the ones you're going to pick.
Dr. Robert Schwartz:
Yes. These are the ones I'm picking.Interviewer:Got it. And now you're taking out the sizers and what are sizers exactly?
Dr. Robert Schwartz:
They're basically exactly like the implants, but they're not meant to be left in. So my assumption is they're just not made to the same standards of ruggedness as real implants. There are a lot less expensive, which means we can go through a bunch of them in the course of an operation. If we try to do this with actual implants, at a thousand dollars a pop that gets really expensive really quickly.
