WE love the 3D scan

Before every breast operation, be it a breast reduction, a breast enlargement or a breast lift with implants, there is the question of the right implant size. It is not a question of the right or wrong one – but of the right one. The individual feeling of each woman, paired with what is “medically feasible” and a harmonious proportion result in the right implant.

The question of all questions: how many millilitres of silicone do my breasts look like? Is 300ml a B or a C cup?

Seeing the desired breast in advance – we can now fulfil this wish for our patients. The 3D scan makes it easier for me as a plastic surgeon to show patients what is possible and what is not – what cup size will look like on you and how the rest of the proportion to the body will relate.

What exactly is the 3D scan?

There was/is:

• Before/after pictures
• Trial implants in different sizes
• Personal consultation/assessment by the surgeon

Until a few years ago, like all plastic surgeons, I worked with before/after pictures documenting my work and thus showing patients different results. However, since every breast and every woman is different, the results cannot be taken for granted. The patient may like the end result, but you can never be sure of the result on your own breast. I can also give the patient different sized silicone implants to test at home. There, in front of the mirror, they can see which size might suit them best. And my personal assessment after a thousand operations in breast surgery are very valuable, but do not show you a visual image of your desired breast.

• So it was about time that medicine and technology came up with something. And they have. The 3D simulation documents what their breast might look like afterwards and simply gives you a safe feeling in advance.

My new colleague.

We now work together every day in my surgery. He is a perfectionist, very precise and never sick. This state-of-the-art 3D scan scans your own breast with an infrared camera and the computer simulates what the final result may look like. The patient’s own breast is taken as the basis for the calculations – the size of the implants can be varied and the patient and I can decide together how many millilitres of silicone, which cup size suits her best. The 3D scan can take static and moving pictures. The simulation can be rotated in all directions and you can estimate exactly how the desired bust might look. Whether from the side, front or top – from every angle we get a good pictorial idea of whether the breast will fit you or not. And you can take the photo home with you, look at it at your leisure and consult with us.

How realistic is the simulation?

The pictures on the right show the breast as it looks in the simulation before the operation. The picture in the middle shows how the breast was theoretically simulated and on the far left how the breast actually looked.

We were surprised ourselves how realistic the simulation technique using modern infrared camera technology is. Realistic simulations so that you can get an idea of your own newly formed breast.