Are you considering breast augmentation surgery? One of the things going through your mind, no doubt, has to do with what you will look like after breast augmentation. The procedure comes with expense and risk so most women want to make sure they plan it well so that they get the results they want.

It is important to note that there simply is no perfect method to perfectly envision what you will look like after the procedure. There are far too many variables involved, some of which your surgeon will not know until they start the operation. With that in mind there are several tools on the market today that allow you to estimate not only how you look, but how your body will feel after the procedure.

The first, and perhaps most obvious method, is based upon visual observation of what other women look like after they have had the procedure. There are several large databases of breast augmentation before and after photos available on the internet. With these you can often find a woman of similar stature and age who has chosen to get breast implants similar to what you want.

Additionally there are now three-dimensional imaging devices used by some doctors which will estimate how your torso will look after breast augmentation. This is an incredible advance in technology but it is not without its flaws.

It is probably important to you about how you will look, but many women who have undergone breast augmentation will tell you that it is even more important to predetermine how you will feel with different breast sizes. Using before and after photos of breast implants and three-dimensional imaging devices simply cannot provide you with an experience which will prepare you for the feelings that come along with bigger breasts.

To that end, there are a variety of breast implant sizing methods in which you can estimate your new breast size on your own body. While many surgeons today still recommend the ancient rice test, the method is highly inadequate and antiquated especially given the advances in modern medicine.

In this test you are supposed to fill a plastic bag with rice, oatmeal, or birdseed in a similar volume to that of a given breast implant size. If you want to try 350cc or 450cc implants, you fill the bag with that amount of rice, oatmeal, or birdseed. This would work fine if breast implants were square like a plastic bag or if you could actually walk around comfortably for a few days with a bra full of birdseed. Unfortunately, many women find this experiment to be less than satisfying.

There are two types of commercially available systems which bring medicine back into the twenty-first century. Most of these are water based and fairly inexpensive. With these you can put a round plastic bag filled with water insider your bra so that you can stand in front of a mirror to see what various breast implant sizes will look like on your body.

More recently a system has come out that is a sewn product which are bra pads similar in size to that of breast implants. To really answer the question about what you will look like after breast augmentation this is the best solution. With a bra pad like this you are able to wear them out and experience the impacts of various breast implant sizes. While a bit more expensive, these give you the best overall predetermination of what you will look and feel like after breast augmentation.

The rice test will cost about ten bucks, while the commercially available systems will run from fifty to a hundred bucks. Given the overall cost of the surgery it is well worth your money to invest in a system that gives you a better experience versus the oatmeal test.

Perhaps the best way to approach the matter of breast implant size is to use both before and after photos of breast augmentation as well as breast implant sizers. Preparation for your surgery is critical if you want to know what you will look like after breast augmentation.