Breast augmentation represents a sudden change in your body mass and the distribution of the body mass, which some think might cause negative posture changes. However, according a study in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the mood changes that result from breast augmentation are more significant than the mass changes in terms of determining the posture of women after plastic surgery. After breast augmentation, women tend to stand straighter and taller than before. In this study, researchers looked at 48 patients who had breast augmentation and evaluated their postures 1, 4, and 12 months after surgery using imaging software to compute changes at each follow-up. This breast augmentation study follows another similar study performed by the same researchers and published in the same journal of 52 breast reduction patients. Although we might expect to see opposite changes in the posture in women’s upper body, both groups experienced a similar change–they put their shoulders back and stood tall. Researchers noted that both hypomastia (small breasts) and breast hypertrophy (large breasts) are associated with kyphosis (hunching of the back). Because it occurs in both small-breasted and large-breasted women, they proposed that the primary cause is psychological. For women after breast augmentation, the mass addition required compensatory adjustments in posture, including changes in hip and head position. Posture changes stabilized at about a year after surgery. These changes suggest that the body has mechanisms of compensation for breast mass, and psychological factors may play a greater role in a person’s posture than is commonly recognized. The increases in self-confidence and quality of life from breast augmentation remain more important determiners of posture after surgery than the mere mass of breast implants. If you are considering breast augmentation, it’s important to talk to a board certified plastic surgeon about the possible outcomes of your surgery. In Philadelphia, please contact Dr. David A. Bottger today for a consultation.