Cup size is not a measurement. Base width, projection and your own tissue decide what will look — and feel — right in five years.
Cup size varies between manufacturers and changes with band size. Surgeons work in millilitres and, more importantly, in base width — the measurement across your chest that determines which implant will sit correctly without spilling into the armpit.
The implant base should not exceed your natural breast base width. Going wider looks impressive in a mirror at week two and creates rippling, lateral displacement and thinned tissue at year five. Projection, not width, is where extra volume should come from.
Submuscular placement suits slim patients with little natural cover, giving a softer upper transition and a clearer mammogram. Subglandular suits patients with enough tissue and gives a rounder shape. Neither is universally better.
Sizers in a bra during consultation, plus photographs from the side, tell you more than any 3D simulation. We photograph you with three volumes and let you sleep on it — the decision is reversible only before surgery.
Not automatically. Modern implants are replaced when there is a problem — rupture, capsular contracture or a change you want — not on a timetable.