Breast augmentation for fitness models and professionals

Achieving a perfectly balanced and toned physique is the ultimate goal in the world of competitive fitness and modeling. With the focus on fat loss and muscle development, female competitors and models can slip towards an unbalanced appearance as their breast size changes along with their physique.

For these professionals, an option to help counterbalance breast fat and tissue loss that so often comes with the "cutting" phases of their careers is breast augmentation. This procedure can help patients achieve a breast shape and size that complements their figure without altering their proportions.

To learn more about breast augmentation in the world of women's fitness, we reached out to ASPS Member Surgeons Kelly Killeen, MD, and Josef Hadeed, MD, FACS.

The role of breast augmentation for fitness professionals

Breast augmentation can be an effective option for fitness professionals seeking to correct proportional imbalances that may arise from training.

"The intense training often required for fitness modeling can reduce the amount of breast tissue through fat loss or can make the breasts appear to be smaller if the chest and shoulder muscles grow," said Dr. Hadeed. "A breast augmentation can help restore proportions to the chest."

Unfortunately, when you're cutting weight, there's no way to target where you lose fat. For women, that can mean loss of fat in the breasts.

"Since the breast is a combination of fat and breast tissue, when you are in the cutting phase of bodybuilding, your fat percentage being quite low will cause your breasts to shrink and throw off your usual proportion," said Dr. Killeen. "This affects fitness competitors even more than significant weight loss because their fat percentage at the time of competition is typically much lower than that of a normal patient, and their muscles are much more developed."

Special considerations for fitness professionals

Most breast augmentations typically follow the same process, but there are special considerations to be made when it comes to fitness models and competitors.

"With these patients, you need to consider some different things than a typical augmentation," said Dr. Killeen. "Since they are often at very low body fat at the time of competition or shoots, if the implant is not in the optimal location or the optimal base diameter for their frame, their breasts can look very odd.

"It's important to consider that when they are on stage and flexing, or even posing in athletic stances or positions, the muscle movement can be very visible, more than a typical submuscular patient, and appear quite strange as well," continued Dr. Killeen. "It's worth a conversation to determine what their preference is, a more obvious implant upper edge or no muscle movement of the implant. They are both more visible with a very thin and fit patient, and it's important to pick which route you want to go. There is no perfect option."

For fitness models, a more subtle look may be preferred.

"Most fitness professionals want to maintain a natural look and avoid looking overly enhanced," said Dr. Hadeed. "Due to the low body fat percentage, most fitness models prefer silicone implants over saline implants because there is less of a chance of rippling of the implants and seeing the folds of the implant underneath the skin. Others may choose fat transfer over implants, although the challenge associated with that approach is that they might not have enough fat to harvest to provide a suitable increase in size."

One important note about fitness professionals is that they make excellent candidates for breast augmentation.

"In general, this population gets great results and is fun to work with," said Dr. Killeen. "Like any plastic surgery, our goal is to get you as close to your desired look while minimizing things you do not like, such as complications."

Plastic surgeons want healthy patients, so fitness models are a natural fit.

"Generally speaking, most fitness models would be good candidates for a breast augmentation, assuming they do not have any uncontrolled medical conditions and have realistic expectations of what the procedure can and cannot accomplish," said Dr. Hadeed.

Appearance is everything in the world of competitive fitness, and achieving a balanced and toned physique is the ultimate goal. Yet, for many women, the focus on fat loss can lead to changes in the breasts, resulting in a loss of fat and subsequent loss of volume. This, in turn, can cause an unbalanced appearance. To counter this issue, many fitness professionals have turned to breast augmentation to achieve the right proportional balance from head to toe, enhancing their appearance and their stage confidence.

To find a qualified plastic surgeon for any cosmetic or reconstructive procedure, consult a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. All ASPS members are board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, have completed an accredited plastic surgery training program, practice in accredited facilities and follow strict standards of safety and ethics. Find an ASPS member in your area.