Making Sense of Implant 'Profile' in Breast Augmentation

Summary: The increasing variety of breast implants has led to their classification into “profile” types to guide implant cataloguing and selection. Implant “profile” describes the overall silhouette of the implant. It represents a permutation of all 3 dimensions of the implant: base diameter, projection, and volume. Implant “profile” is not the same as implant projection. Implant projection is a quantifiable linear measurement of the anterior–posterior dimension of the implant, whereas implant “profile” is a vendor-driven assessment that currently lacks universal standardization. Until “profile” assessments are standardized across vendors, it behooves us to be cognizant of their limitations as primary variables used to guide implant selection.