You’ve finally decided to get a breast augmentation. You’ve probably been thinking about it your whole life – or maybe just since you’ve had kids. Breastfeeding and pregnancy can do a number on your natural size and shape.

You’re not alone. Breast augmentation, or boob jobs, are some of the most commonly performed plastic surgery procedures, ever.

300,000 women get them each year.

But how do you know how big you want to go? There are practicalities to keep in mind, like your frame and the weight of your enhanced breasts.

Don’t know what size you want in breast augmentation sizes, but just know that you want them to be bigger? Read our guide to get a little better idea below.

A Look at Sizes

Breast augmentations are done in cc’s – which stands for cubic centimeters. Essentially this measurement is how much breast rests in the cup, not your actual bra size.

One bra “cup” size that you find in the store is somewhere between 150 to 200 cc of implant.

There’s a way to test this at home, too. You’ll need a few different size bras and a big bag of rice. Get the size you think you want, then a size up and a size down, just in case.

Keep the tags on – you can easily return these after the test.

The At-Home Size Test

So, when you’re alone (or not, if you’re comfortable being nude and silly in front of who you live with), go to the kitchen with your different size bras.

Grab two sandwich-sized plastic bags and fill them without about a cup of rice (each). Fill the bag tightly and then nestle it around your breast so that your boobs and the rice now completely fill out the bra.

Put on a shirt and go look in the mirror. Is this what you imagined? 1 cup of rice is about equal to going up one cup size up of a breast augmentation.

Now obviously this is a very loose size test – but it should give you some idea. You can play with rice bags until you run out of room in your cups or in the bag – whichever comes first.

When you think you’ve found a size you like, write down what amount of rice was in EACH bag.

Then use this chart to tell the doctor about how many cc’s you’re thinking:

  • 0.5 cup of rice = 100 cc
  • 1 cup of rice = 200 cc
  • 1.5 cup of rice = 300 cc
  • 2 cups of rice = 400 cc

Or you can skip all that and wait until you’re at the doctor’s office, where they’ll have example implants that you can work with.

Warnings About Breast Augmentation Sizes

Most of the time it’s advisable to stay within two cup sizes of your natural breasts. Three is pushing it – but it’s doable.

Staying within that range will make a difference – but it won’t look disproportionate on your frame. If you go to heavy, you risk back problems and sagging.

Some doctors won’t go higher than a size they recommend for breast augmentation sizes. Speak with them about their ideas first before making a final decision.

Or go as big as you feel – just heed this Dolly Parton quote, “Me jumpin’ up and down? I’d blacken both my eyes!”

Decided a boob job isn’t for you and you’d rather do something about those lines on your face? Click here