Ballerina implants, sometimes referred to as yoga or yogi implants, are just regular breast implants sized for a smaller frame. As you may have guessed, the term refers to the petite, athletic body type common in ballerinas. Patients seeking these implants want a subtle, natural breast enhancement that won’t overwhelm their frame or interfere with athletic activities.
The ballerina implant trend is about the aesthetic outcome of your breast augmentation rather than a specific set of rules. The goal is to enhance your breasts without looking like you’ve enhanced your breasts. Ballerina implants aren’t about upper pole fullness or dramatic changes. They are meant to look, feel, and move as part of you.
At Mia Aesthetics, we never take a one-size-fits-all approach to plastic surgery. The same is true of ballerina breast implants. There is no specific implant used for a ballerina augmentation. This means you still have the options typically associated with breast implants.
You may choose between saline and silicone implants just as you normally would. Typically, however, ballerina implant surgeries use low-profile implants to add volume without unwanted projection. They are often placed over the muscle to avoid interference when flexing and exercising the chest. Over-the-muscle placement also allows the implant to move more freely and naturally, taking on a rounder shape when lying down and a more teardrop shape when standing.
But there are exceptions to every rule. Your plastic surgeon may recommend a medium-profile implant or an under-the-muscle placement. This doesn’t mean that they’re not giving you the ballerina implant you’re asking for. It simply indicates that your body requires a different implant to create the desired look.
As tastes and aesthetics change, ballerina implants are becoming quite popular. There is nothing wrong with wanting larger implants or a more dramatic size increase – larger breast implants certainly have their place. But ballerina implants have their own set of benefits, including:
Ballerina implants aren’t the right fit for everyone. Some women want cleavage for days and are happy when their “cups runneth over,” and there is nothing wrong with that aesthetic. But ballerina implants are for those who feel that sometimes less is more.
You’re a good candidate for ballerina implants if you:
We are happy to offer you a free virtual consultation so you can learn more about ballerina implants and whether they might be right for you.
Ballerina breast augmentation is performed as an outpatient procedure under general anesthesia. Your surgeon will tailor the implant profile and placement to your body — most often selecting low-profile implants positioned over the muscle to preserve natural movement and blend seamlessly with your frame. Incisions are placed to minimize visible scarring, typically along the breast crease or around the areola.
Most patients return to light activity within a few days and gradually resume exercise over the following four to six weeks. Because ballerina implants are smaller and less invasive than traditional augmentations, many patients describe the recovery as more comfortable than anticipated.
There is no standard size that makes an implant a ballerina implant. Usually, however, creating this look requires implants in the 150 to 275cc range. Your plastic surgeon will help guide you toward the correct size implant for the look you want.
A ballerina implant forgoes upper pole fullness. Instead, the focus is on creating a natural slope with most of the fullness at the bottom of the breast in a teardrop shape. The implants tend to be narrow at the base so they aren’t too wide on your chest, and lower in profile to add fullness without projection.
Every woman wants something a little different, but traditional breast augmentation is often about creating more upper pole fullness (cleavage) and much fuller breasts, often with more projection. Some women want significantly larger breasts that still look natural while others want a specific look and don’t care if people know they’ve had work done. These goals contrast sharply with the subtle enhancement ballerina implants provide.
Yes. Ballerina breast augmentations can be done using fat transfer rather than implants. In this procedure, liposuction is used to collect fat from places you don’t want it. That fat is then injected into the breasts, enhancing them with your own body fat rather than manmade implants.
The results of a ballerina implants are noticeable, but not obvious. You will definitely see a difference, and close friends and family likely will as well. But strangers won’t look at you and realize that you’ve had breast implants. They will simply see a more balanced and proportional figure.
The key to avoiding regret is having a clear idea of what you want before surgery. Women who choose ballerina implants because they want something subtle and natural-looking that allows them to still feel like themselves are quite happy with their ballerina implants.
Some women do, however, regret the choice to keep their implants small. These women often get gun-shy before surgery and talk themselves into something smaller than what they really wanted. This is understandable, as the fear of looking overly done is quite real. The key is talking honestly to your plastic surgeon and sometimes tucking an implant into your bra to get an idea of what different choices may look like post-op.
The risk of visible rippling and implant edges has more to do with your body than the decision to go with ballerina implants. Patients with very minimal breast tissue are more prone to visible edges, but going too big can stretch the skin and create the same issue. Silicone implants are less likely to ripple than saline, as are implants placed beneath the muscle. An experienced plastic surgeon can analyze the likelihood of this being an issue for you and take steps to reduce the risk if necessary.
While the use of the term “ballerina implants” to describe them is a trend, natural-looking breasts never go out of style. Women have always asked plastic surgeons to give them subtle, small, natural-looking breast implants without going over the top. Over the past several years, an increasing number of women have opted to go this route.
This is a sharp contrast to the 1990s, when overly exaggerated breast implants were very much in vogue. Unfortunately, many women who rushed to get very large implants then rushed to have them removed when the trend died. Ballerina breast implants don’t go out of style because they look so natural. You’ll look “normal” after the procedure rather than looking like you hopped onto a plastic surgery bandwagon.
Absolutely! Even with careful thought, good surgical advice, and proper planning, sometimes breast implant results just don’t look the way you pictured them in your mind. If you think you want ballerina implants but regret not adding even more volume after your procedure, you can upgrade to larger implants.