shutterstock_252550006-1Plastic surgeons from India prefer significant upper-breast fullness.

French plastic surgeons, however, favor the least upper-breast fullness.

Brazilian surgeons are fans of the largest areola size, both in natural breasts and in breasts with implants, while German surgeons prefer the smallest areola. Surgeons from the US, India, and France also tended to prefer larger areolas.

These are some of the highlights from a study in the Annals of Plastic Surgery that looked at international attitudes about breast augmentation among plastic surgeons from 29 different countries.

The gist of the study? Different countries have varying preferences for the ideal size and shape of breasts and size of areolas.

“These findings have implications for both patients seeking and surgeons performing cosmetic and reconstructive breast surgery,” the researchers conclude. “In an increasingly global environment, cultural differences and international variability must be considered when defining and publishing new techniques and aesthetic outcomes.”

Researchers culled 614 responses from plastic surgeons in 29 countries. As part of the e-survey, surgeons were shown an image of a model and were asked to adjust the image to display smaller or larger areolas and fuller or less full upper area of the breasts to illustrate their preferences.

Surgeon age had an effect on preferences, the study showed. Older surgeons tended to prefer less upper breast fullness and larger areola size.

Surgeons’ ethnicity did not have a significant effect on their preferences. This suggests that it’s the geographic location of the surgeon that matters, not his or her ethnicity.