Breast augmentation is now so widely accepted that most people don’t bat an eyelash when one mentions they’re thinking of it. Also, it’s a fairly routine procedure now, with many safe options to choose from (though it’s surgery nonetheless, and should not be undertaken lightly). Here are the top five reasons for breast augmentation:

1. It simply gives you bigger breasts! If done for one’s own approval, and not for a spouse or another’s acceptance, augmentation surgery can give a person their desired cup size.

2. Post-pregnancy reshaping or filling: after the pull-and-stretch of pregnancy itself, and then breastfeeding after, the breast muscles, skin and tissue are often irreparably pulled and shaped differently. Sagging is common, and many times a woman’s breasts are a smaller cup size.

3. Reshaping: the body is not an entirely symmetric shape. In most cases, a woman’s breasts are not exactly the same shape and size, and usually this does not cause concern. However, some women (and men) have a breast that is a noticeably different size than the other one. Breast augmentation (usually done for both breasts, albeit different sized implants) can “even out” the disparity between the breasts’ size. Also, people would like to have breasts that are more round than elliptical, or perhaps higher up on their torso. In other words, they would prefer to have a shape or size that’s different than what genetics gave them.

4. Reconstruction after breast cancer surgery, or other breast surgery: augmentation in this case can be both cosmetic and/or reconstructive, depending on the amount of breast tissue removed during a partial or full mastectomy. Often, the augmentation surgery can be done during the mastectomy or lumpectomy, or the doctor will make arrangements for a follow-up procedure after the tissue removal area has healed.

5. To fill out breasts and skin made flabby after weight loss: when a person loses a significant amount of weight, breasts lose their fat deposits too. Men and women who lose body weight – particularly if it’s done rapidly – are good candidates for having augmentation done because the breast skin is already stretched out. What’s worth noting here is that the weight loss process should be finished before deciding on the surgery, as further loss (or gain) could negate the positive visual and physical effects of the augmentation.