Crisalix 3D Breast Simulation

What is Crisalix 3D simulation?

Crisalix is a 3D imaging and simulation system from a Swiss company, used by plastic surgeons to show patients how an aesthetic procedure might change their appearance. In breast surgery, it creates a three-dimensional model of your torso and lets you and your surgeon try different implant sizes and shapes on that model. Instead of imagining a result from other people’s photographs, you look at a simulation built on your own body, from the front, the side and at angles in between.

Its value is communication. Words such as natural, full or proportionate mean different things to different people. A simulation turns them into a shared picture that you and the surgeon can discuss.

How does the simulation work at the consultation?

The process is straightforward and painless:

• Images of your torso are taken at the consultation, and the software reconstructs a 3D model of your chest and breasts.
• Measurements of your breast base, tissue thickness, skin stretch and chest are taken by hand. These define the range of implants your body can safely carry.
• Options are simulated within that range, typically comparing a few volumes and profiles side by side.
• You discuss the result with Dr. Paulo Michels, including how each option fits your frame, your lifestyle and your preferences.

The images are medical records and are handled confidentially.

What can 3D simulation help with?

• Choosing implant size and profile in breast augmentation, by comparing options on your own body. The principles are explained in choosing breast implant size.
• Understanding proportions, such as how breast size relates to shoulders, waist and hips, and how full the upper and inner breast may look. See small breasts and wide gap between the breasts.
• Discussing asymmetry, where different implant sizes may be considered for each side. See breast asymmetry.
• Planning a lift with implants, where it helps illustrate the effect of adding volume. See breast lift with implants.
• Considering implant removal, where simulation can help illustrate removal alone compared with removal combined with a lift or fat transfer. See breast implant removal.
• Reducing size regret, by making the decision more concrete before surgery. See breast implant size regret.

How accurate is the simulation?

Honestly: helpful, but not exact.

Research on 3D breast simulation has generally found good agreement between simulated and actual results in many patients. In a study of Crisalix published in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, most patients felt the simulation had predicted their result very accurately, although the study was small and retrospective. Research on 3D simulation systems more broadly has shown that accuracy varies with factors such as previous pregnancy, starting breast volume and implant size.

Crisalix itself states that its simulations are for visualisation and illustration only and do not guarantee any outcome. That is also how Dr. Paulo Michels uses it.

What can a simulation not predict?

A simulation models the shape of an implant on your torso. Real tissue behaves individually, and several factors are beyond what software can predict exactly:

• Skin quality and elasticity, especially after pregnancy or weight loss.
• Breast tissue thickness and firmness, which change how an implant shows through.
• The breast fold and chest wall shape, including a curved or sunken breastbone.
• Pre-existing asymmetry, which surgery can improve but rarely eliminates.
• Healing and settling, since implants sit high and tight at first and settle over months.
• Complications, such as capsular contracture, rippling or malposition, which no simulation shows.

Question	Can the simulation help?
Which of several sizes do I prefer?	Yes, this is its main strength
How will my proportions look in clothes?	Partly, as an approximation
Exactly how will my breasts look in six months?	No, it is an approximation
Which implant is safe for my tissue?	No, measurements and examination decide this
Will I have a complication?	No

Why is a simulation better than photographs from the internet?

Many patients arrive with saved photographs of results they like. These are useful for showing a style, but they have limits: the photograph shows another woman’s chest width, height, skin and starting breast, often in flattering light, and sometimes without a reliable implant size. The same implant can look completely different on two bodies.

A simulation starts from your own torso. It shows how an option relates to your shoulders, ribcage and waist, which is exactly what inspiration photographs cannot do. The two approaches work well together: your photographs describe the look you are hoping for, and the simulation shows how close your body can come to it within a safe range.

How can you prepare for the simulation?

• Think about the look you want in words: natural, balanced, fuller at the top, or discreet in clothing.
• Bring a few photographs of results you like and, if helpful, of results you do not.
• If you already have implants, bring your implant card or any record of brand, size and profile, because this changes the planning.
• Wear or bring a fitted top if you would like to discuss how options may look in clothing.
• Be open about your lifestyle, sport and plans for pregnancy, which influence the recommended range.

How does Dr. Paulo Michels use Crisalix?

Dr. Paulo Michels uses Crisalix 3D simulation at the consultation to preview implant sizes with you. It always sits alongside a physical examination and measurements, never in place of them. The measurements define a safe range; the simulation helps you choose within it. If a size you like on screen exceeds what your tissue can support, he will explain why, because an oversized implant increases the risks of rippling, bottoming out and implant malposition and thinning of the tissue.

The chosen implant, from Motiva, Mentor or Polytech, is then placed through an inframammary-fold incision with Dual Plane placement, Internal Bra fold reinforcement and no-touch insertion with the Keller Funnel.

What are the limitations?

• It is an approximation of shape and volume, not a promise of the final result.
• It does not replace a physical examination, and it cannot assess skin quality, tissue thickness or the likelihood of complications.
• Lifts and revision surgery involve changes that are harder to model than volume alone, so the simulation is used more cautiously in these cases.
• The result continues to evolve for months after surgery as swelling settles and implants soften.

How is the 3D simulation used at your consultation?

At the consultation in Abu Dhabi, Dr. Paulo Michels, a Brazilian board-certified plastic surgeon with more than 18 years’ experience, takes your history, examines and measures your breasts, and then uses Crisalix to compare options with you. You leave with a clear understanding of the recommended implant range, how it may look on your body and what the simulation cannot tell you.

Consultations take place at Elyzee Hospital in Abu Dhabi, a fully licensed private hospital, where patients from Dubai and across the UAE are seen, with visits grouped to reduce travel. Consultations are available in English, Portuguese or Spanish. Send a WhatsApp message to +971 50 106 7981 to arrange yours; an individual quote follows the consultation.