All Good Things to Those Who Wait

Posted on Tuesday, July 24th, 2012 by Dr. Babak Dadvand

Breast augmentation continues to be one of the most commonly performed cosmetic surgeries in the United States. As a breast specialist, I perform many breast augmentations. In the vast majority of these cases I elect to place the implants under the pectoralis major muscle. There are distinct advantages to placing the implants under the muscle as opposed to over the muscle (also referred to as under the breast tissue). One advantage is a more natural look with the upper part of the implant less visible because of the muscle. A more important advantage, especially in women with less breast tissue, is the decreased risk of upper pole rippling or implant visibility. A more controversial advantage is that under the muscle leads to a lower risk of capsulr contracture.

That being said, implants under the muscle take a little more time to settle than when they are over the muscle. The reason for this is that it takes time for the muscle to accommodate to the implant, and relax, so to speak, to allow the implant to settle in its final position. The time this takes depends on several factors such as the tone of the patient’s tissues and the size of the implant. This is why patients with implants placed under the muscle tend to feel that their implants are high in the initial post-operative phase.

The photographs depict a woman before surgery, at 3 weeks after surgery, and at 3 months after surgery. She had 425cc silicone implants placed under the muscle. What seems to be high riding implants at 3 weeks, have settled nicely at 3 months, giving her a natural augmentation.

To learn more about breast implants and to view before and after pictures visit my website at drdadvandplasticsurgery.com.

This entry was posted in Breast Implants. Bookmark the permalink.