Breast implants Implants that are put in front of the muscle are held in place using a special tissue called acellular dermal matrix. Over time, your body replaces this tissue with collagen.
Implants may be placed either over the muscle or under the muscle, and there are several factors which help determine the optimal implant placement for each individual patient, including: Your body type. Your current health. The actual size (cc's) of the implants.
However, the implant can become loose, fall out of pocket, or shift. The implant can then move to one side or sit too high or too low. It is called breast implant malposition when this happens, but it is correctable with breast revision.
Preventing Sagging
Knowing how the chest muscle plays a role in the appearance of breast implants, let's go back to avoiding sagging. The truth is, whether implants are placed over or under the muscle, it will have very little to do with sagging.
Both silicone and saline implants are possible and safe for weightlifters; however, saline implants are more prone to rippling than silicone implants, and this issue may be increased with the constant movement and stress that weights bring to that part of the body.
If you have a small amount of breast tissue: It is more likely you will want to go behind the muscle. If the breads implant is in front of the muscle, you won't have enough breast tissue to cover the implant. That means that the roundness of the implant will be more visible.
It is normal for breast implants to settle into a slightly different position over time. It is not normal for implants to move to a dramatically different location on the chest wall. This is called implant displacement, and there are several ways an implant can shift.
It is natural for breast implants to drop slightly after your initial breast augmentation surgery. This is an indication that your body is getting used to the new material. However, it is not normal for implants to shift beyond what is expected.
There is a simple test for this. If you place your hands on your hips and press inwards this contracts the muscle of your chest. If the implants are behind the muscle the top of the implant will flatten. If they are over the muscle the breast implants will not flatten because they are not being squeezed by the muscle.
Most silicone and saline implants are FDA approved for 10-20 years, but this does not mean that you have to get them replaced every 10-20 years. You can safely go beyond these time frames, and most patients only have to have 1-2 replacements in their lifetime.
Sometimes a displaced implant drops too low, slipping beneath the bottom fold of the breast. It can happen if surgeons create too large a pocket in the chest to hold the implant, or if larger implants are causing the breast tissue to become stretched out over time because of their weight.
Furthermore, wearing a bra – particularly when exercising or engaging in high-impact physical activities – helps to support the implants and may prevent or delay sagging, drooping, stretched-out skin, and other unwanted changes to your breasts over time.
While some implants sag or leak over time, many of them do not. If you have any concerns, please make an appointment and our expert breast surgeons can help you understand whether breast implant revision is a good option. Breast implants can last a lifetime for many patients, without cosmetic or medical concern.
Heavier breast implants will shift faster with the help of gravity, and implants with texture may not drop as drastically because of the friction between tissue and implant. Breast implants (particularly sub-muscular placement) sit high on the chest for the first few weeks following breast augmentation.
But movement of implants is a necessary thing because breasts move. If your implants just sit there, they look really, really fake. So, movement is just part of having implants. Sometimes you feel it, sometimes you don't.
There are YouTube videos of plastic surgeons driving over implants without them rupturing. I myself have done lots of surgery on patients who have had implants in for 30-40 years. When I remove them, they are often perfectly intact. And those are often the old liquid silicone implants.
With this, your muscles should begin to relax, allowing your implants to gradually settle and soften. The entire drop and fluff process can take three to six months to complete, however, so don't worry if your implants still feel tight or look a bit high even after most of the swelling has dissipated.
Still, you feel lured. But when you get intimate with the augmented breast, two things are certain: You can always feel the implant, and feeling it will always lead you to the conscious realization that someone pimped this breast.
The most common implant size used can range from between 200cc to 850cc. As breast implants come in almost any size and shape, the sizing process is critical, and should take into account individual proportions, such as shoulder width, rib cage shape, hip width, breast width, and the circumference waist-to-hip ratio.
Is it safe – or even possible – to breastfeed? Fortunately for those who want to nurse their babies, most women with implants can safely and successfully breastfeed, although the implants may somewhat impact a woman's milk supply.
DON'T do any heavy lifting.
Not only will you want to abstain from regular physical exercise during your recovery period, but you'll also want to avoid lifting your children or moving any heavy items around the house. Lifting heavy items can cause you pain, as well as potentially compromise your final results.
Avoid chest and shoulder exercises, lifting weights or any other exercise that puts pressure on your chest or back. In most cases, patients will be healed and able to resume all forms of exercise – including heavy cardio – within six weeks.