A possible risk of breast augmentation is the malposition of the breast implants. This may be noticeable immediately after surgery or with time. If you begin to notice that your implants are not settling into the proper location and appear to be sitting too high, too low, or too far to the right or left, you will want to contact your plastic surgeon or a revision specialist. Here are some of the most common kinds of breast implant malposition.
Bottoming Out
In this situation, the implant migrates below the intended position instead of plumping up the breast’s top or middle as it was supposed to. This increases the size of the bottom of the breast or lowering the entire line of the chest. Though this is one of the most common malposition situations, it is still relatively rare, especially if your surgeon creates an adequate muscle pocket for the implant to fit into.
Double Bubble
When this occurs, the natural breast tissue hangs over the implant instead of filling out the chest’s entire line. This most commonly happens when the implant is positioned too low and deep, or the implant pocket is over-dissected, pushing up the natural tissue without actually supporting it fully. This can also occur when the skin does not stretch appropriately over the implant, which can misalign and squish the breast’s tissue.
Breast Implants that Sit Too High
When implants are too high, the nipple will appear too low on the breast, even after swelling has abated and the implants have fully settled. This creates a very unnatural look, especially on the lower half of the breast. Some doctors recommend a binding regimen to move the implants down. However, breast implant revision surgery may be necessary to correct this issue, which may result from incorrect alignment when the implants were inserted.
Symmastia (Uniboob)
If implants are placed too close to the center of the chest, it can compromise the sternum tissue’s integrity in this area, causing it to pull away from the ribs. This allows the implants to shift to the center of the chest, creating one long breast. This is an infrequent circumstance and must be corrected with the help of a qualified surgeon.
Breast Implants that Sit Too Far Apart
Implants that are too far apart can also create an extremely unnatural look by creating an unsightly gap between the breasts. The nipple placement will look strange, as they will be too close to the inner walls of the breast, instead of in the middle, where they belong. This kind of misalignment may occur right after implantation, or it may not manifest itself until after the breasts have settled. In many cases, choosing the proper breast implant profile allows surgeons to avoid this problem.
Breast Implants in the Axilla (Armpit)
If implants are very misaligned, you may find them migrating out of the breast pocket entirely and into the armpit area. In this case, the implants may be slid towards the axilla, especially if they are implanted using a transaxillary incision, or the pocket was not created properly.
*The content in this blog is developed to spread the awareness towards plastic surgery. Our blog is not intended to serve as a replacement for an actual in-office consultation with Dr. Marin. As such, the information within this blog reflects the unique cases of our individual patients.
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