Breast Implants Under the Muscles - Potential Problems Revealed

A person who wants to have breast augmentation surgery might decide on the option of having breast implants placed in the targeted area of the body. The benefits of placing the breast implants under the muscles includes a larger size to the breasts and an improved contour and younger look to the breasts. However, there are also some risks involved with having submuscular breast implantation surgery so let’s examine the possible risks patients should know about this procedure.

Breast Implants Under the Muscles – Risks Patients Should Know

Even though the patient might feel like they have properly healed around a month after the surgery, the healing process involved with placing breast implants under the muscles can take anywhere from six weeks to two months. This is much longer than breast augmentation that is performed using fat transfer as this technique can require a recovery time of only a week or two. One of the reasons breast implants under the muscles require such a long recovery time is that scar tissue has to form around the capsule which leads to tissues touching each other and fusing together. In addition, a patient who attempts strenuous exercise too soon after the procedure can actually push the breast implants into the armpits because the tissues are not properly fused together.

Another common risk is dynamic distortion which means there is movement when it comes to the implants. The distortion occurs when the chest muscles of the patient are engaged in movements that give the breast implants a look like they are protruding, wrinkled, compressed, or rippled. If the breast muscle starts to contract, the breast implant might become compressed and experience a temporary change in its shape (as the issue resolves itself when the muscle is no longer contracted).

Breast Implants Under the Muscles – Side Effects and Solutions Spotlighted

Pectoral revision surgery is when a surgeon removes a breast implant that has been placed under the muscle in order to position a new breast implant on the top of the muscles. Surgeons can also perform surgery to remove a breast implant and replace it with a tissue graft from the patient.

As mentioned above, a breast implant can start to flatten over time as well as temporarily flatten at times when the pectoral muscles contract. If the chest muscles contract, they will squeeze the breast implants beneath the muscles and change the shape of the breast implant for as long as the muscle is contracted. Patients should know there are no health risks involved with the flattening of breast implants, but they might need to wear a baggier shirt or a padded sports bra to help hide any amount of temporary flattening of the breast implants.

There is also an issue known as waterfall deformity where the breast implant “freezes” while the remaining part of the breast tissue continues to change shape, grow, or fall due to gravity. If the breast tissue that is preexisting starts to gain a droopy look, the breast implant can gain a look that is hard, bulbous, and lumpy and the rest of the tissue can hang over it. This condition can happen many years after the initial placing of the breast implants and is quite common in patients who had both breast augmentation and a breast lift performed at the same time. If these two procedures are executed at the same time, there is an addition of weight to the breast during the process of incision healing from the breast lift. This can increase the risk of the incisions starting to stretch as well as increase the risk of the creation of thicker scars. Waterfall deformity can also occur if the surgeon positions the breast implant too high up in the body. In order to correct the issue, the surgeon will need to replace the breast implant and reposition the new implant or simply remove the breast implant and then perform a fat transfer procedure.

Breast Implants Under the Muscles – How to Tell if There Are Any Issues

No matter if the breast implants are placed above or below the muscles, they should last for a period of around ten years. If the breast implants are placed under the pectoralis muscle and they seem to be moving into the area of the armpit, there is an issue with their placement in the body.

If a saline breast implant is leaking, the breast will start to shrink due to a rupture of the implant. The actual breast can also grow larger than normal due to the amount of inflammation caused by the amount of silicone that is leaking.

A breast implant that is infected can cause a person to experience chills and high fever along with a tender and hot feeling to the breast.

Each of these issues should be examined and medically addressed by a board-certified surgeon who is experienced in placing breast implants under the muscles of a patient.

- MA