How Breast Implant Placement Affects Results

TAMPA, FL, August 18, 2012 (Press-News.org) Breast implants are placed behind your breasts to increase their size and often improve their shape as well. Breast implants can be placed either directly behind the breast tissue, or they can be placed under the pectoral muscle. The choice of one or the other breast implant placement option will affect your results.

Subglandular Placement

Subglandular placement is when the breast implant is placed directly behind the breast, on top of the pectoral muscle, so it's often called "over the muscle" placement.

Subglandular placement is good for giving more dramatic results from breast augmentation. It is easier to create cleavage and give projecting, rounded breasts.

In some ways, the results of subglandular placement can be more natural-looking. Breast implants in subglandular placement become part of the breast--they fill the breast envelope naturally, move with the breast implant, and, eventually sag with the breast tissue. If a woman has enough natural breast tissue to conceal the breast implant and selects proportionally sized implants, she will get great-looking results from subglandular placement, especially with silicone breast implants.

Submuscular Placement

Submuscular placement is when the breast implant is placed wholly or, more often, partly under the pectoral muscle. It is often recommended for women with little breast tissue or when a woman wants saline breast implants because submuscular placement is better at concealing the breast implant.

It is often said that submuscular placement gives more "natural" results because the presence of breast implants is less marked. Submuscular breast implants can sometimes look less natural, though, because they respond to movements of the pectoral muscle, and in a small percentage of women (7% according to a recent study), they may create severe distortion. About 24% of women with submuscular implants report that they get some visible distortion when weight lifting, and 19% get visible distortion when exercising.

Other Factors to Consider

Another important consideration when choosing breast implant placement is their relative risk of capsular contracture. Subglandular placement of breast implants is associated with a much higher risk of capsular contracture, especially with silicone breast implants. The actual risk of this complication varies from surgeon to surgeon, so it's important to talk to your surgeon about this concern during your consultation.

Submuscular placement is generally said to result in more postoperative discomfort and require a longer recovery period. Remember to talk to your surgeon about his experience with recovery.

Submuscular placement is also sometimes preferred because it results in less obstruction of breast tissue during mammograms, which may make it easier to detect breast cancer early.

It can sometimes be very hard to make decisions about your breast augmentation surgery, such as the proper placement for your breast implants. It is often best to select a plastic surgeon you can trust and let him make recommendations.

To learn more about breast augmentation, please visit the website of Gayoso Plastic Surgery in Tampa at http://gayosoplasticsurgery.com.