Breast Augmentation

This is a procedure that is widely performed today with consistent results. Saline and silicone implants are the standard, and both produce good results in the right situation. Furthermore, the location of the implant has made a big change in this procedure. Putting an implant above the muscle has gained enormous popularity among surgeons in the past several years.

Although placing an implant below the muscle used to be considered the best technique for many reasons, all of those reasons have now been questioned, and there is probably no definite proof that there is a perfect choice. Going above the muscle offers many advantages such as less pain, quicker recovery, and is often the preferred choice for creating a lifting effect of the breast in cases where some sagging is present.

This occurs because the top of the implant is allowed to expand out and take up some of the loose skin. This causes a lifting of the nipple and lower breast. This lifting effect is greatly reduced by placing the implant under the muscle where the top of the implant is squeezed down.

Although at one time it was felt that placing the implant below the muscle was better for the purpose of obtaining mamograms, the radiologists now report that this does not necessarily help in detecting breast cancer. Therefore, the oncologic advantage of above or below the muscle is open to interpretation.

Additionally, for a long time, it was believed that placing the implant below the muscle reduced the complication of later capsule formation around the implant. This has not proven to be definitely true. Capsule formation or hardness of the pocket can occur in either case.

Finally, the complication known as rippling was thought to be eliminated by under the muscle placement. This has not been shown to be true, and filling the implant properly above the muscle will often reduce or eliminate rippling.

However, it is hard and sometimes impossible to create a perfect result. Breast Augmentation uses a perfectly round or cylinder shaped implant to go inside sometimes unequal breasts that are less than perfectly shaped.

Sometimes, revisions of implants is considered not a complication, but part of the process of breast augmentation surgery. The ideal result is sometimes not achievable on the first try. Although no one wants a second procedure, some people insist on trying to correct certain details that are difficult to control.