Breast Surgery Information

There are also two basic techniques of breast enlargement, involving differences in the location of the pocket. In one the pocket is made beneath the breast tissue, but on top of the pectoral muscle. In the other, more common, method, the implant is placed beneath the pectoral muscle, between the pectoral and the ribs.

The advantages of placing the implant above the muscle are that it is less painful for the first few days and the appearance of the implants matures faster (because skin stretches faster than muscle). Contraction of muscle, more noticeable in body-builders, has no effect on the appearance of the breast.

The advantages of placing the implant under the muscle are numerous. First, it provides a more natural appearing breast with a better transition from the upper chest to the breast mound. This avoids “upper pole convexity” or roundness of the upper breast, which does not occur in nature. Second, the rates of scarring around the implant are significantly lower when the implant is placed beneath the muscle. Third, the risk of visible ripples or folds in the implant envelope is diminished because of the greater amount of the patient’s own tissue overlying the prosthesis.

Fourth, the ability to obtain an adequate mammogram is enhanced with placement under the muscle, as the mammogram technician is better able to separate the breast from the implant when the muscle is interposed.