How Do I Know if my Breast Implant Fell out of Its Pocket?

Patients may sometimes incorrectly feel that their implants have 'fallen out' of their pocket. The implants do not have anywhere else to go. When patients describe this, they are usually affected by an overly large pocket which may allow the implant to move outwards towards the underarm. This can often be corrected with internal sutures or a lateral capsulorraphy.

There are two schools of thought in managing breast implants after surgery. The first is to avoid aggressively massaging the breast implants, and thus keeping the breast pocket unchanged. The second is to aggressively massage the breast implants, and thus keeping the breast implant pockets a little larger. If the implant pocket is tighter, the implants will sit more upright . However, longer term you can have a potential higher incidence of capsular contracture. If you keep the implant... more

If the pocket is too large the implant will move around like you describe. You may need a capsulorrhaphy or correction of the capsule to keep the implant in the right place.

Sometimes, when implants fall into the armpit, there may be an indication for revisionary breast surgery to internally suture that breast pocket, so that the implant stays in place. You can choose to have this revisionary surgery if the implant placement bothers you.