Breast Implants: Q&A

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What Is The Best Option For Breast Implant Placement For Someone Who Exercises A Lot?

If I work out a lot, should I go over or under the muscle? Is there a risk of one or the other if I am in the gym and run a lot? I don't want my implants to move or look really fake. Thank you for your opinion.

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25 Doctor Answers | Asked by anon

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Breast augmentation for the athletic woman

Quick answer: gel implants on top of the muscle. Gel implants are soft and natural and are very well tolerated over the muscle. Your natural breast tissue is over the muscle, contained within your breast skin envelope. Implant volume should be contained within the same space and not isolated by a layer of muscle. Implants under the muscle are deformed with muscle activity, leading to an unnatural appearance.

Best Breast Implant Placement Location in Weight Lifters and Active Women

All breast implants suffer from a common failing - They all ripple. To avoid such rippling from being visible and palpable in augmented breasts, surgeons must like as much tissue as they can on top of the implants. This is the prime decider in breast impant choice ( what width breast tissue do we have to fully cover an implant?) and where in the breat do we create a home for or chaen impant?(Under the breast alone or under a combined (dual plane) muscle and breast pocket. The vast... more

Breast Implant placement in Athletic Women

This is a good question and it raises a number of important considerations. In general, athletic individuals have thinner tissues and this puts them at risk for visible rippling particularly in the upper breast. The risk of this is minimized by placing the implant under the muscle (partial submuscular or dual plane approach), however a submuscular implant can be associated with noticeable upward movement of the implant when the muscle contracts (also known as animation or muscle activation... more

Breast Implant Placement For Someone Who Exercises A Lot

Excellent question. Most athletic women prefer submuscular placement (since they have thinner tissue and are hence at a greater risk of rippling) of gel implants (since they provide a more natural feel). The risk of distortion with submuscular placement is not as great as the risk of rippling. To verify this is the best option for you, you will need to have an in person physical examination and consultation. Consult with 3 - 4 experienced and expert board certified... more

Breast implant placement

Dear patient, Placement depends on the type of implant, silicone or saline. Saline implants are placed under the muscle. Whereas silicone implants can be placed either over or under the muscle. Generally, when you do intense training or bodybuilding, silicone implants would be highly recommended when placed above the muscle.

Breast Augmentation for bodybuilders

I regularly perform breast augmentation surgery for patients who participate in body building, fitness and figure competitions. While many are initially concerned about sub-pectoral placement and the potential for distortion of the appearance of augmented breasts when the pec major contracts, I am absolutely confident that the aesthetic outcome for these patients will be far superior with implants placed under the muscle. A pre-pectoral implant in a slender patient, especially one with... more

Michael Law, MD

17 reviews

Raleigh-Durham Plastic Surgeon

michaellawmd.com

Over muscle

You will get different answers to this question depending on whom you ask. I almost always place an implant under the muscle to avoid visible rippling of the implants. This may create some distortion of the implants when you do certain exercises, such as bench pressing, but I think the trade-off is worthwhile all things considered. It may be worth getting a few opinions from plastic surgeons to help you make a decision you will be comfortable with.

Implant position in athletic women

I operate on a lot of athletic women, from distance runners to rock climbers to back country skiiers. I put about 95% of implants under the muscle. The technique I use positions the upper part of the implant under the muscle but the lower part is under the gland. Most athletic women are pretty lean and the extra padding of the muscle makes the breast look and feel more natural. Also, an under-the-muscle implant makes mammograms easier to do and read... more

You won't notice the difference under the muscle

This always an important concept to understand before you get an augmentation. The pros of going under the muscle if you are an A to small B cup include more coverage of the implant on top and more natural enhancement of your upper cleavage area. Going on top of the muscle is okay by me if you are already a C cup. None of my patients have ever complained that they lost strength or mobility in their pectoral muscles after getting implants under the muscle. It simply does... more

What Is The Best Option for Breast Implant Placement For Someone Who Exercises A Lot?

Probably the best implant for someone that is very, very active is....small! I think the question of above vs below and activity really comes into play in women doing body building competition and will have the need to flex on stage wearing a bathing suit the size of a band-aid. In those patients, above is suggested. But otherwise, stay a bit on the smaller side so as to end up a small to middle C at most!

Breast implants over or under the muscle

The good news is that your situation and question is not unique. Many t hin, athletic women seek breast augmentation. The answer depends on what risks you are willing to tolerate. On top of the muscle, the implant will not move appreciably with muscle contraction. I see that as the only advantage. Under the muscle, there is a significantly lower risk of encapsulation, better mammograms and less visibility of the implant (what many call the fake look). You... more

Breast Implant Placement in the Athletic Female: Size not muscle

For the athletic female patient who desires breast enhancement with a breast implant, breast implant size is the most important factor and not the breast implant plane (under or over the muscle). Most athletic women want to have a conservative size change to match their slender frame. A large breast implant placed either over or under the muscle will make it cumbersome during physical activity. I would recommend a silicone breast implant placed under the muscle in a conservative size... more

Breast implants and pocket location

Exercise certainly impacts placement but most people do lead an active life and the majority of patients I see are very thin and need soft tissue coverage so I usually place them under the muscle in a dual plane approach.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Breast augmentation and exercise

In general, athletic women tend to be individuals with low body fat levels and little breast tissue. Body fat and breast tissue tend to help camouflage the breast implant. For this reason, placing the breast implant under the muscle, which in most cases means partially under the muscle since the muscle does not completely cover the breast implant, is the preferred location. There are some trade offs between over and under the muscle. There is the possibility of breast... more

Ralph R. Garramone, MD

7 reviews

Fort Myers Plastic Surgeon

For intense work out regulars, use small breast implants over the muscle only.

Hi. Lots of different opinions, but here is our experience. Implants under the muscle or dual plane (partially under) will move in unattractive manner with vigorous upper body exercise, and women are not happy. They also get in the way. see video

Best Option For Breast Implant Placement For Someone Who Exercises A Lot

Most patients who are into heavy and frequent exercise do not have adequate breast and fat tissue to give coverage for an implant over the muscle. And all implants under the muscle will have at least a little movement when the pecs are flexed. So the question you have to ask yourself is would you rather have breast implants that look bad all the time or just those few minutes a day when you are vigorously flexing your pectoralis muscles. Whan you answer that question you will know which... more

Breast Implant Location and Exercise

The best plane for implant placement in someone who exercises a lot (especially someone who is thin with limited soft tissue coverage) is in the partial submuscular plane. There can be some movement of the implant with exercise when the implant is in the partial submuscular plane, which can be of concern in a body builder. However, this is a small issue in most patients.

Implant placement vis-a-vis exercise

I recommend placing the implants partially or fully under the muscle. In a fit patient, this avoids the "edge" feeling--I am assuming that you have a low BMI and are thin. Implants do not move and this is not a consideration. In any case, you should refrain from exercise for several weeks following surgery subject to your plastic surgeon's recommendations.

Breast Implants In Athletic Women

As a general rule those women who exercise a lot usually are fairly lean and have little breast tissue. The use of silicone implants that are partually under the muscle (dual plane) will give the most natural feel and look in this type of patient. How much you use your arms and flex your pectoralis muscles will have no negative impact on the implants in this position and will serve you well in the long-term.

BREAST IMPLANT POSITION

The most important factors to consider in determiining implant position are the amount of soft tissue (breast tissue) available in the upper pole of the breast, the size of the implant and whether you prefer saline or gel. It is my preference to place all saline implants under the muscle because of the risk of rippling and visibilty. The amount of soft tissue coverage is determined by measuring the thickness of breast tissue in the upper pole. Generally speaking you... more

Split muscle plane for breast implants in athletic women

There are competing issues that need to be balanced for optimal results in athletic women who want breast implants: because of low body fat, implants may be more visible on top of the muscle, but going under means risking what are called "animation deformities." These are distortions of the breast shape with muscle flexion, and have been reported to occur in more than 75% of women with implants under the muscle. An option that balances these trade-offs is the split muscle plane,... more

Under the muscle breast implants for exercisers

The majority of patients are exercisers these days, and some are really fanatic ones. Nevertheless, a submuscular (dual plane is the same) approach is best IMO. All the benefits of this plane are there such as less scar, better mammograms, better look and feel. The key to minimizing the movement artifact ("active breast deformity") is to not entirely release the lower inner fibers of the muscle to where they retract up and reattach to the skin. Some fibers need to... more

Best Implant Placement for 'Exerciser'

Great question! I feel the most important issue is to determine a good implant size for you. Many athletic/fit individuals will benefit from a more conservatively sized implant to balance their body better and to allow them to engage in their preferred activities without having overly large breasts. Next in importance is the implant type. The less breast tissue a patient has the more advantageous having a silicone implant is as it feels more natural and is less likely to be visually... more

Exercise and Breast Surgery

Thank you for your question. Although I understand your concern about muscle movement and/or distortion with breast implants placed under the muscle, I think there are a whole host of benefits of using the dual/plane breast augmentation approach. For example, implants placed partially under the muscle tend to have fewer problems with rippling / palpability, encapsulation, interference with mammography, etc.. These advantages outweigh the potential for implant movement /... more

Breast Augmentation: fitness and excercise and implant placement

Breast Augmentation is one of the most common aesthetic surgeries performed in the world. There are four major decisions that a patient should make in consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon to create the perfect surgical plan. 1. Silicone or Saline Implants. 2. Implant under or over the muscle. 3. Incision location. 4. Implant Size or Goal Cup Size. In my experience, using a silicone implant under the muscle gives a woman the most natural, sensual, aesthetic... more