Have my Breast Implants Bottomed Out?

asked 1 year ago by AnnaH8785 in America
Latest answer by Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Question viewed 2,035 times
Tags: saline implants, under muscle, 300-349cc, 350-399cc, B cup, bottom out, periareolar

was 34B got 300cc in 1, 350cc saline, areola incision, under muscle. Im 2 1/2 wks post op theyre still a bit swollen/high up but getting better everyday. I feel like I can feel the bottom of the larger implant now and the smaller one, I cant. They dont look different though and I went for my check up 2 days ago and she said everything looked great. Is it normal to feel the implant and as my breasts get less swollen and drop, will I not be able to feel it after they settle and deswell?

10 answers to Have my Breast Implants Bottomed Out?

Bottomed out breast implant augmentation surgery options

Without photographs and examination, this is difficult to offer advice simply using a verbal description. This may require removal and replacement with smaller implants, removing the implants altogether and allowing closing down of the pocket or a neopectoral pocket or acellular dermal matrix sling.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Not unusual to feel implant in certain cases

If you are thin and have had the folds at the bottom of the breast lowered, it is not unusual to feel the implant, especially off to the side where the skin breast and muscle are the thinnest. This will probably increase as the swelling goes down. This is more common with saline implants than silicone because of the thickness of the implant show. Sometimes this feeling can be improved with adjustments of the space or with an exchange of implants trading saline for silicone. At... more

Andrew Kaczynski, MD
Sacramento Plastic Surgeon

www.drkmd.com

"Feeling" and implant after surgery.

As the swelling subsides from your surgery, it is common to feel the edge of the implants. This is especially true with larger implants in smaller breasts. The discrepancy of the two implants in size should not be apparent based on feel (particularly at a 50cc difference). You should expect to have continued resolution of swelling for at least 6-8 weeks following surgery.

David Bogue, MD
Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon

www.drbogue.com

You really need to wait for 6 weeks to assess the results of the area.

Thank you very much for your enquiry, a two and a half weeks following surgery is very difficult to assess the final result as the implants will settle down in a different time span. I think you really need to wait for 6 weeks to assess the results of the area. It is normal to feel the implants in the lower part of your breast as this is where the muscle will not be covering the breast and therefore it makes some slightly more likely to be felt through the skin as there is no... more

Adrian Richards, MD
London Plastic Surgeon

Breast Implants Bottoming Out

I would not worry about how your breasts look so soon after surgery. There will be several weeks of "settling out", which may occur at different rates for each breast. In the end, you may feel the implant, especially if they are saline implants and your skin is thin. This is especially true at the lower pole of the breast.

Gary D. Breslow, MD
Paramus Plastic Surgeon

Palpable borders of breast implants

Dear Josey, yes if you are slim, you will feel the borders of your new saline breast implants at the inferior mammary fold and also you may feel them laterally as the post-operative swelling improves. This is normal. what would be a problem is if the borders of these implants go below your bra line, which means bottoming out. or even if they become visible, which mean rippling. check with your surgeon, good luck, Florence Mussat, MD

Florence Mussat, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Have my Breast Implants Bottomed Out?

It doesn't sound like your implants have bottomed out. Bottoming out occurs when the implant displaces and goes below the infra-mammary line (the natural crease that your breasts form). This can be caused by weak tissues (usually with a large implant) or too low of a dissection by the surgeon. What you are experience is palpability of the implant along the lower pole. It's more common with saline implants in women with thin breast tissue. If it continues to bother you,... more

Kenneth Bermudez, MD
San Francisco Plastic Surgeon

Being able to feel the implant is common

Dear Josey932, Being able to feel the implant at the bottom of the breast is not particularly unusual. Even if your implants were placed under the muscle, the muscle does not totally cover the bottom of the implant. This will not go away as the implants settle, and will likely become more noticeable. This should not be a concern unless you can SEE rippling in this area. Bottoming out is when the implant has moved lower than its intended position, usually at a point below the breast... more

Lawrence Tong, MD
Toronto Plastic Surgeon

Palpable implant edges after augmentation

It sounds like you are describing the palpable edges of your implant as your swelling is subsiding. This is pretty normal, especially in women with very thin tissues and minimal breast tissue to cover the implant. It may not go away--it actually may become more apparent to you as your swelling continues to go down--but it usually is not a problem, just a new part of the way your breast feels. This is different from "bottoming out," which typically occurs... more