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Do Breast Implants Cause Stretch Marks?

Do breast implants cause stretch marks because of the skin stretching? Is there any way to tell ahead of time if you are likely to have stretch marks from getting breast implants?

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stretch marks risk

Breast implants can cause stretch marks in some women

Stretch marks can be caused by implants. I published an article about this. We looked at the numbers of women who got stretch marks and what some of the causes were. Out of about 2000 patients, I have seen 27 women get stretch marks. Only a handful were severe, and most were mild to moderate with just some faint redness for 3 months and then fading to white, and hardly noticeable. The factors that were involved were: 1. Placement of the implant (on top of the muscle seems to be... more

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Dan Mills, MD

Orange County Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Stretch marks after breast augmentation

I've actually seen fine, pink stretch marks develop after breast augmentation. The patient was a very light complected woman who had never had pregnancy or weight fluctuations. We agreed upon a saline, moderate profile 375cc implant and the surgery went uneventfully. She first noticed the pink stretch marks about a month post-op and asked me whether I'd ever seen them, which I hadn't. After talking with some colleagues across the country, it seems that other patients who had similar... more

Lavinia Chong, MD

Orange County Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Do implants casuse streach marks? It depends

Yes, Breast implant can cause stretch marks. It depends how big the implants were and how resilient your tissues were to accommodate the quick expansion of the volume. Good Luck

Ali Sajjadian, MD

Orange County Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Stretch marks with augmentation

Sadly, I have seen it. The good news is that it is rare. I perform hundreds of breast augmentations per year and in 8 years practice have only seen it twice. Both times it occurred in younger women who have not had children or breast fed. The implants were not very large- between 300-400 cc. They started several weeks after surgery and seem to be improving with time and retin-A cream. The vast majority of my patients do not get them... more

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Tiffany McCormack, MD

Reno Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Breast Implants and Stretch Marks

It is extremely unusual to get stretch marks from breast augmentation. I remains possible, however. Things that would raise your risk factors would include: an exceptionally large augmentation. A history of stretch marks Stretch marks (striae) are actually tears within the dermis (a deeper layer of your skin). They can occur when tissue elasticity cannot keep up with the physical stretch on the skin. They are problematic because there are not good ways to fix them once they occur. I hope... more

Steven H. Williams, MD

San Francisco Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Despite the sudden change in breast volume, stretch marks are uncommon following breast augmentation

Stretch marks (known medically as striae) are visible scars within the skin heighted by an alteration in the skin's pigment creating a color change. Stretch marks are caused by a tearing of the dermis and are the result of rapid stretching of the skin seen with rapid growth. This occurs most commonly during puberty, pregnancy or weight gain. Despite the sudden change in breast volume, intuitively you would think that this would be a common problem following breast augmentation. However, I... more

Stephen A. Goldstein, MD

Denver Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Stretch marks and breast implants

It is very possible to get stretch marks after having breast implants. It is very difficult to predict. However, if you are prone to stretch marks as you may have seen from pregnancy or weight change, than you are probbaly more likely to get them.

Steven Wallach, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Breast Implants and Stretch Marks

When a young woman has very little natural breast tissue, and very tight skin the risk is increased for stretch marks following breast augmentation surgery. In my North Carolina plastic surgery practice I use breast implants of a conservative size to provide a natural looking result from breast augmentation. There is a much higher likelihood that a woman with very large implants rather than implants of a conservative size will experience stretch marks. Additionally, large breast implants... more

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Michael Law, MD

Raleigh-Durham Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Implants, especially large implants can cause stretch marks

The formation of stretch marks is not totally predictable. Large weight gains, especially over a short period of time, can cause extensive stretch marks (think pregnancy). Large breast implants are more prone to causing stretch marks than smaller implants. There is no guarantee what size of implants will cause stretch marks, since there are many variables such as genetics that factor in.

Brent Moelleken, MD

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Breast Implants and Sagging

Stretch marks are caused by a loss of balance between skin resiliency and skin stretch. Breast implants may make stretch marks appear more visible in some cases if the skin is stretched far beyond is resilient capacity. If you are concerned about stretch marks, you may consider moisturizing your skin consistently before surgery and in the immediate postoperative period. Our office recommends an Omega Intensive Cream that we routinely prescribe in our office. This complements the natural... more

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Implants Causing Stretch Marks

In general, unless you have excessively sized implants the breast implants do not cause stretch marks from pregnancy or growth.

Rod J. Rohrich, MD

Dallas Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Stretch Marks Uncommon from Breast Implants

The most likely women to get stretch marks after breast implants are young (usually under 21), and have very firm tight skin of the breasts. if the implant is very large and the skin is very tight, rapid expansion with placement of an implant will be more likely to result in stretch marks. placeing the implant under the muscle can be protective and reduce the stress on the skin to some degree. if you think about stretch marks as "cracks" in the deep and firm... more

Mary C. Herte, MD

Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Breast Implants and Stretch Marks

It is possible for breast implants to cause stretch marks due to skin stretching but unlikely. Stretch marks occur with growth or expansion over the course of time. Although breast implantation is performed immediately in the OR, accommodation of your skin to the increased size of your breast due to overly large implants can produce stretch marks. Genetic predisposition to stretch marks, the use of very large implants, and skin quality issues increase the likelihood of stretch marks... more

Jeffrey Weinzweig, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Breat implants unlikely to cause stretch marks.

Stretch marks are actually scars in the dermis. Usually the skin stretches foo fast, and/or the skin resiliency will not allow the skin to stretch beyond a certain point. Some predisposing factors may be; Very large breast implants especially in a very young patient, (skin has not been stretched by pregnancy, etc). Poor quality of skin. Genetic predilection to stretch marks. On the whole, it is very unlikely that placement of implants will cause... more

Jeffrey Roth, MD

Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Breast implants can cause stretch marks

Stretch marks are essentially a tear in the skin. You can get stretch marks from breast implants when you are young with thicker skin, and the skin needs to stretch quickly to accomodate a new implant. This is NOT common, but is a risk. If you got stretch marks on your thighs when growing, or have bad stretch marks from a pregnancy, those are indicators you might be at higher risk. And yes, size is a factor. The bigger you go with your breast implants, the more you stretch your skin. In... more

Lauren Greenberg, MD

Palo Alto Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Breast implants can rarely cause stretch marks

The vast majority of patients do not get stretch marks after breast augmentation. That being said, in rare circumstances, I have seen stretch marks develop after breast augmentation. The risk factors are patients with pre-existing stretch marks elsewhere in their body and very large implants that stretch the skin envelope beyond its normal capacity. I have seen 2 patients develop mild stretch marks which were cosmetically acceptable. Neither patient regretted having had breast... more

Sam Jejurikar, MD

Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Breast Implants and stretch marks

The occurrence of stretch marks after breast augmentation is rare. It may be more likely to occur in younger patients, patients with pre-existing stretch marks, and those seeking very large implants.

John E. Gross, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Breast implants do not commonly cause stretch marks

Anytime your skin is rapidly stretched, beyond its limits, stretch marks may result. However, they do not commonly result after breast augmentation. Most stretch marks that are seen after breast implants are usually stretch marks that were already there to begin with, but since the skin was not stretched out, they were not as easily visible. Most young women getting breast implants have youthful, elastic skin, that tolerates stretching without developing stretch marks. More mature women... more

Nirav Savalia, MD

Orange County Plastic Surgeon

Implants and stretch marks

It would be extremely rare for implants to cause stretch marks - only if the implant size was extremely larger than your skin can tolerate. More commonly, however, breast augmentation improves the appearance of stretch marks as your breast appears fuller.

Bahram Ghaderi, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Breast Implants don't usually cause stretch marks

This answer seems obvious but it is in fact very rare to have breast augmentation cause breast stretch marks. In those individuals who do not have stretch marks, I am not aware of implants causing stretch marks in well over a thousand patients. However, In those individuals with pre-existing stretch marks, I have seen two responses: In the vast majority, the stretch marks are pulled and stretched and appear less noticeable. In a very small number of patients (3) I have seen the marks... more

Otto Joseph Placik, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Breast Implants and Stretch Marks

It is very unusual to develop stretch marks after a breast augmentation. In fact, the only patients I have seen who developed this problem are less than 20 years of age. For that reason, I specifically warn patients in the 18-20 year old age group that this may be a problem. This age group represents a very small subset of patients who undergo breast augmentation, so the majority of patients will not have to be concerned about this problem.

Ralph R. Garramone, MD

Fort Myers Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Generally speaking, breast implants do not cause stretch marks.

Although most patients who undergo breast augmentation do not experience any stretch marks or striae, some can. A person usually develops stretch marks or tears in the dermis during periods of rapid growth in the presence of high circulating hormontes (steroids), for example, during puberty or pregnancy. If one's skin envelope is quite tight and desires a large augmentation, this type of patient could potentially suffer from some stretch marks, depending on their genetics. These stretch... more

Sanjay Grover MD

Orange County Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Once in Hundreds of Patients

GinaC in Chicago: In over 20 years of practice, and 100's of breast augmentations, I have only been aware of one patient who developed stretch marks. Of course, this is not a statistically valid study, but I thought you would want to know something specific. I agree with other comments that very large implants would be more likely to cause this. I think your skin and deeper tissues are the main determinates. I doubt that you can use a product that will prevent stretch marks. If you had... more

Sutton Graham II, MD

Greenville Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

A persons genetic makeup determines whether they are prone to stretch marks.

The best indication as to how an incision will heal ( whether it will leave a "bad" or thick "keloid" scar) is how a patient has healed before. That is the scarring is dependent on the persons genetic makeup. The same is true for stretch marks. Some women are prone to stretch marks - they have them even though they were never heavy or even had children. Other women have gained and lost weight or had large babies and do not have stretch marks. Immediately after... more

Susan E. Downey, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Typically not.

Breast implants are not typically of the size that would cause stretch marks. However, if you were to choose an unusually large implant (>450cc) than occasionally some people will get stretch marks on the sides of their breast. A smaller implant is a safer longer lasting choice for many reasons. You can also massage your breast skin with cocoa butter, or any moisturizer really, twice a day after your implants are placed if your surgeon agrees.