Will Going Under the Muscle with Interfere with my Workouts?

It was people like you that convinced me to do most of my implants on top of the muscle. Before I moved to my present location, a great deal of the people who desired breast augmentation were also very athletic or used their arms a lot. When the implant is put below the muscle, it moves and flattens every time the muscle is contracted (i.e. used). This was upsetting to most. I therefore switched to a sub-glandular implant. Since a smooth implant in this position had a higher incidence of... more

Breast implant surgery is a procedure of trade-offs. You need to discuss each of your concerns and the pros and cons of each variable of the surgery. There is no right answer. Subpectoral implants do not interfer with workouts but can cause the implants to firm up and distort while contracting the pectoralis muscles. That is why they are not done in body builders or athletes who pose. On the other hand, implants on top of the muscle have a higher incidence of hardening and can look too... more

Thank you for the question. Based on your fitness level I would be very surprised if you have any significant adipose tissue coverage of your rib cage. This is a good problem to have unless you are seeking breast augmentation. Although breast implants in the sub muscular ( or dual plane) position may experience “distortion” with muscle movement (workout) I still think it is in your best interests (and that of most patients seeking breast augmentation surgery)... more

There is a very crude rule that essentially states that if you can pinch less than an inch of tissue from the upper portion of the breast than you should strongly consider going under the muscle. Another aesthetic measure is that if you can see your ribs along the upper portion of your chest, then again, you should consider under the muscle. Why? Well if you don't have enough tissue to hide your ribs, you will not likely have enough tissue to hide your implant (which lies above your ribs)... more

Many patients have breast implants under the muscle and do not complain about movement during workouts. However you will have very visible movement of the implant during chest exercises and this may be disturbing. Placing the implant under your breast gland is your best option. However, if you have so little breast tissue that the implant will be visible, another option is total submuscular breast implantation which avoids the risk of the implant slipping out from under the muscle during... more

One of the problems that can occur when the implant is placed under the muscle and the muscle moves is implant displacement. What can happen is the implant is relatively stable in its encapsulated pocket. Because the inferomedial or low sternal part of the muscle is cut the muscle can ride over the implant during pectoralis contraction causing a significant distortion. Long and short of it is if your a work out queen get them over the muscle.

Thin patients with minimal breast tissue and not alot of soft tissue coverage are best to have the implants placed under the muscle. Does it interfere with workouts and strength? The literature does not support that concept. Unless you are a professional weight lifter I wouldn't think twice about lacing them in this pocket unless there were significant contraindications to do so.

You have described the tradeoffs well for lean and athletic women. You need coverage but under the muscle poses problems with distortion of the breast with muscle activity and generally unfavorable appearance; overs look fake because there isn't enough "padding" of your own tissue. The subfascial option or the split muscle technique is often a very good choice for women in your situation.

Without the benefit of seeing your photos- you described yourself as thin and active. I'd say the safest place for your breast implants would be behind your pectoral muscles. For a variety of reasons, implants seem to perform better and last longer in the sub-pectoral position. In addition, your long-term 'look' after augmentation will likely be better. There are varying opinions on this issue- which I'm sure you'll hear about. If you are fit and have tight pectoral muscles, it will take... more

Hi! I can visualize what you look like, and we frequently see women with your situation. My experience is that it is a mistake to put breast implants under over-developed pectoral muscles. Most women like you do well with small (around 200 cc's), smooth walled, moderate PLUS profile (no rippling) silicone gel implants over the muscle.