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Breast Settling After Breast Augmentation
I had breast augmentation done 4 months ago. In addition to my right breast now sitting approximately a half inch higher than my left breast, and both have a significant amount of loose skin under the breast.
My Doctor has me wrapping my breasts in a bandage for 6 weeks to try to work them down into the breast pocket. Is this going to give me the desired effect, or will I eventually need to have them redone?
Asked 39 months ago by
Lmorton in Lincoln, NE
+4
Time for final breast augmentation shape to occurr
Hello,
It is hard to know without photos but it sounds like you may need a revision. The revision may consist of
1) lowering the pocket
2) changing the implant size or diameter
3) getting a lift
All three of these may be solutions to potential issues you are describing.
All the best,
Dr Repta
+3
You won't really know until after 6 months...
Being that you are already four months postop your implants would have settled by now. It seems that your implants are high and your surgeon is trying to move them down using wraps. You breast implant pocket capsule is getting quite mature and will probably not move much. I have seen and dealt with this problem many times. I would wait until the six months are over and then fully evaluate your clinical situation with your surgeon. At six months, you will have one of the following...
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+2
Breast Implants Settling
It is common for implants to take some time to settle into position, and it's common for the process to be asymmetric.
At 4 months post-op, you might still see some improvement.
Continue to work with your surgeon and ask him his expectation and time course, before he would recommend revision.
+2
Revision is certainly a possibilty
Given what you have described, I would not be surprised if you need a revision in the future. It sounds like you may have had some extra skin or breast ptosis before your procedure, which can often be addressed by performing a breast lift at the time of the augmentation. If this was the case, it may be difficult to now manipulate the implant to make it drop into the proper position, in particular if the implant was placed behind the muscle.
My advice would be to wait a minimum of 6 months...
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+2
If you do not see the results you desire in the next few months, you will likely need a revision.
Lmorton,
I have found that it usually takes about six months for the breast implants to properly settle. However, what you describe presents two issues. First, if one implant is higher than the other, you may require a revision surgery to fix that asymmetry. While wearing straps may help, at this point, I would not expect much difference. Second, the "loose" skin under the breasts, may indicate that you also need a mastopexy or breast lift. While the implants may settle somewhat, if...
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+1
Uneven settling of breasts.
It is quite common for breasts to settle unevenly and have one descend faster than the other. Different types of exercises may be used for thise purpose as well as the use fof specialized bands.
see video
+1
Implant settling after breast augmenation
Typically it takes breast implants 3-6 months to settle completely after a breast augmentation. Breast straps (bandeau) which place downward pressure on the implants, aggressive massage, and patient observation are effective in treating most cases of early asymmetry. If there is still considerable asymmetry after six months, a revision may become necessary.
+1
Breast Asymmetry after Breast Augmentation
Breast Augmentation results will often continue to settle up to about 6 months. Asymmetries with regards to superior fullness and breast folds can commonly be manipulated with massage and bandeaus that force the breast implants into a desired position. In very muscular patients, a muscle relaxant can help facilitate correct positioning of the implants in the created pocket. Common causes of breast implant asymmetry are pockets that are not of similar dimensions, an...
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+1
Breast implant position after breast augmentation
The position of breast implants may change over the course of the first few months after surgery. You should probably not undergo any revision for at least 6 months, if the implants are still asymmetrical.
+1
Breast Settling After Breast Augmentation
During the first 6 months, slight discrepancies of the position of the implants can be corrected with breast straps. Beyond that usually strapping is not effective. If your problem has not been corrected, you may need a surgical procedure to lower the pocket of the higher side. Loose skin under the breast may require a breast lift, however if there is not too much excessive skin, an "Internal Mastopexy" may be performed with no additional scarring.
Internal Mastopexy is...
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+1
Breasts settling after implants
Breast implant position after augmentation can be manipulated for a few months after surgery. When implants are sitting too high on the chest, a bandeau or wrap around the upper poles of the breasts can lower the position of the implants. However, after 4 months, the implants are fairly well encapsulated and the bandage is unlikely to change their position. You describe having a lot of loose skin on the lower poles of your breasts. You may have benefited from a mastopexy or...
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Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon
+1
Breast augmentation and uneven breasts.
The most important part of this discussion is that your surgeon is aware of the situation and is working with you to try to improve the condition. Breasts will naturally drop with time and this natural alignment will improve the position of both breasts. Patience is key in these situations.
At some point in the next 3 months, the breasts will assume their final position, that is when you should consider additional surgery, if necessary. ...
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Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon
+1
After 4 months, if the breasts aren't even reoperation will be necessary.
After 4 months there is a well-formed capsule around the implant. The implant is not going anywhere wrapping or not. The implant will probably need a minor adjustment which is an operation.
+1
Breast settling after augmentation
Breast augmentation is the most common cosmetic surgery in the United States because it provides a consistent way for a woman to change the shape, position and size of her breasts.
After your surgery, your breast will continue to change shape for several months. This is your body becoming accustomed to the new implant and stretching your breast tissue and skin around the implants. After 5 to 6 months, if you notice a significant difference between your two breasts, return to your...
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+1
Breast implants and position
Every surgeon is a bit different int heir post-op care. Some suggest using bandeaus to push the breasts down, some have them wrapped across the chest, still others have patients wear push-up devices. I usually have them wear a loose fitting bra. They will fall naturally over time in the majority of cases.
+1
Patience still remains a virtue.
And may save you an unnecessary surgery. It is relatively plastic surgery dogma that you should wait at least 6 months after breast augmentation before finally critically evaluating your results. You would be surprised how many asymmetries can correct themselves over that six months, even 4 months into it. If your surgeon is a board certified plastic surgeon, have faith in him/her and what they are recommending. Also, ask to take a look at your pre surgery pictures. Sometimes differences in...
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+1
You are probably going to need something done
What you are describing is not normal for an augmentation postop course. The description you have given won't resolve spontaneously to your satisfaction most likely. You should return to your surgeon for advice and perhaps see another expert in your area for a second opinion.
+1
You may just need a breast lift, but you will need some sort of surgery
After four months the chance that they will come down significantly is low.
It sounds like your breasts were probably slightly droopy and the implants should have been placed in a dual plane pocket (above the muscle). Before operating again, your plastic surgeon will need to evaluate if the implants were placed in the right pocket. You surgeon will need to decide if the implants should be placed in another pocket, above the muscle pocket, or if you just need a breast lift (and don't need...
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+1
You will need to have them redone.
Best to wait another few months though. I don't think bandages do much, but there are certainly good surgeons who disagree.
+1
Revisions are dependent on how you feel about your appearance
Some revisions are driven by symptoms such as tightness or complication such as implant rupture, but many are driven by unacceptable aesthetic result. It is hard to know what is the reason for what you describe although the wraps seem to indicate that your surgeon feels the implants are too high. The loose skin under the breasts can indicates that or can also indicate excessive skin to begin with and a requirement for a lift of some kind. If you are unhappy enough with your result, then you...
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