Indent in Breast After Implants. Was It Surgeon Haste/Error and Possible Remedy? (photo)

Hi there, I am writing this on the behalf on my girlfriend who gave me permission to use her story and post her pictures. She had silicone implants done and immediately after surgery we noticed she had a rather prominent medial indent in one of her breasts. Her surgeon is giving her the major run around. Will this go away eventually on it's own? Is it scar tissue, an adhesive band and shouldn't he have taken this down during surgery? Should she have to pay for a revision or should it be comped?

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8 Doctor Answers | Asked by eman85mph

Doctor Answers (8)
Community Comments (1)

Indent from breast augmenation

I see your friend is very thin and chose a full C cup breast. In very thin patients the precision of the pocket created is extremely important. Thin patients do not have very much tissue and the pocket has to be created perfectly or the patient may see a dent ( if inadequate pocket creation) or a protrusion ( too much pocket creation) if the pocket is not perfect. Her dent appears to be a combination of two things. One may be inadequate medial pectoralis muscle... more

Benjamin Chu, MD

12 reviews

Honolulu Plastic Surgeon

Breast assymetry after augmentation surgery.

Yes there is a dent but it could be caused by many things, including your friend's anatomy The implants are under the muscle, which is a good thing because of her thin frame. Perhaps the muscle was taken down too much, or not enough, or there was a bruise in this area, or it is her anatomy, or ..... My point is that it is difficult to know without examining the patient, and she would be advised to go back to her surgeon for further evaluation. There are ways to... more

Indent in Breast After Implants. Was It Surgeon Haste/Error and Possible Remedy?

I am answering to inform your friend she needs to be seen in person to be examined. But a before posted photo helps. The medial in den could be her anatomy, poor dissection, scarring or capsule or a combination. We can not answer to you or her over the internet. I might consider fat grafts to indented area. Yes a fee in in order.

Breast indent

The indent you are referring too may be due to several different things or none at all. One possiblity is inadequate release of muscle, 2) soft tissue thinning from surgical dissection, or possibly 3) non of the above. An evaluation in person is important.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Medial Pole Indentation after Breast Augmentation

The placement of breast implants in women with little breast tissue that are thin-skinned may well develop rippling and indentations over the bottom half of the breasts no matter how well done a breast augmentation is. (you did not say whether she had saline or silicone implants, whether they were above or below the muscle, or when the surgery was done) Such medial pole indentations may be reflective of an innate tissue deficiency, the type of implant used and its... more

Dent on Breast after Breast Augmentation

Preoperative pictures would help to analyze this. The dent appears to be at the pectoralis major and breast junction, and there may not be an easy fix for this. I would have to examine you to determine if there is an animation defect present. Judging from the immediate postoperative picture, there was a relatively wide gap between the breasts. This makes the first operation you had more difficult as well. The right implant pocket... more

Indent in Breast After Implants

Thanks for your question. It would be helpful to know a few more details, such as how long ago the surgery was, and whether the implants are above or below the pectoral muscles. If it is early in the post-op period, it is likely that as the capsule forms around the implant, that this irregularity will improve, and perhaps become unnoticeable. Info about the position of the implant in relation to the pectoralis would make it possible to narrow down the possible cause. As... more

Indentation after breast augment

You haven't said whether the implants were placed above or below the muscle. When a patient has thin skin cover, this is much more of a risk. You should raise this with the plastic surgeon in a non-judgmental, inquiring way. Review the office's financial policies to determine whether a revision will be included; generally, plastic surgeons will revise at no charge within a reasonable time after surgery but the patient will have to bear the anesthesia and facility fees. more

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Comments (1)

eman85mph 14 Feb 2013

Thank you so much gentleman for the fantastic and enlightening comments, thoughts and ideas. To answer a few questions that were asked. Her initial surgery date was December 28th 2012. This was actually her second augmentation with her first being about 10 years prior. Her implants were saline during her first augementation but this latest procedure was done with 535cc UHP silicones. The ultra highs were recommended due to the lower incidence of rippling which has been accurate thus far but the indent is what is really causing her psychological discomfort. My comment and question about the error due in part to hastiness stemmed from the plastic surgeon telling me post op about how all he did was change the old ones out for the new ones. Unfortunately I was not available and able to speak with him during her follow ups as to whether he actually did any modifications to the existing capsule or pockets or simply just swapped one for one. She also tells me that they are under the muscle and her first implants were 390 cc saline if that helps any. Again thank you all so much for your input and comments!

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