Issue with New Implant - Why Can I See and Feel It at Bottom of Breast? (photo)

I am 3 wks PO w/350 cc silicon mod/plus sub/muscular. They were low & soft 3 days after surgery. Minimal to no swelling. The implants are low & sit wide. The left one is my concern. By day 3 I could actually feel & see the implant at the bottom of the breast. It feels like the implant is not full or has a bad spot on it. The right breast seems fine. When I asked my surgeon he didn't seem at all concerned about it. Is this normal for silicon implants? Am I wrong 4 wanting this fixed?

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5 Doctor Answers | Asked by simalyn

Doctor Answers (5)
Community Comments (1)

A few solutions exist for the contour irregularity you are describing

Hello, It is unlikely that your implant is the source of your irregularity. The implant is uniform but can fold and cause some irregularities but it is unlikely the source of yours. Most likely, the connection of your muscle and breast tissue particularly around the breast fold area is the source of the area that you have shown us in the photo. This may improve with time and you are early in your recovery so massaging this area and giving it some more time may be worth... more

Rippling

If your tissues are very thin, then rippling can be a problem. Sometimes placing strattice inside adds another layer of coverage and can camouflage the wrinkling.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Visible wrinkles after silicone breast augmentation

All implants wrinkle, and sometimes this is apparent when the covering soft tissues are thin. It looks like you have thin tissue, and therefore the wrinkling is more visible. If this becomes a problem you may be a candidate for a revision of your surgery; I might recommend an absorbable biologic membrane which can thicken the tissue, hide the wrinkles, and prevent capsular contracture.

Folds in a new silicone gel breast implant

Silicone gel implants can have fold flaws which migh become apparent in those with very thin breast cover, especially on the lower breast and out to side where there will be no muscle coverage and this is 'normal'. The 'fix' can be quite expensive and might require a more cohesive implant such as the gummy bear, or some might consider an allograft to help cover the implant. Best is to wait and see how it sorts out.

Issue with New Implant - Why Can I See and Feel It at Bottom of Breast?

It would appear from the picture that you have very little breast tissue covering the implant. Because of this, you can see rippling from the implant beneath the skin. If you were a patient that I happened to see in my office, I would offer placement of a Strattice Dermal graft to help cover the implant. The negative to this is the cost. The graft alone can cost about 2600$. You would also require a pocket adjustment with sutures placed laterally to help push the... more

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Comments (1)

simalyn 31 Jul 2012

Say my surgeon yesterday for 1 month follow-up and he confirmed what all of you have said. My breast tissue is so thin it will be very difficult to conceal the implant completely. Strattice was an option, but I don't feel this is enough of a problem to justify the expense.

Thank you very much for responding so promptly and expertly!

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