Can Rippling Go Away?

I had my implants fix from a capillary contraction. During this time they put the implant under the muscle and also did a lift. I'm 5'7 and 135 pounds at the moment usually am 130. It's two weeks after surgery and I already have a ripple on my clevage with an invention. I'm freaking out. M y doctor says hopefully my implant will settle and fix this problem. Also my right implant is still but by my collar bone. I'm very frustrated. Is what he says true? It could fix itself?

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capsular contracture rippling 5 ft 4 in to 5 ft 7 in under muscle 2 weeks post-op 130-149 lbs lift

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11 Doctor Answers | Asked by Sophialucasskyler in Kansas

Doctor Answers (11)
Community Comments (0)

Can Rippling Go Away?

Without the benefit of seeing your pictures, it is hard to give too specific of an answer. However, there is a possibility of improvement in your breasts as the implants settle. This can take several weeks or longer to complete, and will be quicker if your surgeon has shown you how to actively massage the implants downward. Best Wishes!

Rippling after breast augmentation

If it is only two weeks after your breast augmentation revision, I doubt that it is true rippling. It may just be that there is a tight band of tissue that will stretch out with time and with the aide of appropriate breast massage techniques. Ask your PS to show you these massage exercises. If after a few months you do indeed have rippling, then the two treatments that could help would be replacing the saline implants for gel implants and/or fat grafting. Rippling... more

Laurence Weider, MD

49 reviews

Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Fix Rippling After Breast Augmentation

Unfortunately, rippling does not usually resolve with time. Placing the implant underneath the muscle is a good way to prevent rippling, but since you have already had this done, the next best option would be fat grafting to the breast. Talk to your board certified plastic surgeon about this and other options for fixing this complication. Jaime Perez, MD Breast Implant Specialist Plastic Surgery Center of Tampa

Rippling of Breast Implants

As a general rule, rippling is not a phenomenon that improves with time. In some patients it may actually get worse. If after three to six months it is still bothersome there are the options of switching to silicone implants (if you have saline) and/or the placement of either dermal grafts or fat injections. The highly positioned implant, however, may improve with time and massage. It is only two weeks from surgery so there is ample time for the implant to move further downward. more

Rippling early post-op

Usually rippling gets worse with time, but without an evaluation it is hard to comment about your given situation. Follow closely with your doctor. Sometimes alloderm/strattice can camouflage the rippling.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Rippling may settle but is treatable with lipofilling

Dear Sophia, I understand you are very upset with this rippling. Secondary surgery after a capsular contracture is always difficult and not always predictable. Textured implants do give slightly more rippling as they are designed to adhere to the surrounding tissues. Having said that, if after a healing period of let's say 6 weeks there is no visible improvement, I would cover the rippled area with fat grafts (lipofilling) which in experienced hands can smooth out the contour of... more

Rippling

A photo of the rippling would be very helpful to advise you. By your description, the indentation may be a fold in the implant shell or rippling. If you have textured implants, rippling is slightly more common than in smooth shell implants. Both could develop a fold that may be noticable if the muscle was released too much towards the middle. Ultimately, time will tell...you are too early to worry about these issues as often these will resolve as your body heals more... more

Rippling after breast augmentation

Without seeing your photos it is hard to tell for sure, but I would say that you have a reasonable chance of the rippling resolving with time. You don't mention what type of implants you have. As far as rippling, the silicone gel implants typically ripple less than saline, but even silicone gel can ripple. Aggressive implant "pocket" massage is typically helpful for small ripples and creases; however, when this is done at the same time as a lift, it is typically harder to be... more

Can Rippling Go Away

Two weeks after surgery is way too early to expect the breasts to look like they will after the implants are healed into place. It is very common for the implants to look too high early on. Usually they look fine in the operating room, but when you awaken and your chest muscles tighten they compress the implant and the fluid bulges out the top. This resolves as the implants settle. The ripple, if it is indeed a fold in the implant, is also likley to resolve as the implants... more

Rippling may worsen as the breast tissue loses volume

Rippling will usually not improve with time, unless more tissue builds up between the surface of the skin and the surface of the implant. This can be achieved by gaining weight (which most women do not want to do) or inserting additional tissue in the area. Materials like Alloderm have been used successfully for this purpose. My preference is to use a local fat transfer, which increases the amount of tissue between the skin and the implant and mitigates or eliminates the... more