Breast Augmentation: Q&A

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Unnatural Results After Breast Augmentation?

Why do some post-op girls have that "frankenboob" look immediately after their breast augmentation surgery, while others look more natural? Mine look like snoopy boobs immediate after surgery, and there is a square like bulge on the top portion of my breasts. Does it have something to do with the technique?

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14 Doctor Answers | Asked by stomachsleeper in palo alto, ca

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The immediate result is temporary

The immediate look after a breast augmntation depends on the size and profile of the implant inserted, the strength of your muscle contraction over the implants, the initial shape of your breasts, and the degree of swelling you have. Each person looks different the next day after surgery than they did on the operating table. Some a bit more distorted than others. It is important not to focus on this and follow your doctor's massage instructions and wait 2-3 months for most of this to... more

Side effect of breast implants: Natural look or not? What factors determine this?

There are all sorts of reasons why this happens and I have to give you an oversimplified analogy to explain complex anatomic interactions. If you take a baseball and cover it with a silk sheet, you will see everything: a hard round, firm, irregular (stitching) blob that is very unnatural looking. IF however, you take the baseball and cover it with a thick comforter, the baseball will have a soft, mound like appearance that will create a more gentle impression. IF you change that baseball... more

Otto Joseph Placik, MD

32 reviews

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Early post-op look after breast implants

The appearance of the breasts just after surgery will often look very different than several months down the road. Everything is usually tight and until things loosen up a bit, the implants can look a bit funny.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Frankenboob?

Excellent description. You obviously have a good sense of humor. I think you need to go in and discuss things further with your plastic surgeon. Hopefully, he is as personable as you seem to be. Waiting may still be the answer at this point. Try to work this out with your current surgeon. Good luck.

Early on, un-natural is normal.

During our pre-operative discussion all my patients learn that they will look rather un-natural immediately after breast augmentation surgery. That is normal. Tighter skin and breast tissue and larger implants accentuate this. Mild relaxation of those tissues from previous pregnancies and breast-feeding minimize this. The gradual change in appearance is caused by gradual relaxation of the width and radius of the lower half of your breast, under the influences of gravity and the weight... more

A breast augmentation will only give you a bigger version of yourself,

A breast augmentation will only give you a bigger version of yourself, it will not make you look like anyone else. The different shapes that you are seeing are due more to pre-existing anatomic differences than surgical technique. The snoopy dog look that you are experiencing is due to an implant that may be too high or a breast that is too low. The center of the implant should rest directly behind the center of your nipple. Too high and the nipples point down, too low and the... more

Many things play into breast augmentation results

Hello, Right after surgery, things tend to look funny. This tends to get better with time. How much time relates to how much tissue the patient had to cover the implants and how large the implants are. Implant shape can play into this as well. Larger implants in thinner patients tend to look funnier at first and don't become as natural-looking as time passes. The surgeon's technique and judgment are also important. As we become more experienced and have seen and done more, we get better... more

It has everything to do with patient selection, surgical judgement, and technique.

To stomachsleeper, Hi. It sounds like 1) either your implants are too high in relation to your breast tissue, 2) or you needed a lift together with your breast augmentation. It is hard to generalize, because there are literally dozens of details. Snoopy boobs don't sound good. You may need a revision in a few months. What I do to try to avoid problems like this, is put the patient into a sitting position DURING surgery. Then I can see if the shape is great without any guess work... more

Frankenboob? That is scary!

Square upper pole of the breast is something I have not seen so I can't comment. The other issues have to do with technique, and muscle spasm. I tell all my BAM patients that the muscle spasm will start to relax after 3 to 4 weeks, and at that time, they will start to look better and more natural. Also, this is more common when the implants are placed under the muscle.

Be patient; what you see, is not what you get

Without the benefit of examining you, I can assure you that what you see immediately after the surgery, is not what you get when it has healed up. Be patient and discuss your concerns with your surgeon. Generally, it takes weeks to months before the breast assumes it's final shape and size.

Frankenboob is a new one

Dear Stomach, Every patient is different in what they bring to the operating table. This is part of the reason why everyone does not look exactly the same after breast augmentation. The upper squaring of your breasts that you describe is probably the upper border of the implants. This is commonly the early appearance until the implants have a chance to settle with gravity, tissue relaxation and resolution of swelling. The "snoopy" appearance that you describe should also... more

Early results do not equal long term results

I don't know how early you are after surgery, but it is very common for implants to look flat and high immediately after a submuscular augmentation. I am concerned about your description of a Snoopy Boob. That usually says to me that there was more ptosis or droop than could be corrected with just and augmentation. Most commonly people with droop need a lift or mastopexy. Discuss these issues with your doctor. Don't rush to surgery for a correction. Give it 4-6 weeks post op to allow your... more

Poor planning limits your post-op results

Certainly poor technical skill can cause post-op results that are not agreeable to the patient. Differential healing can also mar a good surgery due to capsular contracture. However, many of the unattractive results one sees is usually due to poor choices regarding the type or size of implant or the method of insertion. Implants that do not "fit"the natural breast will lead to unnatural results or unwanted side effects like rippling or excessive roundness. Often this is a result of... more

Robin T.W. Yuan, MD

4 reviews

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Immediate "look" does not mean final look will be poor

Hello stomach sleeper, What the breasts look like right after surgery depends on many variables: 1. Has the patient had kids 2. Type of implant 3. Submuscular of subglandular 4. Initial anatomy of your breasts 5. Postop swelling 6. How strong your pectoralis muscles are In general, we have found that round, smooth implants look more natural immediately after surgery than the textured, anatomic ones (our experience only). The stronger your muscle is, the more swelling it will have and... more