Which breast implant placement gives a more natural appearance?

I strongly concur with Dr. Williams excellent and detailed response. I offer patient's a simple analogy to illustrate what we mean: Q: If you take a baseball and you cover it with a silksheet, what will it look like? A:  Like a baseball, you will even see the stitching. Q: Now if you take that same... more

You have asked a very important question--unfortunately, there is not one simple answer. There are many factors that come into play when determining where to anatomically place a breast implant. Most women desire a natural look and feel to their breasts. Here are some of the good and bad points. In general... more

The benefits of under the muscle placement outweigh the downsides. First, when I talk about under the muscle, I am talking about a dual plane technique whereby the lower part of the implant is under the breast tissue and the upper part of the implant is under the muscle. If the implant is placed under the... more

While the issue of ‘over’ or ‘under’ the pectoralis major muscle receives a great deal of attention, even more important than implant position relative to this muscle is implant position vertically and horizontally on the chest wall.  In many patients, the inframammary fold needs... more

The more tissue that covers the implant, the more the implant is hidden. Above the muscle implants tend to ripple more. The outline of the implant is typically much more visible above the muscle (and therefore unnatural). Above the muscle placement also destroys circulation from the chest muscle to the... more

We women are incredibly aware of our breast appearance-- maybe even more than men are. Breasts are sexual and sensual, a big part of what makes us women, and they can dictate our sense of attractiveness and desirability (for better or worse). Breast augmentation is one of the top three most popular plastic... more

Breast implants are placed either on top of the muscle, entirely below the muscle, or partially under the muscle in a dual plane approach. I generally prefer the dual plane, partial retropectoral approach because, in my hands, I am able to achieve a more natural, tear drop shape with this technique because it... more

In my San Francisco practice most of my patients have implants placed under the muscle. Creating a natural looking augmentation has many factors, all of which need to be addressed. Some of these include (in order of typical importance): Implant size Implant shape (high profile, moderate profile, low... more

Breast implants can look very natural in either position. There are several factors which influence whether or not the implants look natural:  1) How much tissue the patient has overlying the implant.  I recommend that  thin patients whose ribs are showing have the implant under the muscle.... more

As you can see, there are many opinions about the best placement of an implant.  Certainly, the patient's body habitus plays a role, but really only if you are looking for a reason to go above the muscle.  Remember, you can generally always go below the muscle in a first time augmentation patient... more