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  • Breast Implants: Why an Incision Under the Breast May Be Best
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Silicone implants are put in various ways. They can be put in through the armpit, they can be put in through incision under the breast, and they can be put in through incision around the bottom edge of the areola. Most of us board certified plastic surgeons prefer to put the implant through an incision underneath the breast, nowadays. Keisha, here, this would be somewhere just under here, so that when the breast and implant falls over it like a teardrop shape, it completely conceals it. A lot of women are worried, is this scar going to be visible? The answer is, every scar is visible for the first six weeks to six months, however, over time, when scars mature, they fade and they blend in with the rest of the skin.

The advantages of putting the implant in through an incision underneath the breast, are, there's a lower rate of capsular contracture, which happens in 6 to 7% of women. That's the phenomenon where the breast turns hard, from your body reacting with too much scar tissue around the implant. The other advantage is, because we're avoiding any incisions around the areola or nipple, we're not cutting through any of the nerves or milk ducts, so the chances of breastfeeding later on, if you want to, or sensation in the nipple, is the best, from going underneath.

Going through the armpit can be a slick way to do it, however, there's a lot of chance of movement and migration of the implant back up and out to the side, to that tunnel where you put the implant in the first place, coming from the armpit.

Breast Implants: Why an Incision Under the Breast May Be Best

Dr. Ryan Stanton explains the advantages and disadvantages to each location used by surgeons to insert breast implants.