{"id":19970,"date":"2021-06-11T10:59:21","date_gmt":"2021-06-11T17:59:21","guid":{"rendered":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/?p=19970"},"modified":"2023-10-17T15:38:36","modified_gmt":"2023-10-17T22:38:36","slug":"drop-and-fluff-breast-augmentation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/drop-and-fluff-breast-augmentation","title":{"rendered":"How the \u201cDrop and Fluff\u201d Period Affects the Results of Your Breast Augmentation"},"content":{"rendered":"

No, it’s not the latest iteration of Elle Woods’ iconic “bend and snap” move: “drop and fluff” is an informal term that describes the process of breast implants<\/a> settling after an augmentation—and it’s an important part of the recovery process. Here, top plastic surgeons explain what the “drop and fluff” is and how it will affect the end result of your breast augmentation<\/a>. <\/p>

“Dropping” refers to implant settling<\/h2>

Immediately after an augmentation, breasts look very round and sit high on the chest; eventually, they take on more of a teardrop shape. Attribute this to good old-fashioned gravity. “As time goes on, the bottom of the breast implant will settle more toward the bottom of the breast area,” explains Dr. Jerome Edelstein<\/a>, a certified plastic surgeon in Toronto. It’s not, necessarily, that the implant itself is moving downward significantly—though it may drop a centimeter or two—but more so that it’s being redistributed and settling into its final position. <\/p>

The changes happening to the surrounding tissue also play a role, as does the swelling that inevitably occurs post-surgery. “After a breast augmentation, there’s a lot of swelling on the upper side of the chest, where the chest wall turns into the breast,” explains New York City board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Melissa Doft<\/a>. “Because that swelling is higher up on the breast, as it subsides, it creates the illusion that the implant has dropped.”<\/p>

Interested in breast implants?<\/small><\/div>Find Doctors Near You<\/a><\/div>

“Fluffing” refers to skin expanding<\/h2>

No matter whether you put a breast implant under or over the muscle, there’s a lot of expansion and stretching of both the tissue and the overlying skin, after the fact, as well as scar tissue that’s formed around the implant, says Dr. Ashley Amalfi<\/a>, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Rochester, New York. This tissue is tight and hard because it’s being pulled taut, and it takes time for the skin to stretch out and soften. “As it expands, you get not only a more convex appearance, but the breast also begins to feel softer,” she adds. (It’s worth mentioning that the aforementioned swelling is also part of the reason that breasts feel so hard post-surgery.) Picture one of those mattresses that come in a box. When you initially pull it out, it’s tight and stiff and crushed together; as it relaxes, it takes on its natural shape and, quite literally, fluffs up. The same thing is happening with your breasts and the implants during the healing process.<\/p>

Related: Silicone vs. Saline Breast Implants? 5 Things to Know About Picking the Right Type for You<\/a><\/em><\/p>

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