Possible to Replace over Muscle Implants with Under Muscle Implants?

You situation is very complicated and you definitely need to be see by a board certified plastic surgeon that has experience in breast revision work. Having said that, you have been behind the muscle and now are infront and want to go back under. Easier said than done. It is not a technically difficult task but anatomically it may not be possible.

The muscle has probably window shaded up wards and you will likely not get any coverage of the implant any more. So really you are still going to be subglandular or in front. Once you go under the muscle and then go in front you are pretty much committed. This is very unusual, because in most circumstances implants are taken from a subglandular position (meaning in front) and then are put behind. This is possible and works well.

It is often possible to replace your sub glandular implants back to a sub muscular pocket.  The muscle will have to be raised back off the chest wall and attached to the undersurface of the breast with sutures to close off the sub glandular pocket so the implant will remain in the sub muscular plane.  This sounds easy but is not always possible if the muscle has retracted or atrophied or there is extensive scarring.  

There should be no problem repositioning your implant from over the muscle to submuscular (under the muscle). We frequently perform this type of surgery.

Breast implant pocket position is changed often.  I perfer under the muscle since the look more natural, in my opnion. This change shnould not be a problem

After multiple planes and surgeries there is only one technique that will deliver a beautiful shape and lasting result in my opinion, subfascial placement.  I commonly use a technique called 'cold-subfascial placement' to correct undesirable results of multiply operated breasts with beautiful results.  this technique allows the use of strong structural tissue in your body to create an internal brassiere to hold and shape the implant in a tear drop form.  It also gives relative protection to the breast tissue and skin from stretching and gravity.  I hope this helps!

 

All the best,

 

Rian A. Maercks M.D.

When your implants were moved above your muscle, the prior submuscular pocket has problly scarred down and the muscle length has probably shortened.  You have heard right, it many not be possible to back under the muscle and the muscle coverage alone may be very inadequate.