When Do Breast Implants "Drop" or Fall into Place?

Breast implants under the muscle can take anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months to drop into place. The chest muscle contracts and pulls the implant up higher than where it was originally placed. Massaging the chest muscle will help to relax the muscle so that the implant will drop into position. The size of the implants can have an effect on how long they take to drop. Larger implants will take longer to drop. How muscular your chest muscles are can also have an effect on the time to drop. Women with bigger chest muscles from working out will take longer to drop. 

It can take 6 months before the implants have fully dropped into position.  You have to massage them 5 times a day in the first several months to help the implants settle into a soft, natural position. In some patients, they have dropped by 1 week, although this is uncommon.  Most patients take months to see their implants drop.

If you’ve never been pregnant, or your preoperative breast tissues and skin are tight, it can take several weeks to a few months for the implants to settle and look the way you want. At first, the skin and tissues in the lower part of the breasts are tighter, and must stretch and relax to allow the breast implants to drop to the level that is attractive, with the implants centered behind the nipples. It’s very normal for the implants to look high only one week after surgery, and they’ll likely look much better over the next few weeks. 

Most implants are placed behind the muscle. The muscle will hold the the implants in an elevated position initially, until the muscle relaxes. This causes the implants to appear high on the chest and can make the nipple appear low. Over time the muscles relax, allowing the implants to drop behind the breast tissue. The volume and projection will then transfer to the inferior aspect of the breast, giving a more normal and youthful appearance. I have my patients begin implant massage one week after surgery unless the augmentation is combined with a breast lift. This will assist with the muscle relaxation and the dropping of the implants. Most patients will see a significant improvement in 4 to 6 weeks. However, patients will see some changes for 3 months. Good Luck!

A patient who has very little breast tissue will have a more exaggerated tightness and higher position of the implants after surgery. In general, they will drop into position and look better week by week after surgery. Downward massage with smooth implants is usually a reasonable plan. Ultimately, you should watch carefully with your surgeon as the next few months go by. If you have concerns with your breast position, your surgeon should be able to address this and in a worst-case scenario, the implants could be lowered further surgically, but luckily this is rarely necessary as implants do tend to drop into place on their own.

This is very normal. We don’t usually get worried about implants “dropping” until about 3 months. You should notice a big change at 3 weeks but they will keep settling up to one year. Some people say massaging helps and some don’t. I think it’s just a good way for you to monitor your new implants and their progress.

Hi there, thank you for this very good question. It’s very normal for the implants to sit very high particularly after a dual plane or under the muscle surgery. The dissection is under the muscle, the tissues swell and muscle swells and the implants look very high for about 4-6 weeks. Massaging will help this. I send my patients home with a mermaid strap that goes around the chest, it pushes the implants downward. You will typically see your final result at about 8 weeks.

Thanks for your question...You are very early post op, it can take up to 3 months for implants to finally settle. Please continue to follow your PS instructions.You can learn more on our social media (Instagram and Snapchat): @realdrsix.

Regards,

Thanks for your inquiry, it can take several weeks to months for implants to drop and fluff,  good luck with your recovery.

It will vary a bit depending on the type of implant used, the size of implant and how tight the pocket was but on average it takes about 6 weeks for implants to fall into place. It takes 12 months though for all swelling to resolve and for you to really see your final results.

Many thanks for asking your question.The dropping of breast implants (also known as bottoming out) refers to them settling and lowering into their pocket over time. This particularly happens with smooth implants, and to a lesser extent with textured implants.Usually it takes 3-months for the implants to settle into their final position, but can sometimes take longer. It sounds like the advice you have been given is appropriate for smooth implants. Please be patient, I am sure your implants will drop as you are hoping - just keep in regular contact with your plastic surgeon for their guidance and reassurance  - good luck