Thank you for the question. Dual plane means that the implant is (to some degree) under the muscle, and that the pectoralis major muscle is (partially) cut. I hope this helps. I wish you the best of luck. Vasileios Vasilakis, MD. Double board-certified, fellowship-trained plastic surgeon, Houston. TX.
All dual plane implant placement requires some muscle division. The idea is that we need to place the implant where we want to create the final outcome. If the muscle is not divided, the muscle will push the implant to the sides and possibly up. This technique became popular in the 90's and has become the usual subpectoral technique today. The question is how much of the muscle is divided and where is the muscle divided. Some patients worry about resulting weakness, but this is usually not a major issue. By correctly dividing the muscle, we help reduce hyperdynamic implant movement which can be quite an issue in total muscle coverage. Talk to your surgeon about any concerns and they can help put all of this in perspective.
Technically dual plane means you dissect under the gland and the muscle. Therefore it is does require release of the muscle slip onto the rib periosteum. It is a great technique especially for patients with ptosis.