How long does the internal bra last?

First, you need to know exactly what your docotr is calling an "internal bra".  Usually some kind of support in revisons where the origianl pocket was either to big or the implant bottomed out.  The new pocket can be support with either sutures or a dermal matrix product like alloderm or strattiice.  You can get good long term results with any technique but it's also dependant on the skill and experience of the surgeon.  Just remeber, nothing lasts forever and there will gradual loosening and sagging over time.

        Hard to say.  I would have to know exactly what techniques are employed.

 

 

 

Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

The term “internal bra” is not a medical term;  is a term that is currently frequently used to describe procedures that provide support for breast implants. This support may include internal suture “repair” of the capsule (capsulorraphy), the use of acellular dermal matrix, the use of biosynthetic materials, or some combination of the above. These procedures are typically utilized for patients who are experiencing a breast implant displacement problem ( bottoming out or lateral displacement, for example). You may find the attached link, dedicated to revisionary breast surgery concerns, helpful to you as you learn more. Best wishes.

To me an internal bra procedure is an essential portion of a breast lift.  This technique uses the tissue to hold up the result and not the skin.  If the skin is of poor condition then it can not be expected to hold up the result long term.  

To get a better answer to your question, you will need to clarify what you exactly mean by an "internal bra technique".   I will assume you mean the use of a dermal matrix product to internally support an implant.  I've used these technique for revisional breast implant procedures to control a pocket and/or correct severe bottoming.   I have a good 3-4 years followup now and the results last.   Its difficult for anyone to tell you the results will be permanent or will last 10, 20 yrs?  We simply don't have the data.  But frame your question with this:  There is no anti-gravity procedure in plastic surgery - so results will evolve over time...

Best wishes

Dr. Basu

Houston, TX

There are quite a number of techniques that surgeons and patients call internal bras. The meaning of "low long does it last?" is elusive to me. If you could define the term better, and why the procedure is being suggested, you will be able to get more speciric advice. 

All the best. 

The term "Internal Bra" is something coined by a very savvy plastic surgeon a number of years ago to describe taking the epithelium (the outer part of the skin) off the underlying support (the dermis) inside the line of incision instead of cutting straight through the skin in breast reductions and lifts. This reinforces the repair to help prevent the scar spreading and looking ugly. He created this band of dermis using a laser, but I and many others simply deepithelialize the area using a knife. Both work equally well. Some surgeons also talk about placing sutures between the deeper parts of the breast tissue and the chest wall to hold the breast up to try and maintain more upper fullness and include this in their definition of an "internal bra." All these maneuvers help improve the results from these procedures and their longevity. However, nothing we do can absolutely prevent the effect of gravity on an organ with no intrinsic resistance against it.