Am I Starting to Develop Symmastia? Are Implants Too Wide? (photo)

Question

5 months post op my implants cause the sternum skin to raise when I wear a pushup bra. When I bend over they come too close to eachother and laying on my side they push eachother so much that my sternum hurts but when Im standing theres no uniboob. My ps told me that I need NOT to wear bras that push them together and also to use a pillow when I lay on my side. He said that overtime they will make the pocket larger and will get symmastia. I asked if he created the pocket too big and he said no.

Steven Teitelbaum, MD · Answer

It amazes me that plastic surgeons have invented bras to suit the needs of their breast augmentation patients.  In my opinion, something went wrong if a breast augmentation patient can't wear a regular bra.

	It's impractical for a patient not to wear a bra she wants, particular a push-up bra for a patient who wanted to have an operation ostensibly to have larger breasts.

	But perhaps your surgeon thinks your tissue is still settling and wants to not put pressure on it.  So listen to all of his or her advice at this point.  Once you get out to a year, then you need to reassess as to whether there is a problem to fix.

Jed H. Horowitz, MD, FACS · Answer

Symmastia is a condition which can occur when the implants are too close together. Patients often refer to this as a “uniboob.” Occasionally, the space or pocket for the breast implant is created towards the center, or the tissue stretches, forcing  the implants to fall too much towards the center of the breasts. However, #symmastia is not apparent per your photos at this time.  If you are not satisfied with your #final #results or if there are any concerns, it's best to consult with your plastic surgeon to further discuss your #options.

Ary Krau, MD, FACS · Answer

Hi JJ479,

	     The space between your implants is way too small.  It appears, however, that there still is some skin attached to your sternum in the midline, so technically, you do not have symmastia as of yet.   Regardless, you have very little soft tissue covering the implants in that area where rippling is visible, particularly when you bend over.  I'm not sure if you are under or over the muscle, and it would be nice to know if you have saline or silicone gel implants.  Regardless, your implants should  to be moved apart.  Most like, this will require revision surgery.  You may, however, want to try to wear a "Thongbra"  for a while and see if that will help close the pockets.

	Good luck,

	Ary Krau MD FACS

Ritu Chopra, MD · Answer

Looking at your pictures, it does not appear that you have any symmastia or "uniboob". There are appliances that you can put between your breasts at night, to keep them apart if you are worried. But overall it seems that you have a symmetric breast augmentation. Hope this helps..

	Dr C

Curtis Wong, MD · Answer

do not go hand in hand as your surgeons suggests according to your post. But as mentioned, your implants are close together. Everyone has different ideas of what they like and if you like what you see, I wouldn't worry. Symmastia is only a word defined as the breasts coming together to create one larger mound. If you wish to have more space between your mounds, you will have to see your surgeon (or another one) who can provide you with your options. Good luck!

Am I Starting to Develop Symmastia? Are Implants Too Wide? (photo)

Answers (5)