Will Chest Exercises Help to Correct Breast Deflation Years After Augmentation?

Exercising your pectoralis major muscles, or chest muscles, will cause growth of the muscles which will add volume under the breast tissue.

Dear lsantes,

chest exercises will not help with breast deflation. If you are considering surgery, I would suggest you consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination, you will get more information and recommendations.



Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

This is a very thoughtful question and I hope this information helps you find the approach that feels right for you.
Strengthening your chest muscles may slightly improve tone and posture, but it won’t reposition or lift implants. Since your implants are placed under the muscle, pectoral exercises can sometimes make them move a little during contraction or appear temporarily higher.
I don’t know the specific reason your surgeon advised against fat transfer, but with new techniques and technology, there may be alternative options worth discussing. When performed by an experienced team using modern methods, fat transfer can sometimes help improve upper pole fullness without increasing implant size.
I hope this provides a clearer understanding of your options. A detailed consultation will help determine whether minor refinements or selective fat transfer could safely achieve the balance you’re aiming for.
— Güray Yeşiladalı, MD

Will Chest Exercises Help to Correct Breast Deflation Years After Augmentation? No sorry and it was always ok to work out your chest muscles. Dr. Ted Eisenberg, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and Author. RealSelf Distinguished Hall of Fame Inductee. Philadelphia, Pa., USA

Thanks for your question! I would recommend a wider implant, but not necessarily a larger one. For example, if you have 350cc in a high profile, switching to a similar volume in a moderate profile would be wider and therefore it would help to fill in the upper pole. Also, while doing a replacement, it sounds like you would benefit from a capsulorrhaphy which would tighten things up on the inside - kind of like an internal bra. I would suggest getting another opinion. Good luck!

Thank you for sharing your experience, you’ve been through a lot of body changes with pregnancies and twins, and it’s very understandable to want your breasts to look and feel balanced again.
To your question, strengthening your chest muscles will not restore lost upper-pole breast volume. What happens when you flex your pecs is a temporary change in how the implant and soft tissue sit, but this effect disappears once the muscle relaxes. Building up the pec muscles can improve overall tone and posture, which is always a good thing for your body, but it won’t recreate fullness in the upper breast.
In fact, with submuscular implants, significant pec hypertrophy can sometimes make implants look slightly more displaced or cause a “dynamic” effect (where the implant shifts when the muscle contracts). This varies a lot by patient and implant position, but it’s worth knowing.
Your situation is actually quite common, you have good overall breast position (so a lift may not add value), but you’re noticing less upper-pole volume. Fat transfer has limits, especially in lean patients with submuscular implants, since survival can be unpredictable. Larger implants are one option, but since you’re already a D cup, I understand not wanting to go bigger. Another subtle approach some surgeons consider is changing implant profile or placement (for example, switching to a slightly higher-profile implant of the same base width) to restore some upper fullness without increasing size too much.
The bottom line, chest workouts won’t fix this, but they won’t ruin your results either if you’d like to get back to upper body training for your fitness. If your main concern is appearance, the solution is more likely surgical refinement of implant type/position rather than muscle building.
Warm regards,Dr. Sibel Atalay, MDBoard-Certified Plastic Surgeon

It really is difficult to make much of an assessment without photographs. From your explanation, it seems you need to consider a breast lift. I do not suspect any kind of exercises will improve your situation. It is always good to perhaps see another plastic surgeon for a second opinion. We all have different ways of approaching things.

You are still able to do chest exercises after breast augmentation once you are fully healed. However doing them will not make a significant impact on your breast shape. Without photos or an exam it's difficult to give specific recommendations, but you may be a candidate for an implant exchange. Higher profile implants at the same volume may give you more upper pole fullness without increasing your breast size.