Can a Small Implant Placed Above the Muscle Look Natural in a Thin Woman? (photo)

I favor putting implants under the chest muscle because my radiology colleagues  think  this  position  interferes  less  with  mammography  and  the early  detection  of  breast  cancer  than  if  the  implant  is  placed  on  top  of the  muscle.  Not  all  surgeons  agree  on  this,  but  I  like to  err  on  the  side of  caution. The  alternative  is  to  place  the  implant  on  top  of  the  muscle but under the breast tissue. The chance of irregularities is much higher when the implant is placed on top of the muscle in a patient who has little overlying breast tissue to cover the edges of a saline implant (incidentally, this isn’t as big a problem with silicone.  All the best.!  "Dr. Joe"   

Thank you for the question.

I would suggest sub muscular ( dual plane) breast augmentation in your case.

Although breast implants in the sub muscular ( or dual plane)  position may experience “distortion” with muscle movement (workout) I still think it is in your best interests (and that of most patients seeking breast augmentation surgery) to have implants placed in the “dual plane” sub muscular position.  This positioning allows for more complete coverage of the breast implants leading to generally more natural feel/look  of the implants in the long-term. This position will also decrease the potential for rippling and/or palpability  of the implants (which may increase with time, weight loss, and/or post-pregnancy changes).

The submuscular positioning  also tends to interfere with mammography less so than in the sub glandular position. The incidence of breast implant encapsulation (capsular  contraction)  is also decreased with implants placed in the sub muscular position.

I hope this helps.