What is the Dual Plane Method for Breast Augmentation or Breast Implants?

Most patients and even surgeons don't really know what is meant by " dual plane ". The simple way to think of it is yes, that implant is under the pectoral muscle up top and below the breast tissue on the bottom. Otherwise known as partially under the muscle.  What is actually meant by " dual plane " is that in addition to making the pocket in this location dissection is also performed above the muscle. This plane of dissection is taken up for several centimers and it's purpose is to loosen the muscle from the overlying breast tissue. This technique is supposed to be useful for patients who have slightly droopy breasts where the muscle would restrict the expansion of the overlying droopy breast tissue in an adequate fashion. There are other methods of loosening this breast tissue besides the dual plane technique, but really it is only useful for this specific subset of patients. Most patients don't even need it.

Bottom line is you need to go to someone that does good work. Look at photos ask for a referral from a friend.  Asking a surgeon whether or not they do " dual plane " is silly and a waste of time in my opinion. Because really most surgeons haven't read the article so they don't know what it really means. They just assume, as I used to, that it means under the pectoralis muscle.

The question to ask is do you go under the muscle or over the muscle, meaning the pectoralis muscle only.  I don't know anyone that does " completely under " the muscle which involves lifting other small muscles.

Thank you for your question. The below is a description of the dual-plane implant placement from my website. Take a look at my Guide to Breast Augmentation from the web reference below, which answers this and other questions about breast augmentation (saline vs silicone implants, round vs anatomical implants, smooth vs textured, implant profile selection, implant insertion incision placement, implant manufacturer, etc).Dr. Zuckerman would make the pocket under the pectoralis major muscle, similar to a submuscular placement, and then free up the interface between breast gland and the muscle so that the breast implant slides. In this placement, the breast implant contacts the bottom part of the breast gland, which hinges the breast mound & tissue to give a little bit more of a lift out of the augmentation. There are three variations of this technique depending on how much of the interface vertically is freed up, and which variation to choose depends on how much lift you would like to achieve. However, this placement cannot be used in place of a mastopexy.

Understanding dual plane means you have to understand some basic concepts about the muscle anatomy of the chest wall.The chest wall muscle important in breast augmentation is called the
pectoralis major muscle….otherwise known as the pec muscle. This muscle extends
from the arm bone, called the humerus, near the shoulder, and attaches to the
chest wall near the midline.
How the implant is placed in relation
to this muscle is important in determining the final long term result.
The implant can be placed in front of
the muscle.
However, most surgeons choose to place
the implants under the muscle which is often referred to as a subpectoral
placement or “unders”.

However, an implant placed under the muscle is never completely covered
by muscle, with the lower part of the implant extending below the lower border
of the muscle.
Dual plane refers to implants that are partially covered by muscle and partially
covered by breast tissue. Therefore, effectively ALL under the muscle implants
are "dual plane".

A standard subpectoral implant pocket is often referred to as a dual
plane type 1 placement.
The placement of the implant in a dual plane type 1 follows several steps:The lower end of the pec muscle is identified
and then detached from the chest wall at the lower end to make room for the
implant. However, as the muscle remains attached to the overlying breast tissue
it doesn’t retract, or move too far.A space, or pocket, is then created under the
pec muscle large enough to accommodate the chosen implant.Once the pocket is created, the implant is then
inserted and positioned.In this situation the outer/lower aspect of the
implant is not covered by muscle - "dual plane".However,
as the muscle remains attached to the breast tissue and close to the lower
curve of the breast, then as this muscle contracts it often pulls the skin in
causing a groove along the lower breast curve. This is referred to as a dynamic
double bubble and is quite common.

Another form of under the muscle implant placement is the dual plane
type 2.
In this situation, many of the
surgical steps are the same as the dual plane type 1. The lower end of the pec muscle is identified. However, unlike the dual plane type 1, the
breast tissue is detached from the pec muscle approximately up to the level of
the nipple.The space under the muscle is then opened and
the lower end of the pec muscle is detached from the chest wall.With the muscle now detached from the both chest
wall and the breast tissue, this segment of the pec muscle retracts upwards.With the under muscle pocket created, the
implant is inserted and positioned and the wound is closed.
The dual plane type 2 implant placement results in less of the implant
covered by muscle along the lower half of the implant ….and this can have the
benefit of a fuller more curvaceous underboob.
It also significantly reduces the
potential for a dynamic double bubble as this muscle is no longer close to the
skin along the lower curve of the breast.
One of the negative issues of a dual
plane type 2 approach is that the detached segment of pec muscle is no longer
functional…. so you can expect a slight reduction in pec muscle strength.
However for the majority of people this is not noticeable. Pros and cons exist for each technique so speak to your plastic surgeon to find out what will give you the best outcome.