• Video
  • Preferred Breast Implant Pockets Vary By Surgeon
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Hey, it's Dr. Lowenstein here in Santa Barbara. I want to talk about what's the best breast implant pocket. I'm going to tell you that I don't think there is a best breast implant pocket. There's one that works nicely for me, and one I'm very happy with, but I think when you're looking at breast augmentation surgery, you need to talk to your plastic surgeon and find out what they're most comfortable with.

Breast implants can be put in front of the muscle. That tends to give a very nice projection in the lower pole, but there's a higher risk of capsular contracture there. You can more likely see implant ripples and folds, and you can feel and see the implant more because there's less tissue covering it than when things are behind the muscle.

The advantages of behind the muscle are that the implants covered by more tissue tend to feel more natural, hide some of the folds and ripples of the implant if there are any. If you put things completely behind the muscle though, the implant tends to ride very highly, so we'll divide. A lot of people divide the lower portion of the muscle. That's what I do.

I do something called a dual plain operation where I'm doing a little bit of shaping of the lower breast and doing some dissection of the tissue in front of the muscle as well dividing the lower portion of the muscle. That allows not only the implant to fall to a position where the apex of the implant is at the apex of the breast, but it also allows me to shape the lower portion of the breast tissue so we can get a nice tear drop shape, a nice round lower pole, but a nice natural-appearing upper pole. That's my secret of how I work to get the most natural appearance and I'm happy to answer questions regarding that when we talk. All right, thanks, take care.

Preferred Breast Implant Pockets Vary By Surgeon

When performing a breast augmentation, there are several locations, or pockets, in which the implant can be placed. Dr, Lowenstein explains where each pocket is in and how your doctor will choose the best placement for you.