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  • What Is "The Pocket" in Breast Augmentation Surgery?
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Hi, I'm Dr. Michael Epstein, and I'm going to field a question that was directed to me from Real Self. This question is in regards to breast augmentation surgery. The question reads, "What exactly does the phrase 'the pocket' refer to in breast augmentation surgery?"

Typically what I call "the pocket" is the space that is created for the implant itself. And there are typically two locations or two pockets that are sometimes used in breast augmentation. Either the subglandular pocket, which is the space behind the entire breast but on top of the pectoralis major muscle. Or the submuscular packet which is located behind the muscle and the breast tissue.

And the muscle is actually the pectoralis major muscle. Typically an implant is placed in the subglandular space when a woman has enough breast tissue and adequate skin quality to cover the implant, so that the end result looks natural. But most of the time, I would say about 85% to 90% of the time; I place the pocket in the submuscular position because most women come in without enough of their own soft tissue to adequately cover the implant.

And so they get a more natural result that way. Very rarely will we use sort of a hybrid type of pocket where the implant is placed in the muscle and the bottom portion of the breast is released from the muscle so the bottom portion of the implant is in both locations. But that is typically only when the patient has a little bit of sagging that we're trying to fix at the same time.

So I hope that answers the question for this individual who's concerned about what the pocket is called. Thank you very much.

What Is "The Pocket" in Breast Augmentation Surgery?

Dr. Michael Epstein answers a question directed to him from a RealSelf user regarding "The Pocket" in breast augmentation.