Where Can Breast Implants be Placed?
The placement of your breast implants will directly impact the look and feel of your breast augmentation procedure. The two most common breast implant placement options are:
- Subglandular – below breast tissue but above the muscles of the chest. This option may be better suited for women who have enough natural breast tissue to cover the implant.
- Submuscular – below both tissue and muscles in the chest. This option may be better suited for women who do not have sufficient breast tissue to cover the implant.
A third option, dual-plane, places the bottom half of the implant below chest muscle while keeping the upper pole just underneath breast tissue. During your initial consultation with one of the board-certified plastic surgeons at our Los Altos office, we can help you determine which option will be best for your stated desires and anatomical needs.
Breast Implant Type
The type of breast implant you have chosen may play a role in which placement our plastic surgeons recommend. Breast implants can be round or teardrop shaped. They can be filled with saline, a sterile saltwater solution, or with silicone, a more viscous synthetic solution.
Saline implants are filled after they have been placed. This allows our breast surgeons to make minor volume adjustments for optimal fullness. However, when placed above the muscles in the chest, saline breast implants run the risk of premature aesthetic imperfections. Wrinkles, ripples, creases, and “double-bubble” are all possible with saline implants. When they are above the chest muscles and not properly obscured by natural breast tissue, these imperfections can impact your final results. These issues are eliminated when implants are placed submuscularly.
Silicone breast implants are filled before placement, which may require a larger incision during your augmentation procedure. Silicone looks and feels more like natural breast tissue and is unlikely to ripple, wrinkle, or otherwise change in appearance. Silicone breast implants placed above chest muscles can still look and feel like the real thing.
A newer silicone option, the form stable or “gummy bear” breast implant, takes the natural look and feel of this implant filling even further. Form stable breast implants mimic natural breast tissue almost perfectly, allowing for natural-looking results even when implants are placed above chest muscles.
What’s Best for You
Our Los Altos breast surgeons offer a number of breast augmentation options, enabling them to personalize the procedure for each woman who walks through our doors. The best way to learn which of these options, including implant size, shape and texture, incision location, and breast implant placement, will be best for your needs, contact our office to schedule your initial consultation today.
Altos Oaks Plastic Surgery is located in Los Altos, CA. Our board-certified plastic surgeons serve San Jose, Mountain View, Santa Clara, and nearby areas. Call us at 650-603-5277 to schedule your consultation and learn how we can help you reach your goals.