One of the primary choices in breast augmentation is whether to have the implants placed “under” or “over” the muscle (submuscular or subglandular). This muscle is the pectoralis major muscle which lies over the rib cage and underneath the breast. It is the chest muscle that is commonly developed in weight lifters.
Traditionally, when the majority of implants were silicone, implants were most often placed underneath the breast gland and on top of the muscle. With the more common use of saline filled implants, it was noticed in women who were thinner or who had relatively little breast tissue to cover the implants, that there was a tendency to develop “rippling” or a waviness in the skin overlying the implant. This is especially true with the use of the “textured” or rough surfaced implants. In an effort to decrease the incidence of rippling and the potential for capsular contracture, there has been a move to place implants in the space beneath the pectoralis major muscle. Submuscular placement increases the padding overlying the implant offering more coverage and camouflage to the shape of the implant. Using this technique, rippling has become a rare problem
Today many more women have the option of silicone implants. The silicone implants are softer, re realistic in fell and the tissues tend to drape over them more realistically. They are also less prone to rippling. Consequently, it is possible to place them in a subglandular position more often while decreasing the risk of rippling. In fact a possible solution for rippling saline implants can be to replace them with silicone implants.
There are, however, some breast shapes that are better suited to a subglandular (”over” the muscle) placement of the implant. These women typically have breasts that at one time were much larger than the present. When there is a very large volume decrease and there is little or no shrinkage in the size of the skin envelope surrounding the breast tissue, then the shape approaches that of an “empty bag”. Under these circumstances it is sometimes better to place the implant in a subglandular position in order to allow the implant to fill out the skin envelope of the breast.
Tags: breast implants