Breast Implant Malpositioning

February 22, 2014

Women who opt for breast augmentation want to enhance their appearance. They often eagerly wait out the healing process in order to show off their new figure to the world. Unfortunately, in a few cases, patients may not get the results they had hoped for. The breast implants may not be placed correctly on the chest (breast implant malpositioning). In most of these cases, a second corrective surgery (breast implant revision) will be required to help patients achieve their desired results. It is important for patients to understand not only the types of breast implant malpositioning that can occur, but why they happen. The sooner a malpositioned breast implant is detected, the better, in terms of correcting the problem before it becomes even more severe.

Why Does Breast Implant Malpositioning Happen?

In most cases, a malpositioned breast implant is due to the capsular pocket being either too big or too small. When a cosmetic surgeon performs a breast augmentation procedure, he or she creates a pocket into which the implant is placed.

In cases where the capsular pocket is too small for the implants, scar tissue will form around this capsular pocket over time as part of the body’s natural healing process. If the scar tissue becomes too thick, it will push against the capsular pocket, causing what is known as capsular contraction. In these cases, when the pocket is too small, the breast implant may be vertically displaced. If the capsular pocket is too big, the implant may shift horizontally.

The width of the chest may also play a role in breast malpositioning. Thinner women with a more narrow chest will want to avoid implants with a low profile (when the circumference of the implant is greater than the height), which will make the breasts appear too close to each other. Conversely, women with wider chests will want to avoid high profile implants (when the height is greater than the circumference), which may make the breasts appear too far apart.

What Are the Types of Breast Implant Malpositioning?

  • Bottoming out - When breast implants shift too far down inside the capsular pocket, such that they show below the breast
  • Double bubble - When the implant hangs below the breast, rather than filling it out, creating the appearance of two bubbles, one atop the other
  • Uniboob - When breast implants are too close to each other, creating the appearance of just one breast
  • Axilla (armpit) malpositioning - When the capsular pockets are too far apart, causing the implants to shift away from one another horizontally, giving the appearance of the breasts coming out from the armpits

How Can Breast Implant Malpositioning Be Corrected?

There is no non-surgical way to correct breast implant malpositioning. In most cases, a revision surgery is required, in which the scar tissue around the capsular pocket is either loosened or removed entirely if the pocket is too small. In other cases, if the pocket is too large, it can be sutured to tighten it up. Other corrective options include changing out the size or profile of the breast implants.

If patients notice that their breast implants have shifted either horizontally or vertically, they should schedule a follow up consultation as soon as possible. If left uncorrected, the implants will become even more displaced, requiring more extensive corrective surgery.

Contact Crawford Plastic Surgery to schedule a breast implant revision consultation.

Add new comment