Implant Animation
Do you or a friend have breast implants that take on a strange shape with activity? Or have you seen a girl in a bikini whose breasts ripple when they get up from lying down? Also known as “dynamic breast deformity,” this relatively common condition is characterized by excessive movement of the implant upon contraction of the chest muscles. Implant animation happens when the breast implant is placed in a submuscular position. The advantage of this placement is that the muscle “masks” or hides the implant so it looks more natural, avoiding a “stuck on” appearance. The disadvantage occurs in the active individual – only half of the implant is covered by the pectoralis muscle, so when you flex it pushes down on the implant, causing it to protrude from under the muscle and then return (See Pictures).
Subfascial Breast Augmentation
If you haven’t had a breast augmentation yet… do your research! The subfascial placement of breast implants has many of the advantages of both the submuscular and subglandular techniques of breast augmentation, and has become the preferred position for the placement of breast implants in our practice. This is a Brazilian technique that has only been taught to a small percentage of plastic surgeons in America. It is technically more difficult to perform, but if done correctly, can have lasting, natural results.
The Subfascial Position:
• Prevents the “stuck on” appearance often caused by the submuscular placement, offering a more natural slope to the breast.
• Has a lower rate of “rippling” than subglandular placement.
• Less injury to the patient than the submuscular, as the muscle is not released off of the chest wall.
• Has less post operative “downtime”. Generally, patients can return to work after 2 or 3 days, and are able to workout at 2 weeks.
• Prevents the muscle movement “animation” that is often visible after submuscular placement in extremely active individuals.
Correction of Implant Animation
What happens if you already have this deformity? Odds are this is something that bothers you and you’d like to have it fixed. There are several different techniques for repairing this, depending on the degree of deformity. This usually involves an operation that contains the implant with the use of an acellular dermal matrix, or “synthetic skin.” Only properly trained reconstructive surgeons are taught how to fix this deformity, as this technique is commonly performed in breast cancer reconstruction.
Please contact us at Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery Group at 310-275-6600 to have a consultation to see if you are a candidate for surgery!
