[Breast Augmentation] After breast surgery, does the implant become fixed after about one month?

#Breast augmentation #Breast surgery #Breast implant #Implant movement

Hello, this is AB Plastic Surgery.

I will answer the questions you have been curious about.

Q.

Hello, it has been a little over one month since my breast surgery.

I had severe breast asymmetry (chest wall asymmetry), so the implants were placed in different sizes on the left and right.

I would like one breast to be shaped a bit more toward the outer side.

If I purposely lie on my side toward the side I want to shift to, will there be some movement? I’m curious.

AB.

You asked about the one-month progress after breast augmentation.

This is a question about postoperative care habits (sleeping position) for asymmetric breasts.

First, the most representative cases of an uneven rib cage are pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum.

Left) Pectus excavatum - Right) Pectus carinatum

To begin with, the conclusion is this:

For chest wall asymmetry, lying on your side based on your own judgment should be approached carefully.

The reasons are as follows.

1. Implants have the characteristic of being able to change position depending on the shape of the patient’s chest wall.

2. In pectus excavatum, the implant receives a force that pushes it inward, whereas in pectus carinatum, it tends to receive a force that pushes it outward.

3. In patients with breast asymmetry caused by chest wall asymmetry, in many cases the asymmetry is often a combination of pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum.

In other words, at one month, this is usually a stage when the implant pocket is still forming, so the shape of the breast may change depending on how the bra is used, posture, frequency of use, and lifestyle habits.

If you sleep on your side, gravity in that sleeping position may allow the implant pocket to expand.

How much this can happen varies depending on the layer where the implant is placed (plane; for example, above the muscle, subfascial, below the muscle, dual plane, etc.) and the surgeon’s technique for creating space in the pocket.

At this point, because the degree of implant movement differs over time depending on the surgeon’s planned front-back-left-right breast balance and the degree of asymmetry, lying on your side based on your own judgment needs to be done with caution.

Simply put, the surgeon’s target breast shape at one month may differ from the target shape at three months, six months, and one year.

In cases where the shape is a complex mix of pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum, there is also a possibility that the implant may shift outward too much.

In other words, it may become an additional variable that causes the implant to move in a way that does not match the degree planned during surgery, and it may also induce unnecessary position changes in the implant on the side that currently appears normal.

Therefore, it would be safer to discuss your progress with your attending physician and get confirmation about the sleeping position when lying down.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments.

Thank you.