Placement is Key in Breast Augmentation

It probably sounds quite simple to most folks: Place a small sack of silicone-based gel inside a woman's breasts to enlarge them. End of story, right? Well, not really, because it's not quite that simple. The placement of these implants is directly related to the success of the procedure and whether or not the end results turn out to be satisfactory or not.

Any woman undergoing a breast augmentation wants it to go as smoothly as possible. After all, the goal of this popular cosmetic procedure is to look as if no artificial work has been done on the body at all. To achieve that level of success, however, requires a great amount of detail.

The overall process involves deciding on a specific type of implant to be used, choosing where the incision is to be made on the body and then determining where within the chest the implant is to be placed. These are all equally important keys to the success of the procedure and are all related to each other in terms of the overall success of the work.

Once the patient makes the decision to opt for either saline-based or silicon-based implants, arguably the next most important decision of the entire process is to choose where the incision is going to be made. This incision leaves a scar that will remain visible on the patient for years to come, which is important thing to understand when making a decision for placement. These cuts can be made on the underside of the breasts, around the nipple, under the armpit or even at the navel. From there, the implants are surgically inserted through the opening and into place.

While the decision of where to make the incision is important for the patient, it is also important for the surgeon because it leads to the choice of where to insert the implant itself. All implants used in a breast augmentation are placed directly over the pectoralis major muscle, which is the largest of the human chest muscles, and the question is often under what layer of muscle should they be inserted.

A subglandular placement involves inserting the implant between the pectoralis and the outer tissue and is considered to produce the most natural-feeling results. However those with thin layers of soft tissue can have issues with wrinkles in the implant showing through their skin.

A subfascial placement houses the implants beneath the fascia, or outermost layer, of the pectoralis, which proponents of this approach say is key in keeping them shapely and in place.

A subpectoral approach involves removing some muscle attachments from the pecs and placing the upper half of the units under them while the lower half sits between the pec and the outer tissue. This is the most common approach in the United States.

Finally, a submuscular breast augmentation involves attaching the units below the pecs without disconnecting any muscle attachments and allows for a wider area to be covered.

Whatever approach a patient or surgeon chooses to take in completing a breast augmentation, it is important to make sure it is the correct one for the individual involved to achieve the results he or she is seeking. Decisions like placement that may seem minor at first are anything but and have a significant impact on the outcome of the surgery.