Breast implants are used to enhance the appearance of a breast which has lost volume, such as after pregnancy. There are many ways to insert the breast implants. Skin incisions in the armpit or under the skin crease of the breast provide access to the chest wall and chest muscles. Almost always, Dr. Callegari prefers placement of the implant below the muscles of the chest, since this affords an added layer of camouflage for the implant and will help hide any rippling of the implant.

Sub-muscular or sub-mammary? Short answer, sub-muscular. Long answer: At first, breast implants probably look best when inserted just under the breast tissue, since this is, after all, where your natural breast tissue is normally found. However, as a patient, you must also consider other factors such as how long the implant will last, and in what position the implant is more likely to remain soft. Although the final answer is not completely clear, capsule formation (hardening) is more likely to occur when the implant is above the muscle (less hard capsule formation under the muscle). Rippling or unnatural crinkling is also more likely when the implant is just under the breast tissue (less rippling and crinkling under the muscle). Dr. Callegari is convinced that the best place for implant placement for the long term is below the muscles of the chest. Placement of the implants below the muscle is more painful in the short term, and the implants will flatten with forceful muscle action of the chest , such as during weight lifting ( bench-press) You may have noticed women who have had implants whose breast flatten with intense muscle movement. Unfortunately, everything in surgery is risk and benefits, give and take, pros and cons. Only a personal consultation with an experienced surgeon can give you the kinds of details you need to make your final choice.

Breast size: Sometimes, patients ask for large implants. This is not a good idea, for several reasons. First, large implants will cause stretching of your natural breast skin, so that if you ever decide to remove the implants, your breasts will be more droopy than if you had never had implants (you may need a breast lift that you otherwise would not have needed). Second, just as your bra strap can cause pressure atrophy (shrinkage) of the fat under the skin of the shoulder straps of your bra (causing a noticeable shoulder strap groove), a large heavy implant can cause the same changes to the tissues of your breast. This means that if you change your mind about the implants in the future, your natural breast tissue will have shrunk somewhat because of the weight of the large implants; in other words, your breasts will be smaller than they would have been if you never had implants. Lastly, implant rippling is much more common if the implant is large, the amount of natural breast tissue is small, the skin thin, and when there is little fatty tissue or muscle to hide the implant.

Breast implant surgery is usually done under general anaesthesia and recovery is approximately 7 - 12 days.