Breast Implant Placement
There are always advantages and disadvantages of placing an implant above or below the muscle, but Dr. Mills believes the pros of placing implants under the muscle far way outweigh the cons. Four main reasons to place breast implants under the muscle include the following:
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- To increase the likelihood of locating breast cancer, should it be present. When about one in seven women get breast cancer, decreasing the chance of discovering abnormal cells and tissues in the breasts can be dangerous. If the implant is placed under the muscle, there is more unobstructed tissue present towards the surface of the skin, which enables greater visibility during mammograms.
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- To decrease the chance for capsular contracture. After conducting a 20-year study based on statistics from our practice, Dr. Mills found that capsular contracture occurred only 2% of the time when he placed implants below the muscle through the armpit incision. In the U.S., studies show that when the implant is placed below the muscle, capsular contracture only occurs about 10% of the time (as opposed to 35-35% of the time when placed above the muscle). Dr. Mills believes that not going through the breast tissue further decreases the chance for capsular contracture, which is why his approach only has about a 2% capsular contracture rate.
- To enable the possibility of breastfeeding. Placing implants under the muscle can help decrease the chance of mastitis affecting the implants for patients who are able to breastfeed, should they choose to do so after having children. There is more separation between the implant and the breast tissue when the implant is placed under the muscle, so if a woman gets mastitis, there will be less chance of the implant getting involved.
In the end, the placement of implants will ultimately be determined based on each patient’s individual needs and specific cosmetic goals.
Contact Aesthetic Plastic Surgical Institute
For more information about breast implant placement, or to schedule a consultation with Dr. Mills, please feel free to contact us today.
