You may notice an uneven shape or implant movement.
Breast augmentation is a matter of geometry and symmetry. Once you leave the operating room, your implants have been placed firmly in a surgically-created pocket, laying high and tight on your chest wall. The next few weeks, you are to expect your breasts to settle into a natural position. But sometimes, settling becomes a bit too much or changes in a way you didn’t expect. You might see yourself in the mirror or feel something different when you lie down, and this might make you wonder, “How do I know if my implant slipped?“
At Lin Europe Clinic, we recognize how spotting a different breast position can be a big source of stress. Implant malposition is when the implant moves away from the original surgical pocket. It is not an emergency issue, just a problem that can affect visually your silhouette. The first step is to learn how to differentiate the normal “drop and fluff” from the actual slippage.
The Lighthouse Analogy: Observing the Nipple
The most accurate method to detect an implant slippage is to figure out the positional relationship between your nipple and your breast mound. Just picturing your nipple as a lighthouse standing on a bluff can help—it is a fixed spot on your skin. Through this metaphor, we can say that the implant is water rising beneath the lighthouse. In a well-executed augmentation, the nipple is found at or slightly above the center of the implant’s projection.
In the event of an implant slippage, the ‘water’ moves, but the ‘lighthouse’ remains unchanged. Now, if your implant has slipped downward (bottoming out), the nipple will look like it is climbing up the breast and will often point to the ceiling with the volume gathered at the bottom. On the other hand, if the implant has slipped upward (a less frequent case usually accompanied by capsular contracture), the nipple will point downwards. If your breast nipple is no longer the main focus of the breast rather the other parts, then the displacement is the most probable cause.
The Vanishing Cleavage: Lateral Displacement
A common form of slippage is considered lateral displacement, whereby the implant involves sliding sideways in the direction of the armpit. It is the result of an excessively wide surgical pocket border or, over time, the force of gravity pulling the heavy implant down particularly in women who sleep flat on their backs.
You may try this simple test of lying down on your back without wearing a bra. At natural breasts, it is perfectly normal for them to fall slightly towards the sides in such a posture. However, a displaced implant will drop massively into the armpit, so much so that sometimes it can no longer be seen from the chest wall. When standing again, from time to time you can also notice a widening space between your breasts. If the tight and well-defined cleavage you had has now become as wide as a highway, this means lateral displacement. Despite the implants being hidden behind the arms and thus virtually impossible to see, they can still be felt, as the implants rub against the patient’s inner arm during walking or other exertion. You may have heard about lateral displacement if you constantly feel the need to push your breasts from your armpits back to your chest.
The Uniboob Effect: Medial Displacement
On a different level is the condition called symmastia or medial displacement. This situation happens when the implants are leaning toward the chest center. A very aggressive lifting of the tissue over the sternum can cause merging of the two pockets on the sides into a single one.
The sign on the outside is very clear: the breasts no longer have a separation. What used to be two breast mounds now join in the middle, creating the controversial “uniboob”. The skin can rise up in the middle forming a tent shape. This problem can be both unstable and uncomfortable, since it might feel as if the implants are colliding with each other constantly with every movement.
Reasons for Implant Slippage
You may blame yourself for such an issue thinking that you probably lifted a suitcase too soon or You may blame yourself for such an issue thinking that you probably lifted a suitcase too soon or slept in an awkward position. While it is true that not following the post-operative instructions can cause problems, implant slippage is mostly due to the laws of physics and the patient’s anatomy. The pocket for the implant is in essence a room created for it. If the room is oversized, the furniture will move around.
One way this can happen is the surgeon deciding to over dissect the pocket at the initial operation, thus practically severing the internal ligaments which act as the pocket borders. Another reason might be the implant weight itself. Very large and heavy implants exert a continuous force on the inner tissues. Over a long time, this force can lead to the stretching of the pocket which will then allow the implant to move south or sideways. Patients with weak connective tissues by nature or those who have had very large fluctuations in weight are the ones most likely to face pocket stretching.
Breast Implants in Turkey
There’s unfortunately no method, be it taping, specialized bras, or exercise, that will restore the implant’s original position once the internal pocket has been overstretched. It is a failure of the structure that needs to be fixed by an intervention restoring the structure. At Lin Europe Clinic in Istanbul, Turkey, we dedicate our practice to revision breast surgeries to treat malposition.
The operation to correct dislocation is called capsulorrhaphy. Imagine fixing a garment that is too loose. The surgeon makes a small incision into the pocket and sews the stretched area together from inside tightening the “room” so that the implant fits snugly again. In case the patient has weak tissue, the repair is often reinforced with a mesh implant (“internal bra”) or a dermal matrix. The mesh works just like a hammock and can give the necessary support for the check that the implant won’t wander off once again.
If you pick Istanbul for your revision, you will be working with expert surgeons who are used to dealing with complex secondary cases every day. We not only restore your symmetry, but we also apply the most advanced total internal support techniques combined with precision surgical tailoring. Assuming that your breast implants are indeed on the move, there is no need to wait for them to settle in an undesirable location. A consultation will tell whether it is a proper time for you to redefine the borders of your silhouette.
Frequently Asked Questions About Implant Slippage
Always check if the breasts are symmetrical. The implant displacement is recognizable by the nipple becoming too high or too low on the breast, broadening of the gap between the breasts (lateral slip), or the implant moving into the armpit when you are lying down.
Unfortunately, no. After the pocket inside the body is stretched and the implant is displaced, external bras or taping can only mask the issue, not solve it. Surgery is necessary to close the pocket with stitches.
It is generally not painful but can cause discomfort. You may experience a heavy dragging sensation, rubbing in the armpit, or a feeling of instability when you move.
Lateral displacement (sliding into the armpit) is usually caused by the pocket being made too large on the outer edge, along with the effect of gravity pulling the implant down while you are sleeping on your back.
It is always possible, especially if your tissues are weak. The use of an internal mesh (such as Galaflex) during the revision procedure has been shown to greatly lower the chance of the implant reversing its position again.
Maxwell, G. P., & Gabriel, A. (2014). Bio-dimensional planning in revision breast augmentation. Clinics in Plastic Surgery.
Spear, S. L., et al. (2003). The correction of capsule contracture and malposition. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Stevens, W. G., et al. (2008). A review of the “internal bra” technique. Aesthetic Surgery Journal.
