It’s usually nerve healing or implant settling.
You have come through your operation and the effects of anesthesia should already be totally gone, so you are just relaxing in your hotel room in Istanbul. You glance at yourself in the mirror and see the size that you have always longed for. However, as you get up, take a deep breath or even lie down for a nap, you start to realize that there is something that you did not anticipate. It is not really pain and it is not numbness either. It is just… different.
Patients often find it hard to explain these sensations when they have their follow-up appointments. They use expressions such as “bubbling,” “sloshing,” “vibrating,” “heavy,” or even “cold.” in their breast implants. If right now at 3 AM you are wondering “What is the weird sensation in breast implants?” and typing it into a search engine, please don’t be alarmed. Most of the time, these sensations are perfectly normal and merely temporary side effects of the body getting used to first of all an object that is not its own and secondly, the trauma of surgery. At Lin Europe Clinic, we not only give our patients a realistic expectation of the visual changes of recovery but also of the sensory changes. Below are some of the most common unusual feelings, the reasons behind them, and the time when they will cease.
The “Iron Bra” Feeling
By far, the most common sensation experienced after the surgery is the feeling of an unbearable, clenched tightness in the chest. Patients frequently compare it to wearing an “iron bra” or an elephant sitting on their chest.
It is due to tissue expansion, really. When an implant is inserted especially under the muscle (submuscular placement), we are stretching tissues which have never been stretched before. The pectoral muscle is quite tight and it spasms in a reflexive reaction to being lifted up. The skin is stretched to its fullest. Such pressure cannot be sustained for long, but it is definitely not permanent. When the muscle relaxes and the skin stretches over a few weeks – “drop and fluff,” the implants will start to feel like your body, and these heavy sensations will be gone.
The “Bubbling,” or “Carbonated” Feeling
This is probably the strangest of all sensations. Inside your breast, you may feel as if there is a fluttering, bubbling, or crackling almost as if there is carbonated water fizzing just under your skin.
In fact, this is crepitus. When the surgeon creates the pocket, a few little air pockets get trapped inside the chest cavity along with the implant. It is inevitable. As you move your body, these tiny air pockets bubble and pop around producing the sensation and sometimes even the sound of bubbling. It is quite safe, really. The trapped air will be absorbed by your body naturally within 7 to 10 days. However, if the breast becomes red, hot, and swollen (infection symptoms), bubbling could be the problem.
The “Zingers”: Electric Shock and Itching
After a couple of weeks, the heaviness of the body is often replaced by sharpness, and the patient might experience such sharp pains inside the breast tissue that they itch there very intensely but unfortunately cannot get relief because the source of the itch is under the skin. Alternatively, lightning-like pains that suddenly and sharply run through the nipples might be felt.
We say these are “zingers”. They indicate that the nerve regeneration process is taking place. As the nerves that were cut or pulled during the operation start to reappear and reconnect, they send the brain such a chaotic signal that the brain cannot understand it and simply interprets it as an itch or an electrical shock. You can be scared, but eventually, it is a good sign as it means that the sensation is getting back again. We encourage patients not to scratch but rather to tap the site lightly or apply ice packs to calm the nerves.
The “Cold Spot” Phenomenon
One of the sensations that completely baffles the patients is the difference in temperature. You might simply stroke your breast and notice that its temperature is significantly lower than that of the rest of your body.
The explanation of this comes down to physics. Breast implants of whichever type saline or silicone do not have a blood supply of their own, so therefore, they merely reflect the surrounding temperature or the ambient temperature. For example, if you decide to swim in the ocean or get out of the house into cold winter air, the implant will get cold as well. Since silicone is a very good insulator, it takes much longer to get warm again to the body temperature than your natural tissue. You may feel that your chest is cold for a while after being exposed to it. All this is perfectly safe and normal.
The “Moving” Muscle (Animation Deformity)
What most likely happened is that you have decided to have your breast implants under the muscle (this way a thinner patient gets a more natural transition); in this case, when you work out with your arms, you may experience a rather strange sensation. When you put your arm to push open a heavy door, lift a bag, or do a push-up, you might feel and even see the breast moving sideways or flattening.
This condition is humbly called animation deformity. The implant faces the underside of the pectoralis major muscle, therefore, when you flex your muscle, it is compressed by the muscle, and you get a feeling that the breasts jump or flex on their own. Initially, it will be more apparent because the muscle is tight and thus, the sensation will be more noticeable. Eventually, the muscle will become a little thinner and, also, more flexible; thus the implant will be better accommodated, and the sensation will be much less annoying.
Sloshing: The Saline Factor
You may occasionally hear or even feel a “sloshing” sound if you have chosen saline implants (salt-water filled), like water moving in a water bottle. That would be if there is a small bubble of air inside the fluid of the implant shell. It is a totally harmless thing, but many women find the sensation very irritating and embarrassing in terms of socializing.
We, at Lin Europe Clinic based in Turkey, mostly rely on high-cohesive silicone gel implants (Gummy Bear type implants). Because these implants contain thick stable gel rather than a liquid, they have no sloshing effect. They make no noise and feel like solid tissue, thus eliminating one of the most common “weird” sensations linked with older breast enhancement methods.
Frequently Asked Questions About Breast Implant Sensations
The “iron bra” weird sensation in breast implants happens because the muscle and skin are stretched when they are still tight and have to accommodate the new volume, thus the feeling of strong pressure.
Generally, the bubbling weird sensation in breast implants is caused by a very small amount of air being trapped in the surgical pocket, and the body naturally absorbs this within a week.
Mostly no, but if the weird sensation in breast implants comes with symptoms of redness, fever, or the breast feels very hot, you should inform your surgeon immediately.
The weird sensation in breast implants is due to the so-called animation deformity, which only occurs during submuscular placement as the pectoral muscle when it tightens, squashes, and thus lessens the volume of the implant.
Certain types of weird sensation in breast implants, such as bubbling or extreme tightness, gradually disappear within the first 6 to 8 weeks as the tissues relax and settle (“drop and fluff”).
Maxwell, G. P., & Gabriel, A. (2014). Biofilms and breast implants: How the science of biofilms affects the practice of breast surgery. Aesthetic Surgery Journal.
Spear, S. L., et al. (2004). The influence of implant surface and placement on breast sensation. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Tebbetts, J. B. (2001). A surgical perspective on the “iron bra” sensation. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
