What are my breast implant placement options?
There are two common implant placement choices during breast augmentation:
- Subglandular: under your breast tissue and over your chest muscle
- Submuscular: under or partially under your chest muscle
Subglandular Breast Implant Placement
Subglandular placement describes when an implant is placed under the glands but over the muscle. The resulting implant location is between your chest muscle and your breast tissue.
This placement may help reduce your surgery and recovery time. It may be less painful than submuscular placement and may make your breast implants easier to access in the event of future operations. Implants that are sub-glandular may be easier to see and feel through your skin than implants that are submuscular.
Submuscular Breast Implant Placement
Submuscular placement describes when an implant is placed partially or wholly under the pectoralis major chest muscle.
Sub-muscular implants may result in a longer, more painful recovery than sub-glandular implants. Sub-muscular placement may result in less palpable implants and may reduce the risk of developing capsular contracture, as well as offer easier mammographic imaging of the breast.
Over or under the muscle?
Each breast implant placement type has benefits that may be right for you. Discuss your desired outcome with your plastic surgeon to select the best option for your augmentation.