Breast Implant Positioning

Implants need to be placed within a pocket. There are three types of pocket and the best place to put the implant depends on the characteristics of the breast being enhanced, the implant being used and the desired look. We will discuss this at the time of your consultation.

Submuscular Pocket
The submuscular pocket is often referred to as "under the muscle", as the pocket is made under the pectoral muscle of the chest wall. This pocket is often used in women who have minimal breast tissue so that the top of the implant is hidden under as much of your own tissues as possible to prevent a sharp take off of the breast and to reduce the chances of the implant being felt or seen.

However, it can lead to the muscle being pushed forward on top of breast tissue which slides down as time goes by. This can lead to a “double bubble” problem where there are two bulges on the chest wall which may need further surgery for correction.

Subglandular Pocket
This pocket is often referred to as one which is made "on top of the muscle". The "sub" part of subglandular means "under" and the "glandular" part refers to the breast itself. So, the subglandular pocket is made under the breast, on top of the muscle. This pocket is often used when there is already a reasonable amount of breast tissue in someone who has little projection but is
generally flat.

It can also work well in someone who already has a reasonable breast volume but simply wants to be larger and is also used when someone wants to have an enhanced look following their surgery. It can also be used in someone who has a low take off and some concavity in their upper pole who wants to have an enhanced look

Dual Plane Pocket
The dual plane pocket is one that is made partially on top of the muscle and partially under the muscle. It involves splitting and releasing the muscle at exactly the right point so that you can have the benefits of having some of the implant above the muscle and some of the implant below it.

This is often used in women who have a low take off and little tissue in the upper pole of the breast. By using a dual plane approach, what we achieve is to get the upper part of the implant hidden by the muscle but we prevent the appearance of two bulges in the breast (the double bubble effect) because of the low take off of the breast tissue by placing the lower part of the implant above the muscle.

It is only possible to use an inframammary crease incision for the dual plane approach but in some people this is the best way of achieving the most natural look.