Rippling is one of the more common side effects of breast augmentation. Breast implants are malleable so that they look and feel more natural in the breasts. However, this malleability means that they can also ripple. Visible rippling is less common than rippling that you can feel but not see. It does happen, though, especially in women who don’t have a lot of breast tissue.
Rippling can be caused by a number of different factors. It’s important to select a board-certified plastic surgeon with extensive experience performing breast augmentations in order to minimize your chances of experiencing rippling.
If you’re interested in breast augmentation or have questions about breast implant rippling, don’t hesitate to contact Grossman | Capraro Plastic Surgery today by calling 303-557-4972.
Reasons Breast Implants Can Cause Rippling
The main reasons why you may experience rippling after your breast augmentation include:
- Insufficient breast tissue. Women who don’t have a lot of breast tissue are at a higher risk of rippling because the implant is closer to the skin.
- An implant placed over the muscle. When a breast implant is placed over the muscle, instead of under, it is closer to the skin and more apt to ripple.
- Use of saline implants. Saline implants tend to ripple more than silicone gel implants. Silicone implants have a firmer texture, which doesn’t ripple as easily.
- Implant size. Larger breast implants are more prone to rippling than smaller ones.
Our surgeons will thoroughly discuss the potential for rippling and help find a solution that reaches your goals. We may recommend a smaller implant if you don’t have a lot of breast tissue, or we may recommend placing your implant under the muscle.
If you want a larger size that may cause I can feel ripples in my implants, we may advise fat grafting to plump up the space between the implant and your skin.
How to Correct Rippling After Breast Augmentation
If you underwent breast augmentation and ended up with rippling, there are ways to correct it. These include:
- Fat grafting to the breasts
- Switching from over the muscle placement to under the muscle
- Exchanging implants for a smaller size
- Exchanging saline implants for silicone
- Using an acellular dermal matrix or surgical scaffold to thicken the breast tissue
If your rippling isn’t too bad and is caused by insufficient breast tissue, fat grafting is likely to be the best option. Fat grafting doesn’t require full revision surgery. Instead, we’ll harvest fat using liposuction to another area of the body.
Most often, patients have small deposits of excess fat in the abdomen, love handles, or thighs that they want to get rid of anyway, so this procedure kills two birds with one stone. After we’ve harvested the fat, we’ll process it and inject it into your breasts where you need more volume to disguise the rippling.
If fat grafting isn’t likely to be sufficient, we’ll perform a revision surgery after discussing all of your options during your consultation.
Schedule Your Breast Augmentation or Breast Revision Surgery Consultation
If you’re interested in breast augmentation for the first time, you’re in good hands with Grossman | Capraro Plastic Surgery. Our surgeons have years of experience creating the best results possible for our Denver area patients. We also perform revision surgery if you’re experiencing breast implant rippling.
Call our office today at 303-557-4972 to schedule your consultation. We serve patients in Denver, Aurora, Littleton, Highlands Ranch, and other nearby areas of Colorado.
