Following breast enlargement, breast implants may settle into an incorrect position. This is usually a technical or judgmental error by the surgeon, but may be due to the inherent asymmetry of the patient, unpredicted excessive tissue laxity, or positional variations after surgery (e.g. sleeping with one arm over the head). The most common form of undesirable implant location is commonly known as “bottoming out”, or a location lower than optimal aesthetically. Another is excessive spacing between the breasts.
In any event, the proper term used to describe this problem is implant malposition. The treatment is to relocate the implant by reconstructing the proper implant pocket. Sometimes the pectoralis muscle has been incompletely released, or over-released from the ribs or breastbone. Sometimes relocation of the implant to a different level of placement (subglandular or subpectoral) is necessary to correct the problem. It can be a difficult problem to correct precisely, but usually can be improved significantly with revisionary surgery. Your plastic surgeon will analyze the particular problem in each patient and tailor the surgical approach to that specific situation.
