Can My Breast Asymmetry After Getting Implants Be Fixed?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I had a breast augmentation six months ago with silicone implants placed under the muscle through a lower fold incision. I developed a hematoma which needed to be drained by the next day. Now that all has settled down and healed, my breasts are asymmetric. They were not asymmetric prior to surgery and now they are. My doctor says that is just the way I was before surgery but I know I wasn’t. I have attached some before and after surgery pictures from different angles that I got from my doctor. Can you tell me what you think?

A:  In looking at your before and after pictures, I believe your doctor is correct. There is subtle asymmetry of the breasts before surgery with the right breast being the ‘good sister’ and the left one being the ‘bad sister’. The left one has a bit of ptosis and a slightly higher inframammary fold. That is a setup for what you are seeing. The implants may be reasonably well placed but the preoperative asymmetry has now become magnified. As you increase the size of the breasts, what was once a little difference can become much bigger. You may also have a bit of contracture on that breast from the hematoma surgery but that is speculation since I have now examined your breasts.  Given the relatively minor postoperative asymmetry, I would be hesitant to undergo a revision. You would have to go in and lower the implant to reduce the upper pole fullness. Whether that is worth the effort to undergo a breast implant revision is debatable.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana