Will An Implant Make My Turn Bicep Muscle Look Better?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have read up on your good work. I tore my bicep tendon a year ago and didn’t get it fixed. I have a Popeye style muscle with a gap between its end and the elbow. I would like to get an implant to give the size back again.

A: You have correctly surmised that your bicep muscle is now permanently shortened and only an implant can fill in the now contracted distal end. While such an implant to do so is not large consideration has be given to the dynamic change in the muscle end from when the arm is fully extended to when the elbow is bent at 90 degrees or more. Also the overlying soft tissues are not thick and consideration also has to be given to preventing implant migration or revealing its edges through the skin. This is where it is important to encase the implant in a lining that is similar to the fascia that normally surrounds the muscle. For this I use an Alloderm sheet or Galaflex sheet to encase the implant and attach it to the fascia of the muscle end.

The bicep extension implant is made by either measurements you take at home or we can send a moulage kit to make an impression of the missing muscle segment.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon