Breast implant wrinkling happens when there is a visible and/or palpable ripple in the skin. Fortunately with a well-planned surgery, the risk can be significantly reduced, if not completely eliminated.
There are many factors that contribute to implant wrinkling such as the type of filler material (silicone vs. saline implants), amount of tissue, implant placement, implant size, just to name a few.
Currently, there are two basic types of breast implant: the first one is filled with a sterile saltwater solution, and the other one is filled with a silicone gel.
In the US, the fourth generation silicone gel is more popular than saline implants (69 percent vs. 31 percent) because they provide more natural results and reduce the risk of wrinkling as they are filled with a cohesive gel.
Currently the fifth generation silicone implants, also called gummy bears, are only available to women who are part of the FDA’s nationwide clinical trial. And according to some studies, they could significantly reduce the risk of visible and palpable wrinkling because they are filled with a form-stable silicone material.
By contrast, patients with saline implants, especially those with little tissue and fat, are more likely to develop rippling than women with fourth and fifth general silicone implants.
Because the saline implants are like a “water-balloon,” they pose a higher risk of wrinkling. The risk is further increased if they come in large sizes, and they are used by women with limited amount of breast tissue and fat.
To further reduce the risk of wrinkling is to use submuscular or under the muscle implant placement in which the prosthesis is covered not only by the tissue and skin but also pec muscle. This surgical technique is particularly recommended for women with little breast tissue to start with.
On the other hand, subglandular or over the muscle implant placement is not suitable for small-breasted women because of the higher risk of rippling as the prosthesis is only covered by tissue and skin.
To further reduce the risk of visible and palpable wrinkling is to use breast implants that come in “sensible size.” It simply means that the prostheses’ size should not “overwhelm” the natural breast volume.
It should be realized that “large implants” have no exact definition. For instance, a 500cc implant may be too big for a slim, 5’1” woman while the same size is considered to be moderate if used by a large-framed, 5’11” patient.
