All submuscular implants will move, to some degree, with the use of the pectoral (chest) muscle. In some patients, this movement is more exaggerated than others. Strenuous muscle contraction that occurs with weight lifting may cause an unnatural movement of the implant, upwards and outwards, that can be quite noticeable.
Movement of the breast implant with muscle contraction is normal. It only becomes abnormal if this movement is exaggerated to such a degree that the patient is embarrassed, or extremely self conscious.
Only rarely does this problem require formal surgical treatment. Often, it’s sufficient to reassure the patient that this is a normal, expected outcome with any submuscular implant.
Surgical treatment options include adjustment of the submuscular pocket, or even moving the implant into the subglandular pocket so that the muscle no longer exerts its effect on the implant. If the problem stems from a “high riding” implant, it’s possible to massage the implant lower so that the muscle has less influence on the implant.
