What are partial unders???

Hi Ladies

Ive just been reading a few comments and noticed that a few mention having partial unders...???

I have been advised to have under the muscle, guessing because Im quite thin???

Is there any other reason why I have been advised to have unders? my only concern with this is that my muscle wont be the same after???

Sorry thats a few questions in one!!

:) xx Katy

Hi Katy,
One reason why the surgeon will recommend insertion of the implant under the muscle is indeed because there is not a lot of either breast tissue or subcutaneous fat as otherwise the edge of the implant can easily be seen underneath the skin and you would have a slight edge where the implant is. To avoid this the surgeon will create a pocket for the implant under the muscle which makes this a lot smoother and more natural.
Another reason is where the surgeon might think you are more prone to symastia (where the skin between your boobs is raised off the breastbone which results in the two boobs slowly merging into one).
If you have a really strong preference, now is the time to discuss these issues with your surgeon so s/he can explain why s/he thinks it is necessary in your particular case.
xx

Hi Katy,

In most cases when a surgeon says he is going to place the implant under the muscle, he is referring to the 'dual plane' or 'partial under' position - where the top part of the implant is covered by the pectoralis major muscle and bottom part of the implant is not covered by any muscle. This is most likely what you are having. They very rarely place implants fully under the muscle these days unless it is a reconstruction.

This image shows what the chest muscles look like:



This image shows a 'partial under', or 'dual plane' position, the placement most girls who have 'unders' have this placement:



This is the full under placement which is only really used in reconstructive surgery, or if the patient really has no breast tissue whatsoever:



Hope this helps you understand the difference between the submuscular placements a bit better, but if you are still unsure ask your surgeon to explain what he is recommending for you.

xx

Wow those diagrams are such an excellent depiction... I've been looking for something like that for ages! Where did you find them?

LL
x

fab explanation Hattie.

Wow! thanks for that...I now understand! So the actually muscle shouldn't really be affected????

I like to go to the gym thats all!!

x

Hi Hattie - thanks for diagram- I'm havinng unders in 9 days time - although I knew generally what they were, this diagram really helps xx

Hi Katy

Just thought you might wanna check out the 'Is it better to have strong pecs?' topic. This is where we've discussed how having strong pectoral muscles, or how using your muscles a lot might effect people with partial unders. It's just coz you said you go to the gym a lot. I don't know if you do a lot of lifting there. But you should check out that topic. x

lindylou22 wrote:Wow those diagrams are such an excellent depiction... I've been looking for something like that for ages! Where did you find them?

It's actually an American cosmetic surgery company's website see HERE. It has some good descriptions on it. Most diagrams show an image from the side view which helps with the basic idea but is not particularly helpful to see what actually happens to your muscles, I thought it meant the muscle was cut until i saw these images!

newboobs? wrote:Wow! thanks for that...I now understand! So the actually muscle shouldn't really be affected????

I like to go to the gym thats all!!

Once you are healed, the muscle itself should not be affected and you should be able to excercise as normal. However some ladies have whats known as muscle flex distortion where the muscle squeezes the implant when tensed. Not everyone gets this and people get it to different degrees but I would tell your surgeon you go to the gym a lot as this may affect the placement he decides to use.

Good luck! x

Thank you! I thought the muscle was cut as well until now! I wondered how on earth it would heal and work properly afterwards, and now it makes sense!

If you have anatomical unders (instead of overs), is it less likely that they'll rotate and turn upside down as they muscle holds them in place?

LL
x

I have fully under the muscle at the moment and my surgeon is changing them to dual-plane in my next surgery. I had to have unders as i had small breasts (34b smallest size) when i first had my op.

x

Honestly Im not into weights or anything like that although I do like to run and generally tone, my surgeon did advise against rowing and chest exercises!! Anyhow I wont need to try and build my chest up any longer!! YIPEEE

:)X

Good advice from your surgeon! I used a rowing machine a good 4 months after my first op and i got awful pains in my left boob for a few days after! My chest muscles were very tight especially my left which held my implant up too high hence the recent re-op. Because of my tight chest muscles i suffered really bad distortion so during my reop my surgeon did actually cut through my muscles to release them. My issues are much improved now. I was a rare case though, most girls with unders have no problems at all. x

if they are under the muscle are they on your ribs. are they on your bone.