Breast implants have paved the way at improving a woman’s physique. And today it is considered to be one of the most performed cosmetic procedures. Over the years that it has been in practice, breast augmentation procedure has improved, from the techniques and materials that are used.
However, there are some complications that still persist to occur. One of which is called the “double bubble effect”.
A double bubble is an uncommon complication in breast augmentation and it is characterized by the appearance of two breasts as it causes a rippling on one side. Sometimes it may come in a mild form, while in some cases it can be pretty obvious as the implant moves in a superior position and the mound of breast is left at the inferior portion.
There are two major reasons why double bubble happens, the first one is the placement and the other is the natural aging process of the woman’s body.
In breast augmentation there are various placement options that can be done. They are called the “overs” or subglandular placement and the “unders” or the submuscular placement. With subglandular placement the implants are placed below the breast tissue and above the chest muscles and fibrous tissues. In a submuscular placement the implants are placed under the muscles. There are two approaches to submuscular placement; either they are placed partially at the bottom of the muscles or fully beneath it.
The reason why I emphasized on this various placement techniques is because the submuscular approach is also one of the causes of the double bubble. This may not occur right away, but overtime this is where the second reason, which is aging, comes into play.
However it does not always follow that a submusclar placement causes a double bubble effect, an uncommon breast augmentation risk.
You see when the body ages it is only natural that it loses it firmness and elasticity. And one particular body part that can be affected is the breasts, which is why it leads to sagging. This is what you call breast ptosis, and it worsens with age. Another event that causes breast sagging is pregnancy. When this gravitational impact on the mammaries occurs combined with the submuscular placement, this creates a fold beneath your nipple and your lower original breast crease.
This does not always mean that there is a surgical error. This can happen for instance in a case where a woman had her implants placed at an early age and then eventually have kids later on, this can cause a natural sag in the breast which can result to a double bubble.
But it is also important to find a good surgeon because a proper assessment can help avoid the problem. Although it is not a guarantee that this can be totally avoided because sometimes it is unpredictable to which patient has a tendency to have pronounced breast sagging. But a thorough evaluation during consultation can greatly help the surgeon opt for better placement options.
