Breast Implant Exercise Techniques

Breast Implant Exercises are a vital part of the breast augmentation recovery process. Performing these exercises help to assure that our patients who receive smooth, round, submuscular saline or silicone implants will have soft, full and natural appearing breasts after surgery.

During the placement of your submuscular implants, Dr. Vitenas will create a large pocket underneath the pectoralis muscle and the lower portion of the breast. This will allow the breast implant to move naturally, especially during positional changes. By performing Breast Implant Exercises, you will keep the surgical pocket open wide and help the scar capsule that naturally forms around the implant remains soft, supple and larger than the implant, resulting in soft, exceptionally natural looking breasts. If the pocket is not kept open wide, the scar capsule can quickly become thick, rigid, and unyielding, leading to breasts that feel hard, painful and may eventually become distorted. This condition is also referred to as a Capsular Contracture.

After your surgery, Dr. Vitenas’ nurse will instruct you on the proper Breast Implant Exercise techniques.  You may call or return to our office for repeated demonstration as often as needed until you have mastered the techniques.

• Start these Breast Implant Exercises the day of your breast augmentation once you get home.
• Perform these Breast Implant Exercises every 30 minutes during the first six weeks of recovery while awake.
• Continue performing these Breast Implant Exercises twice a day for the life of your implants.
• During each Breast Implant Exercise, hold the implant in each position for 5-10 seconds.
• The more frequently and correctly you perform these exercises, the easier they become.

Upward Movement of the Breast Implant:

1. During this exercise, be sure not to push the entire breast upward; the goal is to slide the implant upward within the pocket while the breast stays in place.
2. Place your thumb and forefingers just above the crease along the underside of the lower breast.
3. Place the thumb and forefinger of your other hand over the nipple area of the same breast, spanning the entire breast and implant area.
4. With both hands, firmly grip the implant using your thumb and forefingers.
5. Gently apply pressure, squeezing your forefingers and thumb together to slide the implant upward into the upper borders of the submuscular pocket created during your augmentation.
6. Slowly continue to slide the implant upward under the muscle pushing it toward the collarbone.
7. Press firmly down along the top of the implant, returning it to its original position.

Downward Movement of the Breast Implant:

1. Place your hand, fingers flat and closed on the upper portion of your breast just above the nipple.
2. Firmly but gently apply pressure to force the breast implant downward until it slides fully down back into the lower area of the pocket and rounds out along the lower breast fold.
3. Return the implant to its original position.

Outer Movement of the Breast Implant (Outside & Cleavage):

1. Cup your hand directly over the opposite breast and feel for the implant.
2. Grasp the implant from the side and gently move it toward your midline until it rounds out along the cleavage area of the breast.
3. Next, slide the implant outward until it has rounded out on the opposite side of your body in the other direction.
4. Perform these steps on each breast moving the implants both to the right and left.
5. Return the implant to its original position.