Drop And Fluff

By Jerome Edelstein, MD

“Drop and fluff” refers to the gradual movement and change in shape that occurs to breast implants following breast augmentation. However, it’s important to note that it’s not the breast implants themselves that change; rather, it’s your body that changes.When breast implants are first put into your body, they typically sit higher up in the chest. This is because it’s the path of least resistance – your body requires some time to adjust to their presence, regardless of whether they’ve been placed in a sub-mammary (between breast tissue and chest muscle) or sub-muscular (under both the breast and chest muscle). Immediately following surgery, you’ll find that your newly enhanced breasts appear very full and swollen, especially in the upper portion above the nipples. Your skin will most likely look very tight and your nipples may point slightly downward as well. This may make the shape and overall appearance of your breasts appear unnatural. Don’t worry, because they will change for the better, something casually known as “dropping and fluffing”.BREAST AUGMENTATION PROBLEMS: DROPPING AND FLUFFINGAs your body accommodates to your new implants, you’ll notice that your breasts will gradually look more and more natural – the way you hoped they’d be! Over the course of about three to four months, your body creates new skin to accommodate the additional volume of your implants. This natural process is called “tissue expansion”, and relieves the tightness you may be experiencing. It allows for the implants to settle more into a better position with the help of gravity. A gradual redistribution of volume from the upper to the lower breast occurs, resulting in an enlargement and rounding out of the lower breast.

Although it’s often called “dropping”, it is more like “redistribution”. The “fluffing” part refers to the impression that the lower breast enlarges and that your skin softens with the creation of new tissues. The extent to which this occurs depends on several factors, including the implant size, the tightness of your skin, and your body shape.

MORE COMMON WITH TIGHTER SKINNED PATIENTS

Patients who experience this phenomenon at a higher rate typically:

1. have a smaller body frame
2. are tighter skinned
3. haven’t had children

This is in comparison to a larger breasted, post-partum woman. Patients who have had implants placed sub-muscularly may find that their dropping and fluffing is more dramatic.

For the few months this occurs, you may want to hold off on buying new bras. Because your breast shape will most likely change, you might buy a bra that hasn’t been fitted properly.