Five months post and I can see ripples down the side when I lean forward. Did I go too big for my body?

#1Natalie88(Joined Nov 2024 · 26 posts)October 6, 2026, 10:18 pm

Bit of a confession from someone who's always the voice of reason on here. I'm slim, over the muscle silicone, five months out, and I've started noticing faint ripples along the outer side of my left breast. Only when I lean forward or bend over, and I can feel them a bit with my fingers along the side.

I've gone round in circles all week. Did I go too big? Is the implant failing? Will it get worse? Everything else about the result I love.

#2EmmaLouise31(Joined Jan 2026 · 22 posts)October 7, 2026, 8:06 am

Oh Nat, being the voice of reason doesn't mean you don't get to panic. Mine are under the muscle and I can feel a little edge low down on the outside if I go looking for it. My surgeon said feeling something at the sides is very common and it's about how much of your own tissue is covering it there.

#3Jade R.(Joined Mar 2025 · 18 posts)October 7, 2026, 6:43 pm

Same here at the bottom when I lean over the bath. Never visible standing up. Not sure it's a size thing at all, mine are 300 which isn't big.

#4Miss Charlotte VaneSurgical moderator(Joined Sep 2024 · 58 posts)October 9, 2026, 9:35 am

Natalie88 said:

Did I go too big? Is the implant failing?

Natalie, what you're describing sounds like rippling, and it is a very common finding rather than a sign that the implant is failing. Rippling means folds in the implant shell that show or can be felt through the skin, usually along the sides or the lower part of the breast, and characteristically most obvious when leaning forward, which lets the implant fall against the thinnest area of tissue.

The main factor is cover rather than size. It is more likely with less of your own tissue over the implant, which is why slim patients see it more; with implants placed over the muscle, where there is no muscle layer adding cover; and with saline rather than silicone gel. Size matters mostly at the edges: an implant that is wide for the chest, or heavy for the tissue, can stretch that cover thinner over time. A fold you can feel at the side when bending is extremely common; a fold that is visible standing upright, is getting worse, or comes with a change in shape, firmness, or pain is worth examining.

If it does bother someone, there are options, from simply leaving it, to adding fat to thicken the cover, to changing the pocket or the implant at a revision. Which of those, if any, makes sense is for a surgeon who has examined you to say, and they may suggest a scan if there is any question about the implant itself. The site's guide to whether implants feel natural covers rippling and the choices that affect it, and the implant placement guide explains the over and under the muscle trade-off.

#5Natalie88(Joined Nov 2024 · 26 posts)October 9, 2026, 8:51 pm

Thank you. "Characteristically most obvious when leaning forward" is going on a post-it. Booked my routine check for the end of the month anyway so I'll show them.

#6Natalie88(Joined Nov 2024 · 26 posts)October 22, 2026, 7:24 pm

Seen. Surgeon pressed around, had me lean forward, and said it's mild rippling at the outer edge where I'm thinnest, implant is fine, not getting worse, nothing to do unless it starts to bother me more. Asked whether going smaller would have avoided it and she said possibly a little, but the bigger factor was my tissue, which I can't do much about. I'll take it.