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If you train hard, lift weights, run, cycle, or simply live an active life, you've probably thought carefully about whether breast augmentation is right for you - and whether it could interfere with everything you've worked to build. The good news is that with the right approach, it doesn't have to. In fact, for athletic women, the wrong technique can cause real problems, while the right technique can deliver results that are natural, lasting, and completely compatible with your lifestyle.
At Profile Aesthetic in Aberdeen, we specialise in breast augmentation specifically tailored for athletic women. Our approach combines three key elements: a short-scar inframammary incision, subfascial implant placement, and Motiva Ergonomix2 implants. Together, these produce a natural-looking result without disrupting the pectoralis muscle, without animation deformity, and with a recovery timeline that gets you back to the things you love as quickly as possible.
For decades, the default approach to breast augmentation has been to place implants beneath the pectoralis major - the large chest muscle. Known as submuscular placement, this technique became popular because the overlying muscle provides additional coverage for the implant, which can help disguise the edges in women with very little breast tissue. In a sedentary population, this can work well. But in athletic women, it creates a constellation of problems.
The pectoralis major is a powerful muscle, and in women who train regularly, it is significantly stronger and more developed than average. When this muscle contracts - during a bench press, a push-up, yoga flows, or simply reaching across your body - it presses on the implant beneath it. The result is something surgeons call animation deformity: a visible, often dramatic distortion of the breast shape during movement, where the implants visibly shift upward and apart as the muscle contracts. Studies suggest that animation deformity affects more than 50% of patients with subpectoral implants to some degree, and in lean, muscular women with low body fat, it can be particularly pronounced and difficult to conceal.
Beyond aesthetics, the consequences for athletic women go further. Research published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal on female bodybuilders found that those with submuscular implants took an average of 7.2 weeks to return to their normal training routines, compared to just 3.8 weeks for those with above-muscle placement. Five out of seven women in the submuscular group reported a measurable decrease in their ability to perform chest-dominant exercises after surgery. Some stopped performing certain movements altogether. The muscle is partly released from its attachments during the procedure, and for women whose fitness depends on full pectoral function, that can be a significant and lasting compromise.
For athletic women, then, the question is not simply "what size implant suits me?" It is "which technique will preserve everything I've built, avoid animation, and still give me a beautiful result?"
Subfascial breast augmentation is the solution that answers all of those questions at once. Rather than placing the implant beneath the pectoralis muscle, the implant is positioned beneath the fascia - the thin but strong layer of fibrous connective tissue that sits on top of the muscle. The muscle itself is never cut, divided, or disrupted.
This seemingly small anatomical distinction makes an enormous practical difference:
No animation deformity. Because the implant does not sit beneath the pectoralis, the muscle can contract freely without pressing on or distorting the implant. Whether you're in the gym, on the sports pitch, or in a swimming costume, your breasts move naturally with your body - not against it.
Preserved muscle function. The pectoralis major remains entirely intact. There is no loss of contractile fibres, no weakening of attachments, and no long-term compromise to your pressing strength, push-up performance, or chest development. You train the same muscle you had before surgery.
Less pain and faster recovery. Because no muscle is divided, the postoperative discomfort associated with submuscular placement - which stems largely from the muscle being stretched and released, is avoided. Many patients find they can return to light activity significantly sooner than they would with traditional submuscular surgery.
A natural slope and contour. The fascia provides a thin but meaningful layer of additional support and coverage above the implant, helping to create the gentle upper-pole slope and smooth transition that distinguishes a natural-looking result from an obviously "implanted" appearance.
Subfascial placement is not a technique every surgeon offers. It requires specific training, precise dissection, and a thorough understanding of the fascial anatomy of the chest wall. At Profile Aesthetic, our surgeons have extensive experience and training in this approach, and it forms the cornerstone of how we deliver breast augmentation for active women.
The choice of implant matters just as much as the placement technique. For subfascial augmentation to deliver truly natural results, the implant needs to behave like natural breast tissue - adapting to movement, changing shape subtly between positions, and feeling soft rather than firm to the touch. This is precisely what Motiva Ergonomix2 implants are designed to do.
The Ergonomix2 is the most advanced generation of implant from Motiva (Establishment Labs), and it is engineered around a principle called TrueTissue Technology. At its heart is ProgressiveGel Ultima - a proprietary silicone gel formulation that flows more freely when the implant is upright (allowing the breast to form a natural teardrop shape with appropriate lower-pole fullness) and distributes more uniformly when the patient lies down (giving a softer, rounder appearance). The result is a breast that moves, feels, and shifts as natural tissue would, rather than sitting in a fixed position regardless of body position or movement.
The Ergonomix2 platform builds on this with enhanced high-strength silicone dispersion - Motiva's SuperSilicones technology - giving the implant better mechanical properties and improved adaptation to physical changes over time. This makes it particularly well-suited for active women, whose bodies may experience greater variation in load and posture than those of less active patients.
Safety outcomes with Motiva implants are among the best documented in the industry. The ongoing ten-year US clinical trial, with three-year data reported in late 2024, recorded capsular contracture and rupture rates both below 1%, with a 97% patient satisfaction rate and a 99% surgeon satisfaction rate. Worldwide, across fourteen years of use outside the United States, there have been zero primary cases of BIA-ALCL - the lymphoma occasionally associated with older textured implants. The SmoothSilk surface technology that Motiva uses has been shown to produce significantly less inflammatory tissue response than textured surfaces, supporting healthy long-term integration without the scarring that drives capsular contracture.
The Ergonomix2 also incorporates Motiva's BluSeal barrier - a colour-change indicator layer that allows the surgeon to verify, at the time of implant insertion, that the entire outer surface is intact and intact before closure. It is a small detail that reflects the broader philosophy of the implant: rigorous engineering in the service of long-term safety.
At Profile Aesthetic, we use an inframammary fold (IMF) incision - placed in the natural crease where the lower breast meets the chest wall. This is the most commonly chosen approach among plastic surgeons globally for good reason: it provides direct, excellent visualisation of the pocket, reduces the risk of complications, and allows precise implant placement regardless of implant size or anatomy.
What sets our technique apart is the length of that incision. Using a dedicated insertion funnel and custom narrow-blade retractors, we are able to place even silicone gel implants through a significantly shorter incision than the traditional approach requires. Research published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal Open Forum confirmed that this short-scar technique achieves equivalent complication rates to standard technique while producing measurably better long-term scar outcomes by patient assessment.
The scar sits in the fold of the breast - hidden both in standing and lying positions, and easily concealed beneath a bra, bikini, or sports bra. Over time and with appropriate scar management, it typically fades to a fine, pale line that most patients find completely inconspicuous. For women who are conscious about scarring - particularly those who compete, model, or simply value a clean result — minimising both the length and visibility of the incision is a meaningful advantage.
For an athletic woman considering breast augmentation at Profile Aesthetic, the combination of subfascial placement, Motiva Ergonomix2 implants, and a short inframammary incision means:
You will not experience animation deformity. Your pectoral muscles will continue to function exactly as they did before surgery, and your implants will move naturally with your body rather than distorting when your chest contracts.
Your recovery will be smoother and shorter than with submuscular surgery. Without the muscle disruption that traditional techniques require, discomfort is reduced and you can return to light activity sooner. Your surgical team will guide you on a personalised timeline, but many patients are surprised by how manageable the recovery is.
Your result will look natural - not "done." The Ergonomix2 implant adapts dynamically to your posture and movement. Paired with subfascial placement, which creates a gentle natural slope rather than the upper-pole roundness associated with subglandular positioning, the aesthetic goal is a breast that looks as though it belongs on your body: in proportion with your frame, soft to the touch, and natural in every position.
Your scar will be minimal and well-concealed. The short inframammary incision is placed where it will be least visible in your active wardrobe and will fade significantly over the months following surgery.
In most cases, yes - particularly for women with at least a modest amount of natural breast tissue, which provides additional coverage over the implant. For women with very little existing tissue, the fascia alone may not provide sufficient coverage to prevent rippling or visible implant edges in all positions, and in those cases a personalised assessment is essential to determine the best plan. This is one of the many reasons a thorough consultation - evaluating your anatomy, your training habits, your goals, and your lifestyle is so important.
We take the time to understand what matters to you specifically. Whether you're a competitive CrossFit or Hyrox athlete, a dedicated gym-goer, a runner, or simply someone who values an active, healthy life, we want your breast augmentation to complement that lifestyle, not compromise it.
Breast augmentation for athletic women is one of our core specialisms at Profile Aesthetic in Aberdeen. If you've been putting off a consultation because you weren't sure it was compatible with your training, or because you were concerned about losing muscle function, or because you've heard stories about implants that move unnaturally during exercise - we'd love to have that conversation with you.
The right technique changes everything.
Contact us today to book your consultation with Paul Drake at Profile Aesthetic, Aberdeen.
📞 01224 515646📧 admin@profileaesthetic.com 🌐 www.profileaesthetic.com
