Randquist C, Gahm J, Wongkietkachorn A, Jaeger M. Tissue-preserving inframammary fold breast augmentation: a 3-year clinical experience. Aesthet Surg J. 2026;00(0):1-10. doi: 10.1093/asj/sjag038
Disclosure
Dr. Epstein is a paid investigator in the Motiva U.S. FDA clinical trial and is compensated by Establishment Labs to train surgeons on the Preservé breast augmentation technique. He discloses this relationship in all public communications involving Motiva or Preservé. Dr. Epstein owns stock in Establishment Labs.
What This Study Found
Two centers followed 330 women for an average of a year and a half after a tissue-preserving breast augmentation done through the fold under the breast. The complication rate overall was under 1 percent. There were no cases of severe capsular contracture, no ruptures, and no implants that shifted downward or sideways.
Key Findings
- 330 consecutive patients, primary augmentation or augmentation with a lift, December 2022 through June 2025
- Mean follow-up 18 months
- Overall complication rate: 0.9%
- Zero cases of: seroma, wound breakdown, infection, Grade III/IV capsular contracture, implant rupture, lateral shifting, or downward shifting
- Superior malposition in 2 patients (0.6%), bleeding in 1 (0.3%), rippling in 3 (0.9%)
- Procedure preserves the circummammary ligament and Cooper's ligaments, the breast's own internal support structure
Why This Matters for Preservé Patients
This is one of the largest studies to date on the tissue-preserving approach done through the inframammary fold, the same incision most augmentation patients are already familiar with. It's a close match to how Dr. Epstein approaches the majority of his own Preservé cases.
