Great Results Depend on Great Aftercare

Many people focus exclusively on choosing the right surgeon, but outstanding outcomes are also influenced by what happens after your operation.

Careful monitoring, evidence-based recovery advice, early recognition of potential problems and ongoing support all contribute to healing well.

Our nursing team plays a vital role throughout every patient’s journey, from the first consultation through to the final review appointment.

By continually updating their knowledge, they help ensure every patient benefits from the latest thinking in recovery science.

Dr Sharp Explores the New Motiva Preservé Technique

Dr Sharp also joined fellow specialist plastic surgeons in Brisbane this week for the Australian training launch of the Motiva Preservé breast augmentation system.

The event introduced a small group of Brisbane based specialist plastic surgeons to both a new surgical technique and the latest generation of Motiva breast implants.

As with any new technology in plastic surgery, education is the first step. Understanding how a technique works, who may benefit from it and where its limitations lie allows surgeons to make informed recommendations for individual patients.

Recently launched overseas and new to Australian surgeons, the Motiva Preservé system combines specialised surgical instrumentation with Motiva SmoothSilk Ergonomix2 breast implants and a small-incision insertion technique.

Dr Sharp and his colleagues examined the technology and its potential role in contemporary breast augmentation.

So, how does Motiva Preservé work, what are its proposed advantages, and – equally importantly – what are its limitations?

What Is Motiva Preservé Breast Augmentation?

Motiva Preservé is a tissue-preserving approach to breast augmentation designed to reduce the amount of sharp surgical dissection required to create the breast implant pocket.

In conventional breast augmentation, the surgeon creates a precisely defined pocket through surgical dissection before positioning the implant either above or partially beneath the pectoralis major muscle, depending on the technique selected.

Preservé takes a different approach.

Following infiltration of the breast tissues with tumescent solution, specialised blunt instruments are used to establish a channel through a relatively small incision in the inframammary fold beneath the breast. Controlled balloon expansion is then used to separate and progressively expand the tissue plane to accommodate the implant.

The objective is to create an implant pocket while minimising disruption of native breast structures.

How Does the Motiva Preservé Technique Work?

Although the exact procedure varies according to the patient’s anatomy and surgical plan, the Preservé technique incorporates several distinctive steps.

Tumescent infiltration: A solution containing local anaesthetic is introduced into the surgical plane. This assists with anaesthesia and preparation of the tissues.

Left: Brisbane specialist plastic surgeons at the Motiva Preserve training 

Blunt channel creation: A specialised separator establishes an access channel through an incision of approximately 2–2.5 cm, avoiding extensive sharp dissection.

Controlled balloon expansion: An inflatable device is introduced and progressively expanded. Rather than cutting a conventional implant pocket, this separates and stretches the tissues to create a three-dimensional space for the implant.

No-touch implant insertion: The selected Motiva implant is delivered through a specialised insertion sleeve, minimising direct handling of the implant during placement.

This combination of small-incision access, blunt tissue separation and controlled expansion is what distinguishes Preservé from more conventional breast augmentation techniques.

What Are the Potential Benefits of Motiva Preservé?

The principal proposed advantage of Preservé is reduced tissue trauma.

Avoiding extensive surgical dissection and interference with the pectoral muscle may potentially result in less acute post-operative discomfort and a faster return to normal activities for appropriately selected patients.

The small incision—typically around 2–2.5 cm—is another potential advantage for patients concerned about scar length.

Because the technique preserves the pectoralis major muscle, it also avoids implant movement associated with contraction of the chest muscle, sometimes referred to as animation deformity.

Preservation of native tissue structures may additionally help maintain natural breast movement and support.

Importantly, however, “minimally invasive” does not mean risk-free, nor does it automatically mean that Preservé will produce a superior aesthetic result.

Who May Be Suitable for Motiva Preservé Breast Augmentation?

Patient selection is particularly important with the Preservé technique.

It may be best suited to patients seeking a relatively modest increase in breast volume who already have favourable breast anatomy and sufficient soft-tissue coverage.

A patient seeking straightforward augmentation without a significant requirement to reshape or reposition the breast may potentially be a candidate.

However, breast augmentation is not simply a question of choosing an implant. Breast width, skin elasticity, existing breast volume, nipple position, chest-wall anatomy, asymmetry and soft-tissue thickness all influence surgical planning.

For this reason, suitability can only be determined following an individual clinical assessment.

What Are the Limitations of Motiva Preservé?

The characteristics that make Preservé attractive also create important limitations.

One is implant size. The technique is intended primarily for relatively modest augmentation, with the compatible implant range restricting the volumes that can be inserted through the small access incision.

This means Preservé will not be appropriate for every patient’s desired breast size or proportions.

There are also limitations regarding implant selection. The small-incision insertion technique relies on the compressibility and physical characteristics of compatible Motiva Ergonomix2 implants. It therefore does not provide the same freedom to select among different implant brands, shapes or levels of gel cohesivity that may be available with conventional breast augmentation.

Can Motiva Preservé Correct Breast Sagging or Asymmetry?

Preservé is principally an augmentation technique rather than a breast reshaping operation.

Significant breast ptosis—or sagging—may require a breast lift rather than augmentation alone. Similarly, substantial breast asymmetry, constricted or tuberous breast anatomy and other structural differences can require precise tissue modification that cannot necessarily be achieved through tissue expansion alone.

Traditional open surgical techniques provide the surgeon with direct visualisation and greater capacity to modify the implant pocket and breast tissues.

For patients requiring substantial anatomical correction, those capabilities can be important.

Does Motiva Preservé Reduce Breast Augmentation Recovery Time?

One of the most discussed aspects of Preservé is the potential for faster breast augmentation recovery.

The biological rationale is logical: reducing surgical dissection and avoiding trauma to the pectoralis muscle should reduce some sources of acute post-operative inflammation and discomfort.

Patients may therefore experience less pain and potentially return to routine activities sooner than following some conventional augmentation techniques.

Recovery, however, varies considerably between individuals. A smaller incision should not be interpreted as meaning that internal healing is instantaneous.

Patients must still follow their surgeon’s post-operative instructions and activity restrictions while the tissues heal and the implants settle.

Motiva Preservé vs Traditional Breast Augmentation: Which Is Better?

The clinically relevant question is not whether Preservé is “better” than conventional breast augmentation.

It is which technique is most appropriate for a particular patient.

For someone with suitable anatomy seeking a modest increase in breast volume, the potential advantages of a small incision, reduced tissue disruption and muscle preservation are compelling areas of interest.

For another patient—particularly someone requiring greater volume, substantial reshaping, correction of asymmetry or greater control over implant positioning—a conventional surgical approach may offer important advantages.

The best breast augmentation technique is therefore the one that appropriately matches the patient’s anatomy, objectives and risk profile.

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The Evolution of Breast Augmentation

Motiva Preservé represents an interesting evolution in breast augmentation surgery, particularly because its philosophy extends beyond simply making a smaller incision. It attempts to reconsider how the implant pocket itself is created, prioritising tissue preservation rather than surgical division.

As with any newer surgical technology, enthusiasm should be accompanied by careful evaluation of patient selection, reproducibility, complications, long-term implant behaviour and aesthetic outcomes.

Dr Sharp is currently evaluating the Motiva Preservé technique and its potential applications for suitable breast augmentation patients.

As further clinical experience and longer-term evidence become available, we will continue to provide updates about Preservé, Motiva breast implants and evolving approaches to breast augmentation surgery.

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