Will A Deltoid Implant Fix My Shoulder Asymmetry After AC Joint Surgery?

Q: Dr. Eppley, looking for a resolution for my left shoulder. I had an AC joint injury in 2019, which required surgery. Since the surgery, my left shoulder is smaller than the right one. So, I’m trying to find a solution that will make my shoulder more symmetrical to the other.

A: Thank you for sending all of your additional pictures. They conform that this is an overall shoulder issue.as I would have expected given the origin of the problem.

They are two approaches to take for aesthetic improvement; 1) injectable fat grafting or 2) deltoid/trapezius muscle implants. There are arguments to be made for either approach and neither is wrong. It comes down to the classic debate of autologous (fat = unpredictable volume retention, use of your own tissue with as close to zero risk of infection as possible vs. implant = assured volume, placing a foreigh material in the body with more risks of infection than fat)

It really comes down to your preference.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon