Breast augmentation is among the most requested cosmetic procedures worldwide, and the technique continues to evolve. Dr. Jacob Unger, a board-certified plastic surgeon trained at UT Southwestern with international fellowships in France, Turkey, and Belgium, has built his career on refining aesthetic outcomes with less trauma to the body.
Preservé by Motiva reflects that same philosophy, smaller incisions, preserved tissue, and results designed to look and feel like they've always belonged. In this blog, we will discuss what Preservé is, how it works, its benefits, ideal candidates, recovery expectations, and how it compares to traditional breast augmentation.
What Is Preservé by Motiva?
Preservé is a tissue-preserving breast augmentation technique developed to reduce surgical trauma and protect the breast's natural structures. Originally created by Dr. Manuel Chacón-Quirós at the European Center of Surgery in Costa Rica, this innovation is a new paradigm in aesthetic breast surgery.
Preservé is defined by four key elements:
- Specialized instruments: Motiva-designed tools create the implant pocket without aggressive cutting.
- SmoothSilk Ergonomix implants: Ultra-soft, nano-textured implants engineered for a low inflammatory response.
- Preserved ligaments: The Cooper's and circummammary ligaments remain intact.
- Small incisions: Approximately 2.5 cm — nearly half the size of traditional incisions.
The result is a technique that treats breast augmentation as anatomical harmony rather than mechanical restructuring, giving patients a naturally soft, well-supported outcome.
How Preservé by Motiva Works
Traditional augmentation often disrupts key support structures during pocket creation, which can compromise long-term stability and sensation. Preservé takes a different route.
Steps of the Preservé technique include:
- Small incision: A 2.5 cm opening is placed discreetly, often at the inframammary fold.
- Gentle pocket creation: Specialized Motiva instruments elongate rather than cut native tissue.
- Above-the-muscle placement: The implant sits in the subglandular plane, keeping the pectoralis muscle undisturbed.
- No-touch delivery: The implant is inserted using a Keller Funnel to reduce contamination risk.
- Precise closure: The incision is closed and reinforced with surgical adhesive.
By protecting ligaments and muscles rather than cutting through them, Preservé maintains the biological framework that supports the breast throughout life.
Benefits of Preservé by Motiva
For the right patient, Preservé delivers a combination of aesthetic refinement and functional preservation that traditional augmentation often can't match.
Notable benefits of Preservé include:
- Preserved sensation: Native nerves remain intact, protecting nipple sensitivity.
- Faster recovery: Many patients return to light activity within 3 to 5 days.
- Smaller scars: A 2.5 cm incision means less visible healing.
- Natural movement: Implants move with breast tissue, not against the chest muscle.
- Long-term stability: A three-year clinical study registered on ClinicalTrials.gov reported 0% inferior malposition.
These outcomes reflect a broader shift in aesthetic surgery — one focused on doing less to achieve more, with results that feel authentic to the patient's own body.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Preservé by Motiva?
Preservé isn't the right fit for every patient. Careful selection matters, and Dr. Unger evaluates each patient's anatomy, goals, and lifestyle before recommending a technique.
Ideal candidates for Preservé by Motiva often share these traits:
- Adequate breast tissue: Sufficient soft tissue coverage for a subglandular implant.
- Modest size increase: Typically one to two cup sizes.
- Good skin quality: Elastic, healthy tissue that will drape well over the implant.
- Non-smokers: Nicotine impairs healing and increases complication risk.
- Realistic expectations: Interest in natural-looking, movement-friendly results.
Patients who need larger implants, significant lift, or reconstruction may be better served by a different approach. Dr. Unger will walk you through every option during your consultation.
What Recovery Looks Like After Preservé
One of the most talked-about aspects of Preservé is how quickly patients feel like themselves again. Because ligaments and muscles stay intact, post-op discomfort is significantly reduced.
Typical Preservé recovery milestones include:
- Days 1–2: Rest, mild soreness, supportive garment worn continuously.
- Days 3–5: Most patients return to desk work and light daily activity.
- Week 2: Gradual return to non-strenuous routines.
- Weeks 4–6: Cleared for exercise and heavier activity.
- Months 3–6: Final settling and long-term result.
Dr. Unger and the NPSI team monitor every step with in-person follow-ups, and our 24/7 aftercare team is always available for questions along the way.
How Preservé Compares to Traditional Breast Augmentation
Both approaches use FDA-cleared silicone implants, and both can produce beautiful results, but the surgical experience is meaningfully different. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, traditional augmentation often involves larger incisions and more extensive tissue release.
Key differences between Preservé and traditional augmentation include:
- Incision size: 2.5 cm vs. 4 cm or more.
- Muscle handling: Preserved vs. cut or elevated.
- Recovery time: Days vs. 1 to 2 weeks.
- Ligament preservation: Fully intact vs. often released.
- Implant options: Motiva Ergonomix exclusively vs. multiple manufacturers.
Neither approach is universally better, the right choice depends on your anatomy and goals. A qualified surgeon like Dr. Unger will guide you toward the technique that fits your body and your life.
Explore Preservé by Motiva With Dr. Unger in Nashville
Choosing a breast augmentation technique is really choosing a philosophy, and Preservé represents a real evolution in that thinking. Dr. Unger's training at UT Southwestern, associate editor role at Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery — Global Open, and international lecturing on aesthetic surgery uniquely position him to guide Nashville patients through this next-generation approach.
His commitment to precision, patient education, and long-term results is why so many patients trust NPSI with one of the most personal decisions they'll ever make.
Call (615) 236-6686 or request a consultation today to explore whether Preservé by Motiva is right for you.
