Dr. Kirby's Blog

Motiva Preservé Offers a Less-Invasive Path to Breast Augmentation

Published April 16, 2026 by Emily J. Kirby MD

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If you have been researching breast implants, you may have come across the term “preservation breast augmentation.” This is a technique for placing implants while preserving as much of your natural breast tissue, ligaments, and sensation as possible.

Motiva Preservé is a specialized preservation breast augmentation technique, taking the approach further by using purpose-built instruments and flexible implants to minimize tissue disruption during surgery and achieve natural-looking, elegant results.

How Preservé Reduces Tissue Trauma

Preservé breast augmentation is still surgery, and should only be performed in an accredited operating room by a board-certified plastic surgeon, with all appropriate safety protocols in place. This procedure is considered “less invasive” because the Preservé system is designed to reduce tissue trauma during the procedure itself, which can translate to a quicker, more comfortable recovery.

Here is how each element of the Preservé approach contributes to that goal:

Most saline or silicone implants, while safe and effective, tend to be firmer. Placing a firmer implant requires the surgeon to create a pocket large enough to accommodate the implant’s shape and allow it to settle naturally.

Preservé exclusively uses Motiva Ergonomix implants, which are made with a softer, more flexible silicone gel. (This flexibility contributes to natural movement after surgery, as the implant shifts subtly from round to teardrop depending on your body position, like natural breast tissue.) Because the implant itself is pliable, it can be gently guided into position through a smaller opening with less force.

Read more: 5 Questions About Motiva Breast Implants, Answered

In traditional breast augmentation, the surgeon uses handheld instruments to dissect and shape the implant pocket. This process involves cutting through tissue to create the space where the implant will sit.

The Preservé system takes a different approach. After making a small incision, your surgeon uses a Channel Separator to create a narrow pathway to the chest wall. Then, an Inflatable Balloon is inserted and gently expanded to shape the pocket. This method allows the pocket to be created with minimal surgical cutting, reducing trauma to the surrounding tissue. This means there is less tissue healing required of your body after surgery.

The combination of flexible implants and balloon-assisted pocket creation allows the entire procedure to be performed through an incision of approximately 3 centimeters. For reference, traditional breast augmentation incisions are often 4 to 5 centimeters or longer, depending on the implant size and type. A smaller incision means less tissue disruption at the entry point (most patients have an incision along the inframammary fold, at the base of the breast) and a less noticeable scar once healed.

Your breasts have a network of ligaments that help maintain their natural shape and position. Traditional pocket creation can involve cutting through some of these supportive structures, but the Preservé technique is designed to work around these ligaments rather than through them. This is a core principle of preservation breast augmentation: by keeping these structures intact, Preservé helps maintain your natural breast support and sensation over time.

Sensation is a common concern for breast augmentation patients. While no surgeon can guarantee that sensation will be unchanged after surgery, Preservé’s tissue-sparing approach is intended to minimize disruption to the nerves that contribute to nipple and breast sensation.

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What Recovery Looks Like

The differences between Preservé and traditional breast augmentation are most noticeable in the early days of recovery. Because Preservé involves less tissue trauma, many patients find that their discomfort is more manageable and their mobility returns sooner.

With traditional submuscular placement, the pectoralis muscle is lifted to create the implant pocket. This can make movements involving the chest (such as lifting your arms, pushing open a door, or holding a child) uncomfortable for the first week or two.

Preservé places the implant in the subglandular plane, which is above the muscle, and the pocket is created with a balloon rather than dissection. As a result, patients often report that these everyday movements feel easier, sooner. (Preservé only places implants in the subglandular plane, rather than subfascial or submuscular placement.)

Every patient heals differently, but Preservé patients at Kirby Plastic Surgery typically find that their recovery timeline is especially efficient thanks to Dr. Kirby’s Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols, which are designed to minimize discomfort and reduce reliance on narcotic pain medication. Dr. Kirby performs PECS block injections for breast surgery patients to block sensation in that surgical area using long-lasting local anesthetic.

Is Preservé Right for You?

Preservé is designed for patients seeking a subtle, natural enhancement in the range of one to two cup sizes. The system uses Motiva Ergonomix implants, which accommodate up to 315 cc of volume increase. If you are hoping for a more significant size change, a different implant or technique may be better suited to your goals.

The best way to determine whether Preservé is right for you is to meet with a board-certified plastic surgeon who can evaluate your anatomy, discuss your goals, and recommend a personalized surgical plan.

Why Patients Trust Dr. Kirby for Breast Augmentation

Choosing a surgeon for breast augmentation is a personal decision, and finding someone who listens is just as important as finding someone with technical expertise.

Dr. Emily Kirby is a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon and one of the few female plastic surgeons in Fort Worth specializing in aesthetic and reconstructive breast surgery. She became the first female Chief of Plastic Surgery at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital, the largest hospital in Fort Worth, and has performed hundreds of breast augmentations and mommy makeovers over her 14-year career, and she offers complimentary in-office ultrasound monitoring to her breast implant patients in the years following surgery.

Dr. Kirby understands that patients want to be heard. During your consultation, she will take the time to understand your goals and recommend the approach that makes the most sense for your body, even if that means Preservé is not the right fit. Her focus is on helping you achieve results that look and feel natural, using techniques that prioritize your safety and recovery.

To schedule a consultation with Dr. Kirby and learn whether Preservé breast augmentation is right for you, call Kirby Plastic Surgery at 817-292-4200.