Rian A. Maercks, M.D., P.A., American Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon, is an artist and a leading aesthetic, craniofacial, and reconstructive plastic surgeon, based in Miami, Florida. His private practice, The Maercks Institute, is located in the beautiful Design District and is fully equipped with a tastefully designed office and an AAAHC qualified operating room. Dr. Maercks has spoken on many panels and given numerous lectures, domestically and internationally, regarding his unique breast augmentation procedure, which has brought in a large number of patients from all over the world. Haute Beauty sat down with Dr. Maercks to discuss the overview of calf implants, the procedure expectations, and recovery.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

If you are dissatisfied with the shape or size of your calves, The Maercks Institute is here to help. Here at The Maercks Institute, we offer calf implants to men and women in Miami in order to enhance the shape and increase the size of the calves.

What are calf implants?

With calf implants, soft, solid silicone implants are placed in the calves during a surgical procedure in order to improve the way your legs look. Whether you want calf implants for cosmetic reasons or require reconstructive surgery after an injury, come to The Maercks Institute first.

Calf implants may also be used by male and female bodybuilders in order to improve curves, definition, and proportions of the lower leg to enhance the muscle appearance, or to correct bowed and/or thin legs. The asymmetry caused by genetic birth deformities like spina bifida, clubfoot, and polio or by trauma to the legs can also be corrected by calf implants.

Photo Credit: ShutterstockWhat to Expect

During the procedure, pockets are created between the tough connective tissue of the outer thigh and the gastrocnemius muscles. Soft, solid silicone implants are placed in these pockets. There are two heads of the gastrocnemius calf muscle located on the back of the lower leg. One head is lateral and one is located on the inside, or medial. Typically, only one implant is required and placed on the medial side in order to proportion and enhance the calf muscles.

Those with more pronounced deficiencies, or bodybuilders, may choose to place implants in both the lateral and medial muscles. As no muscles are detached or cut during surgery, there is no impairment to the normal function of the muscles once the area has healed.

Placement of Calf Implants

Calf implants may also be placed under the muscle, although there are greater chances of complications during this procedure, and the recovery is significantly more painful and difficult. As newer calf implants are designed to look more natural, it is rarely necessary to have the implants placed under the muscle. Implants are made of an extra-soft contoured silicone to offer more natural-looking results with an easier recovery and decreased risks.

If the patient is still unhappy with the size of the calves, fat augmentation may be used to enhance the contour and shape of the muscles. With calf augmentation, an incision is made in the natural crease located directly behind the knee in order to conceal the scar. Implants come in different sizes and shapes and most requirements can be accommodated during your initial consultation. Custom-made implants are also available for those with more specific needs or requests, particularly for those with birth defects or those who have undergone serious trauma to the calf area.