Breast Implant Revision

Undergoing any surgical procedure may involve the risk of complications such as the effects of anesthesia, infection, swelling, redness, bleeding, and pain. In addition, there are potential complications specific to breast implants. These complications include:

Deflation/Rupture

Breast implants deflate when the saline solution leaks either through an unsealed or damaged valve or through a break in the implant shell. Implant deflation can occur immediately or slowly over a period of days and is noticed by loss of size or shape of your breast. Some breast implants deflate (or rupture) in the first few months after being implanted and some deflate after several years. Causes of deflation include damage by surgical instruments during surgery, overfilling or under filling of the breast implant with saline solution, capsular contracture, closed capsulotomy, stresses such as trauma or intense physical manipulation, excessive compression during mammographic imaging, umbilical incision placement, and unknown/unexplained reasons. You should also be aware that the breast implant may wear out over time and deflate/rupture. Deflated breast implants require additional surgery to remove and to possibly replace the breast implant.

Capsular Contracture

The scar tissue or capsule that normally forms around the breast implant may tighten and squeeze the breast implant and is called capsular contracture. Capsular contracture may be more common following infection, hematoma, and seroma. It is also more common with subglandular placement (behind the mammary gland and on top of the chest). Symptoms range from mild firmness and mild discomfort to severe pain, distorted shape, palpability of the breast implant, and/or movement of the breast implant. Additional surgery is needed in cases where pain and/or firmness is severe. This surgery ranges from removal of the breast implant capsule tissue to removal and possibly replacement of the breast implant itself. Capsular contracture may happen again after these additional surgeries.

Pain

Pain of varying intensity and duration may occur and persist following breast implant surgery. In addition, improper size, placement, surgical technique, or capsular contracture may result in pain associated with nerve entrapment or interference with muscle motion. You should tell your surgeon about severe pain.

Additional Surgeries

You should know that there is a high chance that you will need to have additional surgery at some point to replace or remove the breast implant. Also, problems such as deflation, capsular contracture, infection, shifting, and calcium deposits can require removal of the breast implants. Many women decide to have the breast implants replaced, but some women do not. If you choose not to, you may have cosmetically unacceptable dimpling and/or puckering of the breast following removal of the breast implant.

Content courtesy of LookingYourBest.com