Blog

When Do I Need a Breast Implant Revision?

Breast Augmentation offers women a safe and effective way of achieving their beauty and aesthetic goals.

When done by a qualified, highly skilled professional, breast augmentation offers women a safe and effective way of achieving their beauty and aesthetic goals. This is because breast augmentation allows you to decide exactly how you would like your cleavage to look like and have that actualized by a plastic surgeon.

However, it might get to a point in time where you feel like the results of the initial procedure no longer satisfy your desired objectives or that there are some undesirable consequences of the same. If that happens, breast implant revision is always a viable option for correcting that.

What is breast implant revision?

Breast implant revision is a surgical procedure by which old breast implants are removed and replaced with new ones. While the success rate of breast augmentation surgery is very high at an impressive 98%, sometimes patients might experience some physiological problems associated with the surgery.

In other cases, your tastes and preferences may change and you might desire to enhance your physical appearance by changing the size, shape, or style of your breast implants. Also, each new type of breast implant that comes out is usually better than previous versions and as such, you may want to upgrade to better implants.

The purpose of this blog is to serve as a comprehensive guide of when the best time to get a breast implant revision is.

When you experience implant rupture

The rupturing of breast implants is fairly common. However, implant ruptures rarely happen soon after a breast augmentation procedure. Rather, they occur mostly when the implants are nearing the end of their lifespans. Both saline and silicone implants can last for about a decade or two averagely.

When your saline implants rupture, the saline gets reabsorbed by the body immediately. It is easy to recognize the rupture of saline implants as the breasts deflate prominently. On the other hand, when silicone implants rupture, the gel remains in the breast tissues. As such, there is no prominent visible change.

 Silicone implant rupture can only be detected using MRIs. However, regardless of the type of implants, rupturing necessitates breast implant revision as it can cause hardening, swelling, pain, or changes in the size and shape of the breasts.

In case of implant malposition

Implant malposition has a very significant impact on the cosmetic appearance of your cleavage and your beauty profile in general. It can occur as a result of natural aging or sudden and significant weight changes whether it’s gain or loss. Other factors such as capsular contraction can also cause malposition of breast implants.

Implant malposition can manifest itself in several ways. The breasts may come too close together, spread too far apart, or droop and sag too low. Sometimes the breasts may be asymmetrical and one may hang lower than the other. Whenever you notice any of this, it just might be time to visit your surgeon and get that revision procedure done.

Capsular contracture

Like in other artificial prosthetic procedures, the natural healing process of the breasts after breast augmentation surgery involves the development of scar tissue around the affected area. This scar tissue is what is referred to as a capsule.

While the formation of this capsule is beneficial as it helps to hold the implants in place, problems might arise when this scar tissue begins to contract and apply more and more pressure on the implants. When this happens, the breasts may grow uncomfortably tight and firm, swell, and become painful to the touch.

In some cases, capsular contracture might not have any visible effects. However, in Grade 3 and Grade 4 capsular contracture, prominent changes in the appearance and positioning of the breasts are witnessed. Therefore, it is recommendable to go for breast implant revision if you happen to experience capsular contracture.

Wrinkling and rippling

Besides implant ruptures and capsular contracture, wrinkling and rippling of the breasts are another sign that you need a breast implant revision. This is because those wrinkles and ripples take away from the cosmetic appeal of your implants.

Cases of wrinkling are common in people with saline implants due to under-filling or overfilling. Wrinkling can also occur due to poor tissue coverage and loose capsules. People with roundly-shaped implants are also more likely to witness wrinkling on the breasts. Regardless of the cause, wrinkling of the implants can be corrected by implant revision surgery.

Need an implant revision surgery?

Having undergone breast augmentation before, you may wish to remove, replace, or adjust the position of your breast implants. Dr. Vitenas is a highly qualified plastic surgeon with extensive experience in breast implant surgery that spans over two decades. He has successfully overseen many breast implant revision surgeries and offers patients high-quality medical care before and after surgery. For a safe, smooth, and unproblematic breast implant revision procedure that guarantees you the best results, get in touch with Dr. Vitenas today by calling 281-484-0088. We are located at 4208 Richmond Ave, Suite 200 Houston, Texas 77027. Book yourself an appointment today and come experience the fine art of natural cosmetic surgery.

FAQ

What is silent rupture?

Silent rupture refers to the rupture of silicone breast implants. Unlike saline implants, silicone implant ruptures are not easily detectable. This is because the gel that is released after rupture remains in the breast tissue and as such, there is no visible deflation of the breasts.

When can I resume exercise after implant revision surgery?

The recovery time for breast implant surgery is normally shorter than that of breast augmentation surgery. It takes on average about one to two weeks to recover and resume work. Because of the physical strain and intensity of exercise, it is advisable to resume working out only after four weeks to six weeks have elapsed.

Does a smoker qualify for breast implant revision?

Breast implant surgeries are very delicate medical procedures and as such, one should be healthy and fit for a safe procedure and fast recovery. Smoking and the use of other nicotine products increase the risk of capsular contracture which can lead to problems after surgery. Therefore, it is recommended that one stops smoking entirely or abstain from smoking before and immediately after surgery.