All About Breast Implants

In this blog you will learn everything you need to know about breast implants. Breast implants are shells filled with sterile saline liquid or silicone plastic gel used to increase breast fullness for cosmetic reasons or after mastectomy for cancer in a surgical procedure known as breast augmentation or augmentation mammaplasty. Breasts volume can also be increased with body fat. Before having any breast augmentation procedure, it is good to consult with a qualified board-certified plastic surgeon. In your consultation, you will be informed about the benefits of the cosmetic surgery and its potential risks. Your good health, realistic expectations and potential attitude towards the procedure count a lot in qualifying you as a viable candidate for the procedure.

Silicone implants versus saline implants

Silicone implants contain gel which feels natural but is prone to silent rapture which may go unnoticed. Get escapes in breast pocket when rapture occurs. A Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) test can identify rapture. You can have the test after 3 years of silicone implant placement and every two years after the initial test. Saline implants can also leak and if they leak, the salt water is naturally absorbed and expelled from the body. Leaking or ruptured implants need to be removed or replaced for better looking results and for your safety. The USA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommend saline breast implants for women over 22 years old and silicone breast implants for women over 18 years.

Controversy over breast implant safety

Research studies are looking at the possible connection between silicone gel breast implants and connective tissue disease. So far, studies don’t show that these implants cause connective tissue disease.

A few women with breast implants have developed anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) that started in breast tissue near the implant. Although these cases are very rare, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is gathering information about a possible connection between implants and ALCL.

Fat transfer breast augmentation

This kind of breast augmentation procedure uses your own body fat. Liposuction technique is used to harvest fat from other areas of your body before it’s injected in your breasts. Fat transfer technique is more natural compared to breast implants and is ideal for women in need of minimal breast increment.

Breast implant surgery and recovery

Breast augmentation with implants is done under general anesthesia. The procedure can be done on an outpatient basis. After you get anesthesia, you will be taken in the operation room where your plastic surgeon makes incisions either under your armpit, around the areola, or under your breast. Incisions make access for the breast implant and their location depends on your anatomy, type of implant or amount of increment need. The implant is then placed above or below your chest muscle. Incisions are then closed up with sutures. Drains and bandages will be placed but can be removed within 3 days. You will be advised to wear a surgical bra for support. Painkillers and antibiotics will help you manage recovery. After care visits are important. You will be prohibited to abstain from heavy lifting until 6 weeks. Full recovery can take up to 6 months.

Breast augmentation risks and safety

The decision to have plastic surgery is extremely personal and you will have to decide if the benefits will achieve your goals and if the risks and potential complications of breast augmentation are acceptable.

You will be asked to sign consent forms to ensure that you fully understand the procedure and any risks and potential complications.

Possible breast augmentation surgery risks include:

• Anesthesia risks
• Bleeding
• Infection
• Changes in nipple or breast sensation
• Poor scarring of skin
• Wrong or faulty position of the implant
• Implant leakage or rupture
• The formation of tight scar tissue around the implant (capsular contracture)
• Fluid accumulation (seroma)
• Wrinkling of the skin over the implant
• Pain, which may persist
• Possibility of revisional surgery

These risks and others will be fully discussed prior to your consent. It is important that you address all your questions directly with your Highland Park Plastic Surgeon.