Repair or Revision Surgery

Breast implants don't last forever. Implant manufacturers are required to tell women that the implants they supply aren't permanent. The most common implant repair or replacement surgeries are due to the implant itself either rupturing or deflating.

Whatever type of breast implant you choose, the chances are good you'll need corrective surgery in your lifetime. The most common reason for additional surgery is complications. These could be miner or major complications which can occur after any surgery. Other things which require additional surgery include capsular constracture treatment and to repair any ripples or wrinkles in the implant that might show.

Breast reconstruction has a higher frequency of additional surgeries. Mastectcomy results in such drastic changes in the soft tissue and anatomical borders, multiple surgeries are often the only choice. It's also common for breast cancer patients to undergo several surgeries. Procedures to reconstruct the nipple-areola complex and to achieve symmetry with the remaining breast are done in planned stages

In cosmetic implants, additional surgeries can be drastically reduced by making the correct choices before surgery. Matching the size and type of implant with the patient's soft-tissue characteristics provides more successful results. These results provide the most aesthetically pleasing appearance and reduces the chances of ripples and wrinkles in the implant showing.

Choosing the breast implant that's best suited to your physical needs as well as choosing the best surgical procedure will reduce the occurrences of additional surgeries and result in the maximum satisfaction with your implants. Read more...

Saline or Silicone, Whats The Difference

Saline implants are just empty shells. They're surgically placed then filled with a salt water solution. Since this implant is so small when it's placed, the incision can also be quite small. This small incision leaves a much smaller scar. The silicone implant is a cover or envelope containing a silicone substance. This implant requires a larger incision for placement.

The United States places restrictions on silicone implants. Even though these restrictions have been considerably lessened in the past few years, the saline implant is still the most common implant used in America. Quality results can be expected from saline implants, but they can be more likely to suffer from cosmetic problems. Women with thin breast tissue may have the most problems.

Rippling and wrinkling of the implant may be seen. There's also the possibility of noticing the implant itself, either by sight or by touch. Women with more breast tissue don't generally have this issue. It's for this reason that most surgeons prefer the silicone implant for post-mastectomy reconstruction.

Silicone implants are more widely used outside the United States than saline. They're considered by most surgeons to be more realistic in appearance. Methods have been developed to hide the scar left by the large incision the silicone implant requires. The newest version has shown the potential for significant improvements over the older products. Even though the leaked silicone hasn't been shown to cause health problems, the possibility of leakage is still a concern.
Read more...

Breast Implant Ruptures

A saline implant rupture results in quick deflation and is easily removed. Recent FDA approved studies show rupture/deflation rates of 3-5% at 3 years and 7-10% at 5 years. Older studies depended on clinical exams to determine rupture rates.

Recent reports have determined these exams aren't adequate to evaluate rupture rates. One study reported ruptures in asymptomatic patients are correctly detected by experienced plastic surgeons 30% of the time. This is compared to a detection rate of 86% by MRIs.

The FDA currently recommends MRIs be used to screen for ruptures beginning three years after implantation and continuing every two years thereafter.

Other countries consider MRIs useful only in cases of suspected ruptures and to confirm ultrasound or mammographic studies suggesting a rupture.

Silicone implant ruptures rarely result in deflation. The silicone leaks into the space around the implant. This indicates the need for removal of the implant. The risk and treatment of extracapsular leakage is controversial. It's agreed the gel is difficult to remove, but theres disagreement about the health effects.

The majority of MRI data for silicone gel implants indicates after 11 years, most women had at least one ruptured implant with silicone leakage outside the capsule of 21% of the women. The available long term data deals with 3rd and 4th generation implants and shows a 15-30% risk of silent rupture. MRI evaluation of the 5th generation implants implies improved durability. A rupture rate of 1% or less at an average age of six years is reported. Read more...