Breast Augmentation’s Unexpected Detours
breast augmentation, Breast Implants, breast surgery, Recovery, Risks Comments (1)
We’ve often said you need a board-certified plastic surgeon for cosmetic plastic surgery procedures. Those extra four to seven years of surgical training after medical school is like having an insurance policy in your pocket.
Why?
For starters, here are some of the unexpected detours a typical breast augmentation can take. Even in the best of hands, a small (less than one percent) number of cases may experience any of the following conditions:
- Bottoming out
In this scenario, the breast implant has not been placed in the chest pocket correctly and falls to the bottom of the breast, causing the nipples to point up. It’s difficult to fix and usually requires a breast revision specialist. Plus, the cost is usually equal to twice the original cost of the breast enlargement.
- Capsular contracture
Sometimes, the body’s natural reaction to a foreign body – like a breast implant – is to wall it off with scar tissue. It’s one of the most frequent complications.
Capsular contracture can squeeze the implant and breast, making it hard to the touch. Implants placed under the chest muscle have less contracture, plus really skilled surgeons know how to place two-thirds of the implant under the muscle, with one-third over that muscle.
- Implant rupture
Although uncommon, both saline and silicone breast implants can leak if they are ruptured. In the case of a saline implant, the affected breast will collapse. A rupture of a silicone implant is harder to detect because the contents inside are a cohesive silicone gel. Either way, an additional surgery will be required.
- Change of mind
The most frequent reason for another surgery following a breast augmentation is because the patient sees the final result and wants a larger bust line. (About 10 percent want a smaller implant.) A well trained surgeon can give you good advice because he or she knows how to rate various factors – like the base diameter of the patient’s breast, shoulders, hips and general body build – to recommend an implant for a breast size that best flatters you. The board-certified surgeon will also consider your profession and culture in recommending a final size for your bust line.
Have you ever considered breast augmentation?
admin @ January 17, 2009
[...] (Look at this post just on breast augmentation complications!) [...]