4 Reasons to Revise Your Implants, From Board Certified Cosmetic Surgeons
| ABCS
Wondering why a patient would require a secondary surgery after breast augmentation? Most breast augmentation patients undergo either a breast implant removal or breast implant revision/replacement surgery within their lifetime. Below, we share insight from several board certified cosmetic surgeons about when they may recommend breast implant revision to a patient.
1. You experienced a complication
Breast implant complications, both medical and cosmetic, may lead you to pursue breast implant revision surgery. The most common complication is capsular contracture, in which the capsule of scar tissue encircling the implant hardens irregularly. Aesthetic complications may include visible implant rippling, double bubble, and results that are unsatisfactory to you.
In the below video, learn from Dr. Talon Maningas (Joplin, MO) about breast implant revision for the aesthetic condition pseudoptosis (bottoming out).
2. You want to go up or down in size
If you no longer want the additional volume and shape from your breast implants, or if you desire more volume over time, then breast implant revision can address these goals.
In the below video, Dr. Whitney Florin (Costa Mesa, CA) explains that patients with saline implants who are deciding between removal or replacement may choose to deflate their implants as a first step before deciding if they would be happy without any implants at all.
3. You want to exchange for a different type of implant
Some patients choose to undergo breast implant revision to update their implants to a different fill or surface type. In the below video, Dr. Angel Morales (Houston, TX) compares a decades-old textured, saline-filled implant with a newer smooth-shelled silicone gel-filled implant. He removed the former from a patient and replaced it with a more natural-feeling, safer implant of the same size.
4. Your implant ruptured
Implant rupture means that your implant’s shell is no longer intact, and it requires revision surgery. If you have saline-filled breast implants, then your implant may visibly deflate; if you have silicone gel-filled implants, a rupture can be detected with an MRI or ultrasound.
In the below video, watch as Dr. Nicolas Hayes (Twin Falls, ID) describes breast implant removal with a capsulectomy (capsule removal) for a patient with a ruptured saline implant.
Choosing a board-certified cosmetic surgeon for your breast augmentation revision
Some patients simply desire a new look, and pursue breast implant revision at that time. The most important part of your breast implant revision journey is choosing a surgeon you trust to deliver excellent results, safely. To find an ABCS-certified breast surgeon in your area, browse our surgeon directory.