INHERENT RISKS

The main goal of this procedure and all procedures is to have satisfied patients who are completely happy with their results. As with any operation, there are some inherent risks, however, the main three being bleeding, infection, and scarring specifically related to the implant capsular contraction formation (scarring around the implant).

Every single person who undergoes augmentation will have a foreign body reaction to the implant. The degree to which this occurs depends on your own individual response and how you heal. Some women develop so much scar tissue that the implants become quite firm. A classification system called Baker's class I, II, III, and IV is used to classify the severity of the reaction.

Baker's class I shows no scar contracture. Class II and class III are differing degrees of scar contracture. Class IV results in significant, painful, noticeable contraction. If a contracture does occur, it can be improved with placement of the implant under the muscle or switching over to saline implants. When the implant is replaced and/or the scar tissue removed, it is only necessary to use the same incision. The final healing of the incision will probably be no different than before. Currently, there's a smooth-walled implant as well as a textured-wall implant. This textured-wall implant tends to decrease the amount of capsulary contracture around the implant because it disorients the collagen bundles.

Ruptured Implants: What Happens, What Can I Do?

Breast implants can't be expected to last forever. There is always a possibility that an implant will rupture. A breast implant can break due to injury to the breast, or through normal wear over time. Some implants deflate or rupture in the first few months postsurgery, some deflate only after several years, and others remain intact ten or more years after surgery. The older the implant, the more likely it is to rupture. If a patient is involved in a ski accident, hits the steering wheel hard, is assaulted, or the breast implant receives a strong blow, there is a strong possibility that the implant will rupture. A routine mammogram can also rupture an implant.

Researchers are presently conducting studies to determine rupture rates over time. Ruptured implants must be removed surgically.

If an implant does rupture, one of the following may happen:

• If it is saline, the breast implant will go flat as a pancake, and the leaked saline from the implant will be absorbed by the body instead of being treated as a foreign material (salt water is naturally present in the body). Some patients develop a fever and rash with the rupture of a saline implant, however.
• If it is silicone, the rupture is harder to detect. The breast may lose its overall shape. There may be distortion or an irregular contour. Sometimes a doctor needs to order a mammogram to detect the rupture of an implant, or an MRI, which is a more specific test, to determine if an implant has ruptured. If implants are twelve to thirteen years old, they are likely to be ruptured, and most surgeons will recommend their removal. Typically, in such situations, patients opt for replacement with a newer type of implant.

VitaDocs Medical Reference from "The Plastic Surgery Sourcebook"