Additional Surgeries

Any woman with implants must understand that there is a chance that she will need to have additional surgery in the future to replace or remove a ruptured or worn-out implant. Other problems such as capsullary contracture, infection, shifting, and calcium deposits can create the need for surgical removal of existing implants. You must discuss such risks and additional surgeries with your physician.

Increased Difficulty in Breast Cancer Detection

The most important risk for any breast augmentation patient is the possibility that breast cancer in the future will not be easily detected. The implant can interfere with breast cancer detection during mammography. It can hide suspicious-looking patches of tissue in the breast, making it difficult to interpret results.

To avoid this risk, I recommend breast augmentation be done with the breast implant placed underneath the muscle. This helps to improve the detection of breast cancer if a breast mass develops, and actually improves the ability to see the breast tissue during a mammogram. In my practice, I request that patients obtain a mammogram prior to the procedure if they are thirty-five years old or older, or if there is a family history of breast cancer. This is useful in ascertaining a baseline prior to the procedure. Another mammogram is recommended anywhere from six months to a year following the operation to determine if there are any changes. Usually, extra views and special techniques such as the Ecklund view are used during mammography for patients with breast implants in order to see more breast tissue.

There are rare and unsubstantiated, but possible, relationships of implants with connective tissue disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and scleroderma (see the earlier discussion of this connection).

Future Pregnancy and Nursing

There are many patients with breast augmentation who have successfully breast-fed their children. The operation itself does not affect the milk ducts, so architecturally the operation is theoretically safe. If a patient is interested in breast-feeding after augmentation, there should not be any difficulty. Some women are simply not able to breast-feed, however, and this has nothing to do with breast augmentation.

Complications

Complications are always a possibility, as with any operation, although they are rare. The main ones in this case are infection, bleeding, excess or obvious scars, or changes in nipple sensation. With regard to infection, it's very important that the plastic surgeon place you on antibiotics both during and after the procedure. It's important that you take every single antibiotic dose and not miss any. The implant is a foreign object that is being placed into your body under sterile conditions, but if you are prone to infection, you may develop one. If an infection does occur, your surgeon has to be notified right away. Signs of infection include redness, tenderness, drainage from the wound, fever, and chills.