As you go through a breast augmentation surgery, you most likely do not think about the fact that you will need to go through a following surgery, which is commonly known as breast revision surgery. Breast implant revisions do happen and the most important thing that needs to be understood is that a breast implant will not last for an entire life. Just think about the fact that breast implant warranty is normally 10 years. Having to go through a secondary surgery is practically a guarantee during your lifetime.
Breast implant revisions obviously sometimes happen because of implant rupture or deflation. However, this is not the only reason behind the procedure. We often see women going through breast revision surgery simply because they are not happy with the initial procedure. According to many different plastic surgeons, the most common reason why the implant revision happens is that the woman wants bigger implants.
FDA statistics back the statements of the surgeons. According to official statistics, around 37 percent of the breast revision surgeries that happened in the US happened because women were switching to an implant of a larger size. It is really common to have the woman go for a smaller sized implant than what is actually desired. After the procedure is done and swelling disappears, the woman figures out that something larger is desired.
Obviously, there are also other reasons why breast revision surgery is done these days. The really common ones are:
- Due to capsular contracture, scar tissue appearing needs to be released through procedures like capsulotomy or capsulectomy.
- Moving from the saline breast implant to the silicone impant, sometimes because of rippling problems or the wish to have a feel that is more natural and softer.
- Breast changes appear after pregnancy.
- Age-related breast changes.
- Weight loss or weight gain.
- Cosmetic problems – the patient is not happy with the past breast implant surgery. It is possible that the implant placement was poor or there are other problems present, like bottoming out, symmastia and double-bubble.
It is not that uncommon to see women that went through breast augmentation procedures thirty years in the past and now look at life differently. They want to remove implants. Then, removal will be performed, normally in a combination with a breast lift procedure. Other changes are obviously possible and based on the body of the woman, after procedures might be needed.
The most important thing to remember about the topic is that secondary surgery will always be more difficult than the primary augmentation. We are faced with scar tissue that makes it really tough to predict the final result. Also, surgeons have to work around tissue stretching or some anatomical changes that appeared because of the presence of the previous implants. Due to all this, surgeons normally charge more for the breast revision when compared with the first breast augmentation. Also, because the work is more complicated, it is important to hire a plastic surgeon that is highly experienced, preferably with revisions and/or reconstructions. Their skills are higher and there is a better change that you will get the desired result.