Breast augmentation is an incredibly popular plastic surgery procedure that can give a patient a much-needed confidence and self-esteem boost by accentuating the appearance of their chest. This has consistently made it one of the most popular procedures requested from our fully certified plastic surgeon. Below, we cover the top reasons for breast implant revision.
However, some patients may find themselves returning to the doctor’s office in order to receive revision work on their breast implants. There are several different reasons that this might occur.
Top Reasons for Breast Implant Revision
If you’ve recently had breast augmentation and suspect you could benefit from revision surgery, take a look at this list of reasons that many other patients come looking for the same thing.
Breast Augmentation Summary
A breast revision is a surgical procedure that can enhance the appearance and feel of one’s breasts. Whether an individual is unhappy with either the appearance or feel of their breasts, breast augmentation can give a patient a much higher level of satisfaction with this part of their body.
Its effectiveness has lent the procedure the reputation of being one of the most popular and flashy procedures that one can attain. On the medical side, women who have recovered from breast cancer can benefit from breast revision procedures if their condition has impacted the appearance of their chest.
There has been a misconception floating around this type of procedure that an individual will have to replace their implants once every ten years. However, this isn’t true for patients who are satisfied with the initial results of their procedure. If you’re happy with the initial results of your procedure, then it’s highly likely that you won’t have to receive revision surgery of any kind.
There are several different reasons that a patient might seek out a revision surgery, with the origin of these motivations lying in either medical or aesthetic dissatisfaction with their initial results. Staying aware of these issues prior to receiving surgery can help you stay prepared in terms of knowing what to expect out of your procedure and recovery period.
What Are the Reasons for Breast Implant Revision?
1. You Experience Implant Breakage
There lies a potential risk of implants rupturing should the implants be subjected to heavy amounts of physical stress. If this should occur to your own implants, then there’s an extremely high chance that your physician will recommend that you receive a revision procedure.
Saline implants are the type of breast implant that are most vulnerable to rupturing in this way. If you notice that your implants reduce in size rapidly, then it’s highly likely that your saline implants have ruptured. Occasionally, saline implants will only partially leak, which will cause a decrease in size but not complete deflation.
Implant ruptures are usually confirmed with an MRI or ultrasound scan. If the tests confirm that your implants have ruptured, your physician can replace the existing ones with new ones, which should restore their overall aesthetic appeal. Rupture remains one of the tops reasons for breast implant revision.
2. You Are Unhappy With Your Initial Results
Another common motivator for individuals to seek out revision work of some kind is if they’re simply unhappy with their results in terms of size or shape. Sometimes, what you want out of your breasts changes as you go through the various phases of life, meaning that the results that you incur when you initially receive surgery might not please you as time goes on.
A breast revision procedure has the potential to bring a patient a higher level of satisfaction with their results by adjusting the size of the implants to the level that the patient desires. Articulating the exact results that you would like to receive from your physician can decrease the chance that you will be dissatisfied with your results again.
3. You Would Like to Adjust the Position of Your Implants
Due to the increases in density and shape that an augmentation procedure entails, a breast augmentation can adjust the overall position of one’s breasts on the chest. This is especially the case with revision procedures that are performed at a discount or by surgeons who aren’t masters of their craft.
A revision procedure has the potential to amend these issues by readjusting the position of the breasts on the chest. This may also entail changing the general shape of the breasts once more in order to make them more aesthetically pleasing for the patient in terms of their position.
4. You Would Like to Remove Skin Rippling
Saline implants can sometimes create tiny wave shapes along the surface of one’s breast. If you experience this type of issue, your physician may recommend that you switch to silicone implants for your revision procedure. In addition, your physician may recommend that you receive concurrent fat grafting to apply more fatty tissue coverage around the edges of the implant.
This type of fat transfer has the potential to cover up skin rippling and make the appearance of the implants look more natural on the chest. This type of procedure remains popular with individuals who are interested in attaining a “natural” look for their breasts and body.
5. You’re Experiencing Capsular Contracture
Capsular contracture is a type of complication in breast augmentation where some level of abnormal scar tissue forms around an implant. As this abnormal tissue contracts, it can potentially distort one’s implants, which results in a firm and misshapen breast.
The medical protocol for dealing with this type of issue sometimes depends on the level of advancement that the capsular contracture has progressed to. In advanced cases, the physician will usually restore the appearance of the breasts by removing the excess scar tissue and placing a new implant.
In complex cases of this issue, the physician might need to attach additional materials such as acellular dermal matrix products. You’ll be able to discuss with your physician whether or not this will be a part of your pre-surgical consultation procedure, which takes place prior to any work being done.
Picking the Right Physician
To determine whether a surgeon will be a suitable fit for your breast augmentation, it is crucial to know whether they consider this type of procedure to be their specialty. It is ideal for breast augmentation specialists to have a track record of successfully finishing the operation you are interested in, one that you can verify and inspect.
If you take the time to do the necessary research, you may relax knowing that your surgery will be performed by a top-notch specialist dedicated to the operations you want. With regards to this, it helps to know whether or not your physician is board-certified.
Board-Certified
A board-certified physician is guaranteed to be an experienced individual to take care of your surgical needs, as they will have been deemed suitable to practice the often-times complex surgical procedures of plastic surgery by a jury of their peers. Some of the ways that these individuals are vetted include the following steps:
- Finishing medical school and receiving at least six years of surgical training
- Passing a large amount of written and oral tests
- Having matriculated through three years of resident training completed
- Completing an annual continued medical education regimen
- Proving their expertise through several successful procedure
- Examinations of their surgical background and areas of expertise
In addition, you might want to take some time to research your personal physician’s history of surgeries and general procedural habits to make sure that it’s someone that you feel comfortable with. This is because the patient-doctor relationship requires a great deal of trust to be successful. Knowing your reasons for breast implant revision proves key.
Part of the reason this is the case is because you will be disclosing to your surgeon a great deal of information about your medical and personal background, as well as some private aspects of your aesthetic goals.
Overall, it’s crucial that you feel at ease and confident with the doctor that you’ll be seeing because of the above reasons. In the case of revision surgery, this is especially true due to the fact that receiving multiple surgeries can be very stressful on the body.
Your Pre-surgical Consultation
Arranging a meeting with your surgeon can assist the two of you in devising a strategy for a smooth surgical procedure. You will be able to talk about the specifics of your impending procedure and any other pertinent issues pertaining to your particular health state. By sharing all of this information, you can increase your chances of a successful and safe surgical procedure.
Overall, this is your best opportunity to discuss with your physician the best strategy for a successful and safe procedure. Take full advantage of it to give yourself the best chance at receiving satisfactory results.
The Top Augmentation Revisionist in Beverly Hills
Dr. Gabbay and the rest of the team at Gabbay Plastic Surgery are dedicated to giving patients the best possible service in breast augmentation revision. If you’re interested in receiving this type of treatment and would like to see if it’s right for you, contact us today to set up an appointment with our breast implant revision specialist.