Breast Implant Revision
Content
Description
Breast augmentation using implants fulfills the dream of a beautiful and full décolleté.
However, implants (like any other material) are subject to the ravages of time and therefore sometimes need to be replaced.
The main questions are:
- When is the right time to replace implants (implant revision)?
- When do implants need to be completely removed (implant removal)?
Facts
- General anesthesia
- One-day surgery
- Procedure lasts 60 minutes to 2 hours
- Recovery in 2 weeks
Implants are made of inert materials such as silicone or polyurethane, so they are harmless to health and are not absorbed into the body.
- Therefore, the manufacturer mostly offers a lifetime guarantee for the implant itself (guarantee against mechanical damage).
- However, this does not mean that the implants will last the entire life of the patient - the body reacts to the implants by forming a capsule.
- Changes in the implants or reasons on the women's side lead to implant revision in average every 10 years.
Implant side causes:
- Capsular contracture
- Rotation or position change
- Deflating of saline implants
- Rupture of implants (tear of implant)
Patient side causes:
- Childbirth
- Aging
- Weight gain or loss
- Hormonal factors)
- Patient's wish (change of breast implant size, shape or form)
The implant is a foreign material to the body and so it tries to encapsulate it.
The sheath (capsule) that forms around the implant hardens over time (about 10 years) and may even deposit thin layers of calcium. We say that capsular contracture occurs.
When determining the degree of capsular contracture, the so-called Baker's classification:
- I. degree - the breast is soft, it seems as if it has not been operated on.
- II. degree - the breast is soft, but the implant is palpable but not visible.
- III. degree - the breast is harder, the implant is palpable and the shape of the breast has changed.
- IV. degree - the breast is hard, painful, can be rotated.
In the case of III. and IV. degree of capsular contracture, the replacement of implants is recommended.
Implants are removed if breast cancer is suspected. Breast cancer is the most common malignant disease in women and therefore can also occur in patients with implants.
Since implants have been used for a long time, radiologists and oncologists are now able to evaluate well the findings of patients after breast augmentation (mammography and MRI - magnetic resonance imaging).
In some cases, the patient herself requests to remove the implants.
