The most common reasons patients are interested in breast revision surgery or procedure include implant malposition (the implant has moved out or down from where it was placed), capsular contracture (a hard scar has formed around the implant which can alter the shape or feel of the breast and may even hurt), asymmetry (the two breasts look very different from one another) or simply dissatisfaction with the implant size or feel. Our goal is listen carefully to your concerns and after a careful exam have a very open and honest discussion of options and realistic expectations for the results.
There are several options depending on the patient, their anatomy and their goals. Sometimes patients simply would like their implants exchanged for smaller or larger implants, or perhaps their saline implants removed and replaced with silicone implants to achieve a softer look and feel. Other times a more extensive procedure is involved (such as a breast lift or internal bra placement). There are several different types of silicone implants available today, including textured implants and anatomic implants (tear drop in shape). We also can utilize different materials to help internally reposition the implants or create an “internal bra”, including the product Seri, which is a dissolvable silk scaffold that recruits collagen for increased soft tissue strength and support (read more about Seri at seri.com). Working together we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each approach so that you can pick the procedure that is right for you.
In general we ask patients to at least wait a few months from their initial procedure before pursuing a revision. This allows for complete healing and for both of us to have a good sense of the final results. In addition, we encourage patients who had their initial surgery at another facility to contact their surgeon about their concerns if at all possible, as most surgeons really do want to know if their patients are unhappy and would love the opportunity to help them.
The recovery varies depending on the patient– some patients report less discomfort compared to their original procedure, others more, and this also depends on the type of revision procedure that we would perform.
It’s important that Breast Revision surgery patients:
Possible complications of a breast lift include:
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