There are many options available to women seeking breast revision, and just as many reasons why they choose this type of surgery. Sometimes, it’s a matter of preference: A patient who has had breast augmentation may not like the look or feel of her implants, or the goals she was hoping to achieve may not have been achieved. In other cases, the original surgery may have been disappointing or resulted in serious side effects.

Repair and Replacement

Breast revision becomes a must in cases where the implants have lost their integrity, have become misaligned, or have caused morphological changes in the surrounding tissue. Serious conditions include:

Capsular contracture, which develops when scar tissue forms around an implant. With this condition, you may initially notice a hardening of the breast tissue. A visual change in the breast and even the sensation of pain indicates a worsening contracture. This type of scarring can also cause an implant to rupture.

Synmastia, where implant migration or improper positioning makes it appear that the breasts are joined together in the middle of the chest or that they fall to one side of the chest.

Breasts that look asymmetrical – this can be caused by improper implant positioning and was immediately apparent after surgery. It can also be the result of implants that were placed correctly but have moved from their original location.

Implants that have ruptured or whose outlines are visible or palpable. In some cases, this will give the skin a “waved” appearance.

Breast and implant revision is also appropriate for women who decide that the implants did not meet their aesthetic expectations or feel that the results are less natural than they had hoped.

When the implants are removed, the pocket that held the implant must be refilled with natural tissue to restore a pleasing aesthetic profile. This involves a procedure similar to a breast lift. When large implants are removed, the skin may appear stretched; in addition, the breasts may appear droopy or have a deflated appearance.

Some women decide that saline implants feel less natural than they expected and opt for surgery to replace the saline implants with a silicone gel variety. Other women may have health or safety concerns about silicone gel implants and choose fat grafting for their breast revision procedure. If you choose smaller implants, the area around the new implant will need to be tightened and the skin will need to be lifted.

If you would like to learn more about breast implant replacement surgery, you can call us, or fill out the form and we will contact you.