Why Do Patients Choose Breast Revision Surgery?

A reality of life is that time always marches on—and with that passage of time comes changes. This is true even for patients who have had breast augmentation! Although implants are sturdy and stable, they are not meant to be lifetime devices. This fact—as well as other factors—can prompt some people to consider something known as breast revision surgery. New Jersey’s Dr. Mohit Sood, a plastic surgeon at Sood Center, explains that there are many reasons a patient may want to do something about their implants.

“Everything from physical complications to new aesthetic preferences can prompt a person to consider breast revision surgery,” Dr. Sood explains. “Plastic surgeons work directly with patients who are dissatisfied with their current implants to determine what is wrong, as well as the best path forward. Oftentimes, old implants can be removed and new implants can be inserted to improve patient satisfaction.”

Read on to learn more about why patients may choose breast revision surgery:

Changes to the Implant

The implants used in breast augmentation today are highly researched, long-employed devices that have been developed, studied, and designed to provide beautiful benefits with minimal risk. That said, there are still problems that can develop for some patients. Saline implants that rupture will rapidly leak their sterile fluid into the surrounding tissue, resulting in a noticeable deflation. Silicone implants that rupturewill not cause as noticeable a change, but should still be addressed.

Breast revision surgery can involve removing a damaged or deflated implant and putting a new, intact implant in its place. This has both cosmetic and functional benefits for the patient.

Changes to the Body

One particular potential side effect of breast augmentation surgery is capsular contracture. This occurs when the capsule made of scar tissue around the implant begins to contract, squeezing the implant itself. The pressure can cause the implant to squish out of shape, leading to a change in the look of the breast. This condition can also cause discomfort for the patient.

Removing the implant and capsule as part of a breast revision surgery can relieve the discomfort, as well as restore a more natural look to the breast after the insertion of a fresh implant.

Changes to Aesthetic Preference

Sometimes, patient simply don’t like the look of their implants anymore. Maybe obviously large breasts were once appealing, but a more modest size is now the preference. The opposite may also be true, with patients who opted for smaller devices now wanting to get a bigger boost in volume.

Removing one size, shape, or type of implant to put in implants of a different size, shape, or type is a common reason for breast revision surgery. Plastic surgeons regularly work with patients who know what they want—even if it isn’t what they wanted some years back.

Other Reasons

Unfortunately, some plastic surgeons are not as qualified or talented as others when it comes to breast augmentation, which can lead to undesirable results. Patients who are not happy with how their breast augmentation turned out can come to a more experienced and qualified plastic surgeon for breast revision surgery in order to enjoy a more natural-looking, symmetrical, and overall pleasing result.

It should be noted that, as opposed to breast revision, there are patients who choose to have unwanted implants removed altogether. The resulting change in volume can result in sagging, since stretched-out ligaments and skin may no longer be able to retract. In this case, a breast lift may be recommended.

No matter what the reason or the specifics of the procedure chosen, a plastic surgeons goal is always to safely help patients achieve the look they want.

For more information about breast revision surgery—as well as breast augmentations and breast lifts—call Sood Center at 856.403.9686 in Haddonfield or 609.904.5390 in Linwood. You can also send a message online.