Breast augmentation surgery is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures to date. If you are one of the many women in the Baltimore area who is considering this procedure to achieve your ideal breast contour, there are some things you should be aware of before committing.
Before undergoing breast augmentation surgery, patients should be aware of the life expectancy of breast implants, and why they sometimes fail. Breast implants typically last around ten years before they need to be removed or replaced. However, they can last longer depending on the individual.
Over time, breast implants can weaken due to array of reasons, such as everyday wear and tear, fluctuations in weight, general aging, and traumas. It does not matter whether a patients chooses saline or silicone implants- both hold up similarly due to both having silicone exterior shells.
Patients should also be aware of the signs of a possible issue with their breast implants. Breast implants can rupture, which means that the implant can break open. With a saline implant, a rupture is obvious because the breast will deflate. With silicone implants, detecting a rupture is more difficult because the inner gel of the implant stays in place. Some signs of a silicone implant rupture are thickening or hardening of the tissue around the implant.
Rippling is another issue that can occur in slender women who have had implants placed over their chest muscle and under the mammary gland. Pressure can cause the implants to fold, which causes a rippling effect. Saline implants are more likely to ripple than silicone.
Capsular contracture is an additional potential side effect of breast implants. This is a response of your immune system when it detects a foreign object in the body. Scar tissue is created around the foreign object-in this case the breast implant- and squeezes it, sometimes causing it to rupture.
If you are experiencing any of these issues with your breast implants, contact your surgeon immediately, as these issues need to be addressed as soon as possible.
A consultation with Dr. Rosenberg can help determine the best plan of action for your breast augmentation surgery so that these unwanted breast implant side-effects are less likely to occur.
