A breast revision is a procedure that aims to modify the results of a previous breast augmentation. It’s a personal choice that some patients make when they want to make small changes or correct a defect in an existing implant. Of course, the precise reasoning behind a patient’s decision to undergo breast revision surgery varies widely, but there are a few that are fairly common. So let’s look at why patients request breast revision.
Why Patients Request Breast Revision
To help you judge whether a breast revision is right for you, we’ve put together some of the most popular reasons for having a breast revision. If one of them seems to fit your situation, then you should contact your local board-certified plastic surgeon to ask about receiving a breast revision in Houston.
Fixing a Capsular Contraction
When you have a breast augmentation, your body quickly realizes that there’s something new in place. To protect the rest of the body from the implant, your body creates a shell of fibrous scar tissue around it. In most cases, this tissue is pretty flexible. This natural capsule helps to hold the implant in place, while allowing enough range of motion for you to be comfortable.
Unfortunately, there are some cases where the tissue capsule formed is far more rigid. It physically tightens around the implant, causing the patient discomfort and warping the shape of the implant. In many cases, the pressure causes the affected implant to sit much higher up on the chest. This is the condition known as capsular contracture, and it is one reason a person might decide to have a breast revision.
Adjusting Implant Size
Specialized bras can help you to see what a specific implant size will look like. But there’s no way to know what it’s like to live with them until you do. Plenty of patients go too big or not big enough and then realize that they aren’t getting everything they hoped for out of their initial procedure.
During a breast revision, your plastic surgeon can give you the implant size that is best suited to you. You may have found large implants too heavy or you may have realized that you wanted a little more of an augmentation than you got. Both are perfectly reasonable reasons to have a breast revision.
Changing Implant Type
There are many different types of implants used in breast augmentation surgeries. They come in different shapes, and they’re made of different materials. Each one provides a different look and feel. Now, during your initial breast augmentation you may feel that one implant type suits your needs, but that may change over time.
As time goes on, you might want a more natural look and feel or just the opposite. Exchanging saline for silicone implants is fairly common because silicone is generally lighter and more natural-looking. However, that doesn’t mean the natural look is for everyone. Swapping your implants for another shape or material is entirely dependent on personal taste.
Resolving a Possible Rupture
The risk of a rupture occurring is very low, but it can happen and the risk increases with time. As a result, many patients choose to have their implants replaced every ten years or so depending on their insurance coverage and the implant’s warranty.
When ruptures do occur, the silicone shell on the exterior of your implant begins to leak. This can cause pain and will likely cause the implant to appear deformed. In some cases a “silent rupture” occurs, and there are no symptoms. This is why the FDA recommends that breast augmentation patients undergo a MRI three years after the implants are placed.
Contact Us Today
Regardless of the reason behind your potential breast revision surgery, it is important that you go through the process with a surgeon you can trust. For plastic surgery in Houston, you can always go to Linville Plastic Surgery.
