Breast Implant Risks & Complications

Every surgery carries with it risks and complications and breast augmentation is no different. Breast augmentation is a cosmetic breast surgery procedure that increases the shape and size of the breasts. Whether it is because of naturally asymmetrical breasts, losing a breast to cancer or simply because a woman wants to acquire breasts of a shape and size that she desires breast augmentation provides the perfect solution. Breast augmentation requires surgery and is performed under anesthesia. Having an experienced and skilled board certified plastic surgeon drastically reduces the risk of infection and complicaton rate.

Breast Augmentation carries some
risks and they are as follows:

Deflation of the implants: Implants can become deflated and it is important to understand that most probably the implant will not last you a lifetime. Deflation of saline filled breast implants is usually noticeable as the implant will empty itself in a couple of hours. As the saline solution is similar in consistency as what occurs naturally in the human body there is no risk from the leakage but the implant would need to be taken out or replaced.

Capsular contracture: This condition is primarily due to the breast tissue growing around and onto the implant, thereby by contracting it. Usually a scar develops around the implant making it firm and often painful. This condition doesn’t really have a cause other than the natural action of the breast tissue growth. Also there is no way of ensuring that it will not occur again.

Implant displacement: The breast implants may move out of position. Fortunately this condition is fairly rare and occurs usually in women with rather large implants.

Interference with mammograms: Breast augmentation may interfere with mammograms, though the interference is lesser when the implant is placed under the muscle.

Loss of sensation in the nipple area: While this may occur soon after the breast augmentation it usually disappears with time. However numbness of the nipple area is a breast augmentation risk.

Infection: can be avoided by selecting a good surgeon in a regulated country. It is vital that you don’t compromise on the quality of the surgeon and post operative care by reducing the cost of breast augmentation. Any infection suspected by the patient must be reported to the surgeon and will most likely be treated by antibiotics.

Calcification: may occur around the implant and in case the woman is lactating, galactorrhea is also a breast augmentation complication.

Reaction to anesthesia: this could occur during any surgical procedure and should also be considered as a breast augmentation complication.

Breast tissue atrophy: is essentially the shrinking of breast tissue and can be caused due to the pressure of the breast implants.

Extrusion: is considered as a rare and extreme breast augmentation complication wherein the body rejects the implant as it would a thorn and attempts to expel it. The implant may be visible under the skin and would require to be removed.

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Authored by: Michael Pasquale