Breast Implants: After Your Surgery

Breast implants continue to maintain their position in the top five cosmetic procedures done annually in the United States. If you're like most women who are considering breast implants, you have probably already considered your options regarding type and size of implant you want to go to. You may even be one of those women who go into every depth and detail of anything you undertake and looked at the types of incisions your doctor can make and the pros and cons to each type as well as where to actually place the implant.

Once you have established all of that, the only thing left to really worry about is what could go wrong. Things do occasionally go wrong with any surgery, and most consumers focus more on what they will look like and not what could happen. For the few women out there who worry about details – the bad as well as the good – it's time to examine what could go wrong with your breast implants.

One possible problem you may encounter is your implant being deflated or rupturing. If you have saline implants you will likely realize you have a rupture quickly as your breast deflates in size. If you have gel implants, the rupture may be less obvious, since the gel can take a long time to escape the implant shell and won't be noticeable for awhile. Ruptures can occur for a wide variety of reasons including damage during surgery, overfilling saline implants, or trauma from a medical procedure such as an MRI or an accident that places pressure on the implant.

Scar tissue can form around the implant and cause the implant to be squeezed. This can cause pain or mild discomfort and distort the shape of the implant. This would require surgery to remove the scar tissue and possibly replace the implant. However, this may be a reoccurring issue that will require further surgeries to correct.

If you plan to breastfeed, you may encounter difficulty depending upon where the incision was made to insert your implant and where your surgeon places the implant itself. If your nipple area is used for the incision, it may interfere with your milk ducts and you won't be able to breast feed. If this is a potential future concern, be sure to let your plastic surgeon know so you can evaluate the risk factors in more depth.

Finally, there is the risk of infection, which if left untreated can lead to bigger health issues. One such issue is toxic shock syndrome, a relatively rare occurrence, but still a distinct possibility. Most patients who experience an infection respond well to antibiotics, but if they fail to work, it may be necessary to remove the implant until the infection clears itself up.

Despite the possible risk, these are usually rare occurrences and simply things you should be aware of to ensure you are an informed consumer before a breast augmentation. Being informed of any possible risks will allow you to be mentally prepared to deal with them, and should not be a source for anxiety.