Many women seek breast- revision surgery for different reasons. Some can be implant-related and some are from natural changes that occur in the breast, due to childbirth and breast feeding or weight gain or weight loss. More commonly, breast revision surgery is needed to help create better results from a previous breast augmentation surgery. The goal of breast revision surgery is to place an implant to achieve a new shape, positioning or size of the breast to satisfy the patient’s vision.
Who are good candidates?
Women who might be a good candidate for breast revision surgery have lost saline in their implant causing the implant to deflate and their breasts to become uneven. Sometimes women are unhappy with their saline implants and want to switch to silicone implants. Women whose breasts have shifted or changed shape because of weight gain/loss are also good candidates. A woman who has a leak in their implant or desires to change the size of their breasts or implants would also make a good candidate. Women who want to get rid of their implants completely will also need a breast revision surgery.
What are some challenges of breast revision surgery?
There are two main challenges when it comes to breast revision surgery. The first is that many times a breast revision surgery comes as a secondary surgery and the presence of scar tissue makes it hard to predict a good result. Secondly, because the revision in many times is needed to fix a problem that may have occurred from a previous surgery, unrealistic expectations might be made and are hard to achieve. With that being said, efficient surgeon-patient communication can ensure the patient understands the benefits and risks and has realistic expectations.
What happens during breast revision surgery?
What happens during breast revision surgery is dependent on the type of surgery a patient receives. Commonly a breast revision surgery involves swapping out old implants for new ones. During surgery a surgeon many release scar tissue, change the location of the implant or change the shape pocket of where the implant sits. Lowering implants is easier than raising them, as is moving implants to the outside is easier than moving them to the inside. The incision of the new implant depends on the surgeon’s preference with many surgeons favoring the peri-areolar approach.
It’s understandable that having a breast revision surgery to fix a previous surgery can be an overwhelming process. By setting up a consultation with the doctor’s office, a woman will be aware of both the benefits and risks of the surgery so they can decide if it will be right for them.
