3 Reasons Why You Might Need to Exchange Your Breast Implants

Posted April 06, 2020 in Breast Implant

3 Min Read:

Have your breast implants developed a complication? Are you unhappy with the size of them? Do they no longer fit your lifestyle?

When going into breast augmentation, it is unlikely that breast revision ever crossed your mind. Unfortunately, this is something that some women with breast implants eventually face. Whether your implants have reached the end of their lifespan or you are no longer satisfied with their aesthetics, breast revision surgery can restore the look, feel, and comfort to your augmented or (if you choose to remove your implants permanently) natural breasts.

There are several reasons a woman would decide to exchange her implants, ranging from being unhappy with the shape or size of the breast or developing problems like capsular contracture.

1. Have Your Breast Implants Developed Capsular Contracture?

After having breast augmentation, it is natural for scar tissue to develop (as it does around all foreign objects in the body). Most of the time, this scar tissue never becomes a problem. It stays where it should, it maintains its softness, and it generally remains unnoticed.

Unfortunately, this scar tissue can occasionally create a problem that requires surgical repair. Capsular contracture is the most common implant complication that women experience after breast augmentation. This occurs when the scar tissue hardens and tightens around the implant, leading to pain and aesthetic distortion.

To prevent additional damage, capsular contracture needs to be corrected with surgery. Your surgeon will remove the tissue capsule (with the implant) and exchange the old implant with a new one.

2. Do You Want to Change the Size of Your Breast Implants?

During the 1990s, it was fashionable to have huge breasts (think Pamela Anderson), and many women selected overly large implants when they were young that they later regretted.

Alternatively, other women take a more conservative approach during their consultation, and later wished they had picked an implant that would reveal a more dramatic change.

It is very common for women to have their breast implants swapped because they are not happy with the size or shape of their breasts.

Breast implant exchange allows the plastic surgeon to remove your old breast implants and replace them with new ones that fit your size requirements. This technique also allows women to remove their implants altogether.

3. Are Your Implants Leaking?

If your breast implant ruptures (or leaks), you will need to have it replaced as soon as possible. Sometimes breast implants rupture after a traumatic injury (such as a car accident or a nasty fall); other times, they are damaged by the surgical tools when they are initially inserted.

Whether the reason for your rupture was damage or just the end of the implant’s lifespan, ruptured or leaking implants must be removed. If you have saline implants, the body absorbs the liquid quickly, meaning that you will experience aesthetic distortion soon after the rupture. If you have silicone implants, the silicone may eventually travel out of the implant shell, into the breast pocket.

Imaging of the breast (with MRIs or ultrasounds) assesses the damage and allows your surgeon to see if the implant needs to be replaced.

Are You Searching for a Breast Implant Specialist?

If you are having problems with your breast implants or decide that you are not happy with their appearance, don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Todd B. Koch by calling (716) 631-1220 or by filling out our online contact form. Dr. Koch is a board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in breast surgery in Williamsville, New York.