The risks of breast implant and uplift surgery
Infections may occur but usually the antibiotics which are given during and after the surgery greatly minimize the risk of infections.
Bleeding or heamatoma is a collection of blood which can accumulate around the implant. If this is excessive it will require a return to the operating room in the first few hours after surgery. It is important to avoid aspirin and non-steroidal medication before and after the surgery since these medications increase the risk of bleeding.
Some delayed healing of the wounds can occur. Since the implant causes a degree of tension on the suture lines delayed wound healing may occur more frequently. In minor cases a small opening or a persistent scab on the stitch line will heal spontaneously. In rare cases if there is an area of skin necrosis it will require more specialized dressings to ensure full healing. Mr Chana has an expert team of Plastic Surgery trained nurses who will attend to all of these issues under his direction.
Some degree of sensory disturbance is inevitable and most noticeable is the nipple losing its sensation. This may or may not recover and it is not uncommon to experience permanent numbness of the nipple.
Since the nipple needs to be relocated to a higher position there is a risk to the blood supply to the nipple which may be accentuated by the tension of an underlying implant. This is called nipple necrosis and although extremely rare may result in loss of the nipple. Patients who are undergoing breast implant replacement with previous large implants combined with an uplift are at higher risk of this complication.
Although implant positioning is very accurate during the surgery, in some situations implants may move or become displaced from the original position. This can result in an implant malposition or asymmetry which requires further adjustment. With combination breast implant-uplift surgery such situations occur more frequently resulting in approximately 10% to 15% of patients requiring an adjustment or revision.
The breast implants will not be permanent and replacement will be required in the future. In general implants last approximately 10 years although it is quite common to see individuals up to 15 years with no problems. There is no hard and fast rule to change implants at 10 years especially if there is no problems. However, it is recommended that in the long term a clinical review with an MRI scan be undertaken every three years.
The main issues resulting in implant replacement are capsular contracture and breast implant ruptures.
A capsular contracture is the hardening of implants which occurs due to the thickening of the capsule which develops around all implants. There is some evidence that this risk is slightly more common in individuals who undergo breast implants in combination with a breast lift.
Breast implant ruptures are a rare event in the early years during the lifespan of breast implants. However, long term there is a risk of disruption of the shell of an implant through wear and tear. The silicone inside the implant is in the form of a cohesive gel which means any disruption of the implant tends to be confined to the inside of the capsule surrounding the implant. It is important however to have MRI scans in the long term to monitor the integrity of implants.
The silicone used in breast implants is safe and does not cause breast cancer. However, a relatively new development is the finding of a very rare form of lymphoma called ALCL. This is associated with textured breast implants and from the information currently available it occurs in 1 in 24000 patients with breast implants. Mr Chana will carefully discuss the various breast implant choices available during the consultation. You can read more about ALCL in the related page on smooth versus textured implants.