Ask A Surgeon: Answers

Mine have dissipated and I believe I am back to my original size, I have reservations about how they grow into the tissue, so I don’t want to necessarily disturb that but want to increase the fullness lost as they are not under the muscle anymore, and one has ruptured.

Answers

Breast implant revisions surgery is one of the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures today. If you want more fullness with implants, you definitely want to remove your old implants. I know it may seem like you can just simply add more especially if you have old saline implants that have deflated, but while possible it is not a good idea because the old implant and it scar tissue or capsule can cause irritation or abnormal appearance on a mammogram just to name a couple of potential problems. The good news is that removing your old implants and replacing them with new larger implants can typically be done at the same time and is a very common procedure. You should have your specific situation accessed in person by a surgeon who routinely performs removal and replacement implant surgery since some cases are more complex than others. Ideally, try to find information about your old implants is you can to aid the surgeon who is evaluating you. It is not absolutely required to know this information but always helpful when planning revision surgery.

Sincerely, Angelo Cuzalina, MD

Hi and thank you for your interesting question. There are many questions I would like to ask before rendering an opinion but since I cannot, here goes. I would be interested in knowing the type of implants you currently have. Since one is deflated, I would assume they are saline. My recommendation would be to remove the implants for a few reasons, the most important being a continued lack of symmetry with one implant deflated. Adding implants to both sides would just add to the asymmetry and could cause other problems in the future. Secondly, the capsule around the old deflated shell will be contracted and will not accept a new implant so a new pocket will have to be created anyway. I would recommend the removal of the old implant and replacement then removal of the deflated implant and old capsule with replacement. If a lift or capsule alteration is needed it can be performed at the same time. See someone used to dealing with this type of problem as it can be challenging. Thank you again,

Jeff Swetnam, MD