Breast Implant Revision

It’s not uncommon for women who previously underwent breast implant surgery to require a revisional procedure. Although it can be frustrating to need to go through surgery again, Dr. Dastoury and our team at Modern Surgical Arts can help ensure your procedure achieves the results you want.

What is Breast Implant Revision?

Breast implant revision is a procedure that improves the results of a previous breast augmentation. There are many reasons that women undergo revision, such as poor cosmetic results, surgical complications, new implant technologies, and much more. Some women opt for breast implant revision simply because they changed their minds about their primary augmentation. Your reasons for undergoing breast implant revision are valid, and our team is here to help you restore your confidence.

In summary, the following breaks down a few reasons why patients have to change their implants vs elective desire to do so.

Necessary reasons:

1. Implant leak or deflation
2. Capsular contraction (rejection)
3. Breast implant related symptoms
4. ALCL (anaplastic large cell lymphoma) related to textured implants
5. Shifts of the implants (lateral displacement)  or bottoming out of implants

Elective reasons:

1. Down size due to Implants looking too large
2. Desired Increase in size
3. Upgrade to new generation silicone implant (Gummy or Cohesive)
4. Switch Saline implants for silicone implants
5. Implant removal completely

Types of Breast Implant Revision

Breast implant revision encompasses a few different techniques and goals. These include:

Breast Explant Surgery

Some patients do not have the desire to carry these medical devices (implants) after several years of use and would like to have functional relief by having them removed. Breast implants are also devices that need to have surveillance for failure and will ultimately need to be changed at some point, thus having the removed is definitive treatment for patients who have had multiple revisions. Breast implant removal, or breast explant, is where the implants are removed completely, along with their nearby scar tissue. This is often sought out by women who want to return to their natural breasts. During surgery, the implants are removed, and the natural breast tissue is repositioned to fill out the breast.

Breast Explant Surgery with Lift

Breast explant with lift is a combined procedure that includes a breast lift. This helps lift the remaining breast tissue into a higher, more upright position on the chest wall if the implants have caused it to droop or sag.

Breast Implant Exchange

Breast implant exchange involves removing the previous implants and replacing them with new implants. These may be the same as the previous implants, or they may involve a different type, size, or placement.

Breast Implant Exchange with Lift

Breast implant exchange with lift involves exchanging the breast implants and then performing a breast lift procedure to restore sagging or stretched skin, as well as downward-pointing nipples.

Who is a Candidate for Breast Implant Revision?

Candidates for breast implant revision are women who have previously undergone breast augmentation, whether at Modern Surgical Arts or elsewhere. Much of the same candidacy applies as your original breast augmentation procedure – you should be in overall good health and not pregnant or nursing. During a consultation, we’ll review the details of your original procedure and health history to determine if you’re a good candidate.

The Breast Implant Revision Procedure

Breast implant revision can take many forms, and Dr. Dastoury will give you a complete surgical plan during your consultation and pre-surgical appointments. Like breast augmentation, breast implant revision is performed under general anesthesia. After surgery, you’ll return home for your recovery.

Breast Implant Revision Results and Recovery

You’ll be given many of the same aftercare steps as your initial breast augmentation, including wearing a supportive bra and remaining elevated. Recovery generally takes 1-2 weeks of dedicated downtime, and Dr. Dastoury will give you the best estimate of when you can return to work and your daily activities. Over the following months, your implants will settle into their final appearance, and you can begin to enjoy your results. The recovery for implant revision is significantly better than initial implant placement as there is an existing space and pocket in the area to adapt to the new implants.

Schedule a Consultation

To learn more about breast implant revision at Modern Surgical Arts of Denver, contact our Highlands Ranch, CO office today by calling or filling out our online form.