SHOP NOWBreast Revision Surgery in Miami
Sometimes patients will need or want more than one set of breast implants placed throughout their lifetime. Breast Implant Revision Surgery refers to any secondary breast plastic surgery procedure. It could involve improving any changes that have occurred due to pregnancy and breast-feeding, increasing/decreasing the implant size, changing the type of implant, removing the implant altogether or correcting problems related to a previous surgery.
- Benefits of Breast Implant Revision Surgery
- Candidates For Breast Implant Revision Surgery
- Your Breast Implant Revision Surgery Consultation
- The Breast Implant Revision Procedure
- Breast Implant Revision Surgery Recovery
- Breast Implant Revision Results
- FAQs About Breast Implant Revision Surgery
Benefits of Breast Implant Revision Surgery
There are many benefits of Breast Implant Revision Surgery including:
- Increased satisfaction with appearance of the breasts
- Improved breast shape and/or size
- Correct a suboptimal outcome from a prior breast augmentation
- The ability to correct capsular contracture and/or symmastia
- Changing the style of implant (saline vs silicone)
- The ability to treat a ruptured implant
- Repositioning breast implants or breast pockets to correct migration issues
Candidates For Breast Implant Revision Surgery
Because a breast revision requires more skill than an initial breast augmentation surgery does, it is vital that individuals who are considering a breast revision contact an experienced board certified plastic surgeon like Dr. Tal Roudner. A leader in breast surgeries, including breast augmentation, breast reduction, breast implant removal, breast lift as well as breast reconstruction, Dr. Roudner brings compassionate care to the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery in Miami, Florida. He will make sure that you are always comfortable and confident in your decision and will make your surgical experience as easy as possible.
Good candidates for this surgical procedure are typically those who are experiencing any of the following:
- Deflating saline implants
- Leaking silicone shells
- Tightening scar tissue (capsular contracture)
- Malposition of the implants (lateral, medial or inferior displacement)
- Correction of “double bubble” (overly aggressive release of the infra-mammary fold resulting in inferior displacement of the implant)
- Changing in elasticity of the breast tissues due to weight loss or gain requiring breast lifting
Your Breast Implant Revision Surgery Consultation
Dr. Tal Roudner offers consultations for all patients looking to undergo breast revision surgery. When you call our Miami clinic for an appointment, you will be scheduled for an initial consultation to meet with Dr. Roudner to discuss your expectations for your breast revision. What changes are you hoping to see? Do you want the size of your breasts to change? Are you more concerned about their shape? Dr. Roudner is known for being thorough and taking the time needed to answer any and all questions you may have regarding your surgery. If another doctor originally placed your implants, it will be helpful if Dr. Roudner can have access to those medical records. You can sign a release so that he can speak with your previous surgeon. When your questions are answered and you are ready, your surgery will be scheduled. Once your surgery is scheduled, be prepared to discuss your options for anesthesia and where your surgery will be performed. We perform many surgeries here at our Miami clinic, but in some cases, your breast revision may need to be done at a local Miami hospital.
The Breast Implant Revision Procedure
Breast augmentation revision is performed under general anesthesia. Because breast revision is a surgery that is used to address a number of different problems, there are a variety of different methods that could be used in your surgery. In some cases such as implant replacement or scar tissue removal, Dr. Roudner may be able to make the incision along the scars from your previous surgery. If your breast revision includes repositioning, which may be required if one breast is lower than the other or otherwise asymmetrical, manipulation of the previous pocket or creation of a new pocket maybe needed and possible use of acellular dermal matrix or a surgical scaffold, in some cases a breast lift incision may be necessary. This may also be needed if the areola and nipple need to be repositioned. Depending on the case, the incision may be concentric around the areola, around the areola and in a straight line from the areola to the underside of the breast or when even more elevation and removal of access lax skin is necessary, you will also have another incision horizontally along the underside of the breast. Following the incision, Dr. Roudner will reposition your tissue and change out your implants as needed. Once the revision is complete, your incisions will be closed with sutures, and your breasts will be dressed appropriately.
Breast Implant Revision Surgery Recovery
Most people can be up and walking a few hours following their revision surgery. You will be scheduled for a follow-up appointment a few days after your surgery so that Dr. Roudner can check your incisions and make sure that you are healing properly. It’s important to keep this appointment to avoid any potential complications. Follow Dr. Roudner’s specific directions about keeping your incisions clean, changing your dressings and returning to regular activities. You will also be prescribed medications to help control discomfort and swelling. Make sure that you take these medications exactly as directed.
If you have any questions or concerns about your surgery or your healing in the weeks following your revision, don’t hesitate to contact our Miami office.
Breast Implant Revision Results
Final results of Breast Implant Revision Surgery will initially be obscured by swelling. While typically it takes around six weeks for swelling to subside and breasts to feel natural, in some instances, it can take up to one year for breasts to soften and feel “normal” again. While Dr. Rounder expects good results, it may not be possible to achieve your desired results with one procedure. However, for a successful outcome, it’s critical that you follow Dr. Rounder’s instructions.
FAQs About Breast Implant Revision Surgery
What are the most common reasons people seek Breast Implant Revision Surgery?
- Culpability Of The Implants
The three major implant manufacturers in the United States are Sientra, Allergan and Mentor. All three of these manufacturers offer some kind of warranty to patients. - Capsular Contracture (Hardening Of The Implant)
For some patients, excess scar tissue causes discomfort, firmness and visible distortion of the breast. In these instances, a breast revision generally includes an open capsulectomy. This procedure removes the entire capsule that surrounds the implant. Oftentimes, the removal of the capsule makes the breast feel softer, lessens visible distortion and decreases the patient’s discomfort. - Capsulorrhaphy
One of the more common breast revision surgeries performed in Miami is the capsulorrhaphy procedure or pocket correction. Internal sutures are used to close the part of the pocket that is causing the implant to be displaced. - Neo-submuscular Pocket
At times, when the breast implant pocket does not accommodate the original or the replacement implant properly, a new pocket is created above or below the old breast pocket. The new pocket can correct issues such as capsular contracture, malposition of the implants, rippling, etc. - Rippling
Rippling may develop when the tissue covering the implant thins. Patients may be able to feel and see this rippling through their skin. In a case such as this, a breast revision in Miami may entail a patient exchanging implants from saline to silicone implants, or changing from one form of silicone to a more cohesive silicone gel. Other methods include injecting the patients own fat to the thinning areas or adding an acellular dermal matrix (ADM) such as strattice, alloderm etc. to the internal capsule to add thickness. - Silicone Gel Implant Rupture
Implant rupture is another reason patients choose to have a breast revision in Miami. When a silicone gel implant fails or ruptures, the gel remains contained within the capsule. Very little changes may occur in the look and the feel of the breast itself, because of this, confirming that a silicone gel implant has ruptured may require the patient to have an MRI or ultrasound. - Saline Implant Deflation
Unlike when a silicone gel implant ruptures, if a saline implant deflates, the breast’s size or shape usually changes. These changes occur because the body is absorbing the saline that has leaked from the implant. While saline is harmless to the body, if you have saline implants and notice changes, contact Dr. Roudner’s Miami office. Ideally, you should have a breast revision performed within a few weeks of noticing these changes. If you wait any longer, you may need a more extensive breast revision procedure in order to reopen the pocket. - Double Bubble (Elevated Implant Deformity)
When a patient experiences a “double bubble”, the implants have dropped below the patient’s anatomical inframammary fold (IMF). To fix this, a breast revision usually involves an open capsulotomy or capsulectomy with the release or removal of scar tissue, repositioning of the implant, exchanging the implants if needed, recreating the original IMF (usually violated during the original surgery to accommodate a large implant) and at times formal mastopexy, which includes addressing the laxity of the skin along the vertical and inframammary plane. - Bottoming Out
The term bottoming out refers to the fact that the implants are too low in the chest placing the nipple too high. This issue is generally seen in patients who are thin because they have very little tissue and skin to support the weight of the implants. The weight of the implants causes those tissues to stretch leading to the malposition of the implants. Either implants used (silicone gel or saline) can cause the bottoming out. However, this issue does occur more often when an implant is placed above the muscle. Breast revision surgery to correct bottoming out involves rolling up the scar tissue that is at the base of the pocket, capsulorrhaphy, use of ADM or creating a neo-pocket. These procedures are meant to give structural support to the inferior pole of the breast and support the IMF.
What are the risks of Breast Implant Revision Surgery?
Dr. Rounder will discuss all risks and possible complications associated with Breast Implant Revision Surgery prior to scheduling your surgery. As with any surgery, Breast Implant Revision includes anesthesia risks.2 Additional risks include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Infection
- Bleeding
- Prolonged swelling
- Poor wound healing
- Hematoma or seroma
- Skin discoloration
- Asymmetry
- Unfavorable scarring
- Changes in skin sensation, such as numbness or tingling
- Skin necrosis
- Cardiac and pulmonary complications, such as Deep vein thrombosis
Considering Breast Implant Revision Surgery?
If you are interested in Breast Implant Revision Surgery, contact Dr. Roudner’s Miami office today. He and his staff are dedicated to providing their patients with the highest standard of care possible.
1 American Society of Plastic Surgeons. What results should I expect after breast implant revision? Available at: https://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/breast-implant-revision/results. Accessed October 7, 2020.
2 American Society of Plastic Surgeons. What are the risks of breast implant revision? Available at: https://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/breast-implant-revision/safety. Accessed October 6, 2020.
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Dr. Tal Roudner has either authored or reviewed and approved the content on this website.
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