Like all surgery, implant surgery has some risks. Many of these risks are the same as the risks for mastectomy. However, there are some risks that are unique to implant reconstruction. Scars: No matter which type of surgery you decide to have, you will have scars in the breast area.
What is capsular contracture and how can it be treated?
How To Properly Massage Your Breast Implants - Cosmetic Surgery of New York
After breast augmentation surgery, your immune system will respond to the foreign materials inserted into your chest. The capsule is made from interwoven collagen fibers, or scar tissue. This tightening can squeeze the implant, making it feel hard and painful to touch. To help prevent this from happening, your plastic surgeon will likely recommend that you perform a daily breast massage in the first few months after your surgery. Massage can help prevent the capsule from hardening, but it may not stop the process completely.
Removing Hardened Scar Tissue From a Breast Implant
A breast should be soft, flexible, and drape naturally, even if it is a reconstructed breast that was surgically created after a mastectomy. If you have saline or silicone breast implants , capsular contracture can cause your reconstructed breast to shift, change shape, or feel quite hard. If this happens in your case, you can get treatment to correct the problem.
Capsular contracture seems to be the outcome of prolonged inflammation. It is believed that the inflammation underlying most capsular contractures is caused by bacteria stuck to the surface of the implant. These bacteria do not cause a infection per se, but linger on the surface of the implant. The result of this longterm battle is the build up of this scar tissue. Where do these bacteria come from?