Breast Augmentation Complications & Breast Implant Removal FAQ

[historyaboutsurjery]

20. I have lumps and wrinkles all on the sides (and/or tops) of my breasts - what causes this and does this go away?

There is a chance of rippling (indentations from the implant resembling the edges of a blow-up pool toy, or a scallop) being apparent, especially when one has no breast tissue and chooses to go OVER the muscle. Even when there is significant tissue, it is possible that the implant can shift and make an indentation which shows and can be felt through the skin.

Does it go away? Usually not. Many woman who do prefer silicone gel-filled implants choose to get them, even changing from saline to silicone filled, to correct their wrinkling problems. This is an option that many women feel has corrected their rippling problems.

Silicone high profile breast implants have less wrinkling, increased projection and need less volume to reach the same size as a standard implant in patients with less lateral breast mass, so you may want to ask about this implant. They are narrower at the base and are ideal for smaller diameter ribcages.

Also some women choose to go completely under (full submuscular) with the help of the serratus muscles and rectus abdominus fascia as well as the pectoralis major to help cover the implants.

Overfill may also be your cure or even your culprit. Many surgeons do not fill to the optimal volume for a specific size implant or may fill the implant up too much, both can result in rippling.

[historyaboutsurjery]

21. Is it true the replacement of implants is fairly minor?

For removal and replacement of smooth, saline implants, yes. The major part of the original operation is the creation of the pocket. when the replacement is needed, the pocket is still there, so all that is needed is to open the pocket, take the old implant out and put in a new one.

If it is a silicone filled implant, the removal of silicone can take quite a while if it has poured out into the pocket. Most surgeons report that replacing or otherwise removing a ruptured silicone gel/oil filled implant is quite a job to fully remove free silicone.

[historyaboutsurjery]

22. I have been feeling very fatigued and under the weather lately, are my implants making me sick?

This is very normal. Your body has recently been through a trauma and is trying to heal. Even though it was a planned trauma, you still need time to heal, and sleep will help you best.

This may also be a normal bout of post-surgical depression

[historyaboutsurjery]

23. I have heard of fungus growing in the saline of a saline filled implant, is this true and can it cause an infection?

At best this is an extremely rare occurring incident. There are no certified reports an implant removed having any cloudiness, green slime or blood floating around within it that is or ever was sustaining a fungal form. It is theorized that either contamination of the saline pre-operatively or the permeation by the body's serum (The watery portion of an animal fluid remaining after coagulation; containing protein, globulin and antibodies, etc.) post-operatively is the culprit for any cloudiness or substances other than saline being present in an intact mammary prosthesis.

Now, according to scientific fact that osmosis is a naturally occurring phenomenon where water molecules permeate through a substance regularly. By definition...

osmosis: First appeared 1867 -- 1) movement of a solvent through a semi-permeable membrane (as of a living cell) into a solution of higher solute concentration that tends to equalize the concentrations of solute on the two sides of the membrane (Merriam-Webster)

With osmosis, a water molecule in the implant will leach out through the elastomer shell as long as one water molecule from your body takes its place. The salt content will stay the same as its size is too large to pass through the elastomer. The only thing that flows in and out of the implant is fresh water. Remember, osmosis is the act of an equal exchange. The volume never changes. The molecules themselves are to be considered "fresh water" during the act of osmosis as the salt particle is too large to permeate. Implant filler (saline) volume has been tested with no variances in the content of an intact mammary implant after removal.

Reverse osmosis is used to get fresh water from salinated water for drinking or other forms of usage. With industrial reverse osmosis, the salt water is literally forced through a semi permeable membrane to press fresh water through to the other side. Yet with implants, BOTH sides contain salinated water and since the salt exchange never occurs only the fresh water is equally exchanged. In other words, you will always have the same volume of water that is constantly being refreshed and same salt content that was put in the day of implantation, as long as the implant is not defective and is whole.

It must be said that some believe that bacteria can not grow within an intact implant without oxygen and sustenance. Unfortunately, bacteria can, in fact, grow in a closed container environment living off of the emissions of decomposing bacteria and their fecal matter for quite some time. The oxygen content of the saline is not non-existent and it should be realized that the bacterium can survive on such a small amount anyway because of their size and oxygen intake requirements.

Although the bacteria can grow within an implant, it did not all of a sudden appear within an implant from intrusion from your body. Fungus, mold spore, bacteria and viruses are, in fact, too large to permeate an intact implant. The only things passing in and out if the implant are water molecules. If fungus, living or dead, is found within an implant, it is more than likely from prior contamination of the saline at implantation.

In conclusion, there are no known certified medical reports of sicknesses solely resulting from any opportunistic viral, fungal, parasitic or bacterial pathogens growing in a contaminated mammary prosthesis.

[annabell]

24. I have heard that the silicone shell of a saline implant can cause silicone toxicity or silicosis, is this true?

This has never been proven. This subject is very controversial at best and there are many scare tactics used by anti-breast augmentation advocates and this may be one of them. There are no certifiable cases of silicone toxicity caused directly and solely from the silicone shell or gel/oil of a prosthetic mammary implant, it is still unproven, either way. All implants (with the exception of polypropylene strings) are silicone shelled. Surgeons would not be placing breast implants in their loved ones if they thought they were a threat to one's health.

On the subject of silicosis. You may have heard a lot of anti-implant websites state that their patrons have silicosis from the silica in silicone breast implants. This is what silicosis is technically and medically...

From "Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene" (Fourth Edition): Silica

"The term silicon dioxide usually refers to amorphous silica (noncrystalline), crystallized silica such as sand (quartz), and silicates such as clay (aluminum silicate). Only the crystalline (free silica) material found in quartz, tridymite, cristobalite, and a few other non-silicate materials cause silicosis."

"Silicosis is a lung disease caused by the inhalation of free silica particulates. The risk of silicosis is present in industries and occupation where the crystalline form of the free silica particulates is found, as in foundries, glass manufacturing facilities, granite-cutting operations, and mining and tunneling sites in quartz rock."

"Pnuemoconiosis comes from the Greek word for dusty lung."

"Silicosis is caused by the crystalline, not the amorphous, form of silica. Additionally, the silica must be introduced via the inhalation route. QED. As a historical aside, it was not uncommon for women of mining areas of Carpathia to have multiple husbands (6+), since the husbands usually worked in the high silica-bearing mines of the region, rapidly developed silicosis and died young."

In conclusion this means that the amorphous silica in silicone elastomer must selectively detach itself out of its solid form and must somehow miraculously transform in a crystalline form and then incredibly travel through the chest wall and lungs and specifically plant itself on the alveoli of the lungs. Which translates into = impossible.

And for the record, sand is made from silica and if you were to inhale sand during a sandstorm in the middle of the Mojave desert - you still couldn't get silicosis. The particulate size is still too large. In fact, read below:

Robbins & Cotrans Pathologic Basis of Disease:
"It is estimated that a man may work for his entire life in an environment containing 5 x 10 to the 6th particles of quartz (silica) per cubic foot of air without developing silicosis..."

This does not mean I do not feel that patients who have implants are faking their illnesses. I do believe that persons who are prone to lupus (In other words their lupus is dormant) can be triggered by an implant of any kind, an operation of any kind, a car accident, stress, a high grade fever or infection. This has been apparent in subjects who don't even have breast implants. One case in particular was of a small boy who had appendix removal surgery. A few months later he developed extreme behavioral problems. The problems were a direct result of the lupus which was beginning to affect his brain. The doctors believe the lupus was dormant and triggered by the operation.

Case after case of lupus being triggered by high levels of stress, sicknesses, and operations, as well as any type of surgery, has been well-documented. None which involved breast implants. This has documented by the European Lupus Erythematosus Federation, Lupus Foundation of America, Inc. and Lupus Canada. However, this does not mean silicone breast implants cause silicosis Sorry, but they chose the wrong word to describe it.

[annabell]

25. Will I have stretch marks? How can I keep this from happening?

An individual's elasticity varies. Some patients develop stretch marks from growth spurts during puberty, muscle tissue gain from weight lifting and pregnancy. Some individuals never develop stretch marks and still others are very prone to them. There is still no successful treatment for the removal of stretch marks. Some swear by Shea nut butter, others, olive oil. Some swear by Retin A as a solution to the red lines that may develop in the early stages of stretch mark formation. It must be said that applying topical Vitamin E may have been the advice of yesteryear but according to new dermatological studies, topical Vitamin E can cause contact dermatitis and exacerbate scar appearance in some patients. Incidentally, Vitamin E oil is sometimes instructed not to be taken orally 3 weeks prior to any surgery nor 3 weeks afterwards. Then again some surgeons advise it a week to 2 weeks post op with the addition of manual compression exercises beginning immediately to prohibit capsular contracture (CC). And still others advise against over 140 i.u of vitamin E a day. As I have said before different surgeons will have different ideas.

The stretch marks are caused by an abrupt expansion of the tissues. When the expansion is very gradual stretch marks are practically non existent. I can only suggest massaging Shea Nut butter (if you are not allergic to nut oils) and lotions into the tissue beforehand and after until your skin is no longer tight feeling. But still ask your surgeon before doing anything other than what he or she instructs. There is no guarantee that stretch marks will not develop but medical science has faith that a proven method of removal will be discovered, eventually.

[sacback]

My question is if your implant deflats wouldn't you get sick?

[illuseesion]

I actually heard of people dying from their breast busting. I mean they might of been myths but at the same time, I don't find it hard to believe either.

[chris1203]

I'm sorry, but I don't think ANY of these possible complications are worth having breat augmentation done. At least, I would be very fearful.

[SageMother]

I saw a website a couple of years ago that showed pictures of some awful implants disasters.


One woman had developed am infection that basically ate her remaining breast tissue away!