Factors to consider when deciding on breast augmentation
- Regardless of the type of surgery we are talking about (cosmetic or reconstructive), it is important to remember that this surgery is not the last. After a certain period of time, further surgical intervention will be required. In addition, you will have to see your doctor regularly throughout your life.
- Contrary to popular belief, pacifiers have an expiration date, so they are not permanently installed. After a certain time, the restoration will have to be removed or replaced with a new one.
- Many of the changes that will happen to your breasts after a prosthetic are fitted will be irreversible. If you later decide to forgo arthroplasty, you will experience dents, folds, wrinkles, and other cosmetic defects.
Reduced effectiveness of mammography tests
Endogenous drugs reduce the effectiveness of breast cancer diagnosis. The presence of prostheses should be informed to the attending physician so that they can use special techniques to minimize the risk of sheath rupture. Additionally, additional scans may be needed during different exposures, which increases the dose of radiation a woman receives. However, early detection of breast cancer justifies the risks involved.
You should have a mammogram the night before surgery and then 6-12 months after the implant is installed. The resulting images will help you to monitor further changes occurring in the mammary glands.
Self-examination of the mammary glands
After implant placement, a monthly independent mammogram should be performed. Ask your doctor to explain how to tell the difference between a prosthetic and breast tissue. If lumps or any suspicious changes are found, a biopsy should be performed. When doing this, be careful not to damage the implant.
Close the lid
Circumcision surgery, which involves squeezing the fibrous tissue that forms around the implant to rupture the cyst, is not recommended, as it can damage the prosthesis itself.
Complications related to the transplant
There is a risk of complications with any type of surgery, such as effects of anesthesia, infection, swelling, redness, bleeding, and pain. With that, additional complications can occur during transplantation.
Prosthetic collapse/break
If the integrity of the housing is violated, the prosthesis may collapse. It can be instantaneous or gradual. Outwardly, it resembles a change in the size or shape of the breast. Prosthetic collapse can occur both in the first months after surgery and after several years. Possible causes are surgical instrument damage during surgery, capsular constriction, closed circumcision, external pressure (eg, trauma or excessive chest compressions, excessive compression)during mammography), with an incision in the navel, as well as for unknown/unexplained reasons.
It should be remembered that restorations wear down over time, which can lead to rupture/collapse. Additional surgery is required to remove the non-functioning prosthesis and insert a new one.
Capsule contract
Scar tissue or cyst that forms around the implant and compresses it is called capsular contracture. In most cases, the onset of capsular contracture precedes infection, hematoma, and seroma. Cystic contracture is more commonly observed when the prosthesis is placed under the pancreas. Typical symptoms are breast thickening and discomfort, pain, breast shape change, protrusion and/or implant displacement.
In cases of excessive compression and/or severe pain, surgery is required to remove the capsular tissue or the implant itself and possibly replace it with new tissue. However, this does not eliminate the risk of recurrence of the foreskin.
Pain
After a breast prosthesis is implanted, pain may be felt with varying intensity and duration. This pain occurs due to pinched nerves or difficulty in contracting muscles, possibly due to improperly sized prostheses, poor positioning, surgical errors, and constriction of the jaw. If severe pain occurs, notify the attending physician.
Additional surgical intervention
After a certain period of time, surgical intervention may be required to replace or remove the prosthesis. In addition, surgery to remove the prosthesis may be required when the prosthesis is collapsed, spastic, infected, displaced, and calcium deposits are present. Most women, after removing the old prosthesis, will put on the new prosthesis. Women who decide to forgo the implantation of a new prosthesis should be prepared for the fact that they will experience dents and/or folds and other cosmetic defects.
Not satisfied with the cosmetic effect
The cosmetic effect of surgery may not always satisfy the patient. There may be wrinkles, asymmetry, implant displacement, incorrect size, undesirable shape, palpable implant, roughness (abnormal shape, protrusion) and/or excessive seams orwide.
The likelihood of these defects occurring can be minimized by careful operational planning and proper engineering selection. However, even in this case, such a possibility cannot be completely ruled out.
infection
Any surgical intervention carries a risk of infection. In most cases, an infection develops within a few days or weeks after surgery. If the infection cannot be controlled with antibiotics, and the presence of an implant makes treatment difficult, the restoration may need to be removed. New implants can only be installed after recovery.
In rare cases, toxic shock syndrome develops after a breast implant, which can be life-threatening. Symptoms include a sudden increase in body temperature, vomiting, diarrhea, fainting, dizziness, and/or rash. If these symptoms appear, you should immediately consult a doctor and start treatment.
Hematoma / serum
Hematoma is an accumulation of blood (in this case, around an implant or an incision), and serum is an accumulation of serous fluid, which is the watery component of blood. Postoperative hematoma and serum may contribute to infection and/or contracture of the capsule and be accompanied by swelling, pain, and bruising. The formation of a hematoma is most likely to occur in the postoperative period. However, it can appear any time other than a bruised breast. As a rule, small and serous hematomas resolve on their own. Large or serous bruises may require drainage. In some cases, a small scar is left after the drain is removed. When placing a drain, it is important not to damage the implant, which can lead to prosthetic collapse/rupture.
Changes in sensation in the nipples and breast area
After dentures are placed, sensitivity in the nipple and breast area may change. The changes vary widely - from marked sensitivity to the absence of any sensation. These changes may be temporary and irreversible, affecting sexual sensitivity or ability to breastfeed.
Breastfeeding
To date, there have been no data confirming the diffusion of small amounts of silicone from the shell of the prosthesis into the surrounding tissue and their penetration into breast milk. It is also not known what effect silicone can have on a baby if it is taken with breast milk. There is currently no method to quantify the amount of silicone in breast milk. However, one study comparing the levels of silicone in the breast milk of women with and without prostheses found that women with saline implants and women with gel prostheses had similar rates. on one's own.
Regarding the ability to breastfeed, according to the survey, the rate of women unable to breastfeed in women with IUDs is 64% compared to 7% in women without IUDs. When the prosthesis is implanted through the areola incision, the ability to breastfeed is significantly reduced.
Calcium deposition in the tissue surrounding the implant
On mammography, calcium deposits can be mistaken for melanoma. To differentiate them from cancerous masses, a biopsy and/or surgical removal of the implant may be required in some cases.
Slow wound healing
In some cases, the incision can take a long time to heal.
Refusal of prosthetics
Insufficient skin flap thickness covering the restoration and/or delayed wound healing may result in the restoration being rejected and visible through the skin.
Caseation
Necrosis, or dead tissue around the prosthesis, can permanently distort the scar tissue and prevent healing. In such cases, surgical correction and/or removal of the prosthesis is required. Usually, necrosis is preceded by infection, steroid use to clear surgical bags, smoking, chemotherapy/radiotherapy, and intense heat and cold therapy.
Breast tissue atrophy/chest wall deformity
The pressure exerted by the prosthesis on breast tissue can be thin and wrinkled. This can happen both with an implanted prosthesis and after its removal without replacement.
Other Complications
Connective tissue diseases
Concern about the relationship between pacifier placement and the occurrence of autoimmune or connective tissue diseases such as lupus, scleroderma, or rheumatoid arthritis arose after reports of these conditions ina small number of women wear pacifiers. However, the results of several large epidemiological studies, examining women with prostheses and women who have never had breast surgery, indicate that the incidence of such diseases in women in both groups is approximatelyapproximate each other. However, many women believe that it is the prosthetic that is causing their illness. According to published data, arthroplasty does not increase the risk of developing breast cancer.