Revision Surgery Recommended For Defective PIP Breast Implants

After an inquiry by the French Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons revealed safety issues with Poly Implant Prostheses (PIP) breast implants, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons issued a guidance warning the estimated 50,000 British women who have the implants to check for ruptures within the next six months. 

PIP breast implants were found to lack an essential protective barrier, causing them to rupture more easily than most breast implants, and were filled with unapproved silicone gel that had not undergone safety tests.   

When ruptures or leaks are found in breast implants, a breast augmentation revision may be recommended to replace breast implants; however, it may not always be necessary.

Some women choose not to have revision surgery if their ruptured implants do not cause problems with breast appearance or health, while others choose to have breast explant surgery, or breast implant removal, but do not have their ruptured implants replaced.  When breast implants are removed and a breast augmentation revision is not performed, a breast lift may be performed to remove skin stretched by the breast implants.  A breast lift with implants is also an option depending on how much ptosis, or sagging, a patient has experienced since the initial breast augmentation surgery.

Unlike the PIP breast implants under recall in Europe, silicone breast implants used for breast augmentation surgery in the U.S. are filled with safe, FDA-approved silicone gel, but they may rupture due to age, implant malfunction or trauma.  Ruptures are easy to detect in saline breast implants, as the implants deflate and noticeably lose volume, while an MRI is necessary in order to detect a rupture in silicone breast implants.

If you discover your breast implants have ruptured, it is important to remain calm, as there is no immediate health risk.  Consult a highly experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon who can show you before and after photos of patients who have undergone breast revision surgery and help you decide whether breast augmentation revision or implant removal, with or without a breast lift, is right for you.

Surgeons Study Outcomes of Breast Augmentation With Gummy Bear Implants

Maybe you’ve heard about the “next-generation” highly cohesive silicone gel implants or even learned about the technology behind them.  If you haven’t, you may want to read up on the Natrelle 410 or the Mentor CPG 300 series breast implants.

A recent study published in Aesthetic Surgery Journal (“A comparison of outcomes involving highly cohesive, form-stable breast implants from two manufacturers in patients undergoing primary breast augmentation”) compares the outcomes of each breast implant and studies the potential processes that may improve breast augmentation with the new prosthetics.

The authors evaluated data such as:

• Breast characteristics
• Patient’s quality of life
• Patient and surgeon satisfaction with outcome
• Adverse events

After breast augmentation with highly cohesive silicone gel implants, doctors followed up on patients 16 to 77 months later. “The outcome data indicate that these devices produce natural-appearing breasts with extremely low aggregate reoperation rate (4.2%), writes study author Mark Jewell M.D.  Between the two breast implant manufacturers, the study showed measurable differences in the incidence of visible implant rippling.  Read the abstract to learn more.

How Can a Mommy-Makeover Improve My Body Shape?

When plastic surgeons refer to a “mommy makeover,” they are generally referring to body and breast contouring with the tummy tuck, breast lift and breast augmentation.

These procedures are very effective in restoring the shape and volume of your breasts and restoring the contouring of your abdominal area. Dr. Basu performs 1-2 mommy makeover procedures each week.

Some moms even say that after surgery their body looks better than before they had kids. These patients love the transformation, so for a surgeon it’s a satisfying procedure to perform.