When people think about breast augmentation surgery with breast implants, most of the time what comes to mind are issues like implant size, implant shape, implant texture, overall breast size and the differences between saline and silicone implants. Those are all very important issues related to breast implant surgery, but they are not the whole story.
I thought it would be instructive to talk about one issue that’s very important but frequently overlooked. That issue is the ongoing care and maintenance of breast implants. It is true that in a perfect world, not much has to be done after a patient undergoes breast augmentation surgery. Usually, the breast implants get placed, the healing process happens, and the patient looks great, feels great and ultimately forgets that they have implants. That’s what we all hope for. The implants fulfill the dreams and wishes of the patient, and ultimately just feel like they’re part of the body.
But it is important to have regular follow-up checkups with a surgeon who is experienced with breast augmentation surgery. That follow-up appointment should involve a conversation about patient satisfaction with their implants as well as the possible onset of any new problems or issues. Those problems or issues could include a desire for a size change, the onset of hardening of the scar tissue envelope around the implant, something we call capsular contracture, an assessment of implant malposition, and even an assessment for implant rupture.
It’s a simple, painless, 5 minute ultrasound scan that can tell me whether or not a patient’s implants are intact or broken.
The only way to do this type of checkup is with an in-person visit with your surgeon. At that time, in addition to a conversation about patient satisfaction, it’s important to do a physical examination. To supplement the physical examination, there is a relatively new technique that many plastic surgeons have adopted. That is an in-office ultrasound examination. At the Cosmetic Surgery Clinic, we’ve been doing this for the last year or so. It’s a simple, painless, 5 minute ultrasound scan that can tell me whether or not a patient’s implants are intact or broken.
Why do we need an ultrasound? Because these days, in the era of highly cohesive silicone gel breast implants, it is possible for an implant to have what’s called a silent rupture. That means the impound can have a crack or a hole in it and a patient may not know it. It’s also very difficult to assess it with a simple physical examination. In the old days, it was necessary to get an MRI to assess the integrity of the implants, and while that remains the gold standard for diagnosis, the bedside ultrasound examination that we do at the Cosmetic Surgery Clinic is an excellent option to achieve peace of mind knowing that the breast implants are intact.
At the Cosmetic Surgery clinic, we suggest all of our breast augmentation patients return to see us at least every two or three years for a follow-up.
If you had breast augmentation surgery in the past, and you haven’t been getting regular follow-up visits with your surgeon, give us a call. We’d be happy to take care of you.
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