Breast implants are not designed to last forever. At some point down the road, you may wish to update or refresh some aspect of your breast augmentation results; or, you may experience an implant problem like rippling or capsular contracture. In all of these situations and others, Dr. Maakan Taghizadeh can perform a breast revision procedure in Baltimore to restore your results! Please contact U Plastic Surgery to arrange a consultation.
Breast Implant Revision for Cosmetic Reasons
You may wish to replace your old breast implants with new ones for cosmetic reasons. For example:
- To have larger or smaller breasts
- To achieve a different breast shape or feel
- To update to a newer generation of breast implants
Cosmetic updates are very common reasons for breast implant revision. After years of your original breast augmentation results, you may have realized you’d like to boost the volume, or even decrease overall size. If you aren’t quite sure what kind of update you want to make, Dr. Tag can help you decide.
It’s also quite common to change from saline breast implants to silicone. Silicone breast implants typically have a higher upfront cost, which could be your reason for opting for saline; however, in the years that follow, you may decide you want to replace your saline implants with silicone, which have an optimally natural look and feel. The silicone gel contained within the implants mimics the viscosity and feel of natural breast fat, so it’s a great option for results that feel like the real thing!
Sagging Breast Tissue
As the years pass, your skin and tissue naturally droops and sags. Although your breast implants may remain in their raised, perky position, the tissue toward the edge of the implant may start to sag. Dr. Tag will perform a procedure to reduce excess tissue.
Treating Capsular Contracture
A capsule of scar tissue naturally forms around breast implants. It encases the implant and is perfectly normal and expected. In uncommon instances, the capsule contracts and tightens, which can cause discomfort. Your breast will also feel hard to the touch for certain cases of capsular contracture.
Dr. Tag performs a procedure to correct capsular contracture. It may include making a small incision in the capsule itself, which may be all that is needed to allow the capsule to stretch, thin and soften. For more advanced contracture, a procedure called a capsulectomy may need to be performed to remove the capsule entirely.
Breast Implant Rupture or Tear
Ruptures are not all that common, but they do occur from time to time. You may or may not realize if an implant has ruptured. Saline implants leak and deflate, so you’ll be able to see the visible change to your breast. Silicone implants hold their shape, so you may need an MRI to pick up the tear or rupture. Dr. Taghizadeh will replace the ruptured breast implant.
Breast Revision to Correct Malposition/Rotation/Symmastia
Sometimes there is a change in the shape of the breast that can cause a few different issues:
- The breast implant has rotated inside its capsule
- The capsule of tissue around the breast has formed in a way that holds the breast implant too high, low, wide or too close together (symmastia is the term for breast implants so close together that there is little to no difference)
- Bottoming out, in which the implants descend down below the breast crease over the years
While these issues are not common, there is a remedy should they occur. Once Dr. Tag correctly diagnoses the cause, he can recommend a procedure to restore beautiful, aesthetically pleasing breast augmentation results.
Breast Revision Candidates
The first step is to arrange your consultation with Dr. Tag. In addition to discussing the reasons you are seeking breast revision, Dr. Tag will review your health history and other factors to make sure you are a good candidate for surgery.
In some cases, it makes sense to perform a breast implant revision in conjunction with a breast lift. The breast lift procedure (mastopexy) reduces excess, sagging tissue and raises the position of the breasts. The plastic surgeon will determine if a concurrent procedure makes sense in your case, and will let you know all of the options.
Breast Revision Consultation
To learn more, please call the practice of experienced Baltimore breast surgeon Dr. Maakan Taghizadeh. We look forward to answering your questions and arranging a consultation for you at U Plastic Surgery. We are proud to provide outstanding care and beautiful aesthetic results to people from across Maryland and the surrounding region.