Breast implants have been around for quite some time. There are a multitude of women who still have older first-generation silicone gel breast implants. These are the breast implants that were the source of lawsuits and ultimately the motivation for the FDA to pull the silicone breast implants from the market. At that point many women had been implanted with the breast implants and were not having problems so therefore they kept the breast implants. There are women who now have concerns as to whether or not they should consider breast implant exchange, especially since there are better more improved cohesive silicone gel implants available today.
Patients who have older silicone gel implants should consider breast implant exchange a priority in certain circumstances. For example, patients who have excessive firmness to the breast due to excessive scar tissue that has formed around the breast implant should definitely consider exchanging the breast implants for the newer cohesive silicone gel implants. The breast implant exchange surgery will also give Dr. Seify the opportunity to perform a capsulectomy which will remove the excessive scar tissue, create an improved pocket for the new implant, and help the patient to achieve a much more natural aesthetically pleasing appearance. Another instance where patient should consider breast implant exchange would be if there is a rupture. Although this may be difficult to detect with the older silicone gel implants, patients are often aware of a rupture after it is pointed out by a radiologist or other medical professional following a mammogram.
When there is a rupture of the older silicone gel implants patient should be prepared for the possibility that the silicone has spread throughout the breast pocket. This could make the surgery more complex and mean that Dr. Seify will carefully have to remove the older silicone gel completely from the breast pocket. This could add additional time, and possibly cost, to the surgery. Patients should be aware that this is the possibility; however, choosing a surgeon who will skip this step could have unintended consequences which could include, but are not limited to. the acceleration of excessive scar tissue around the new implant, and/or added difficulty for the new implant to settle into the pocket and create an aesthetically pleasing appearance. Breast implant exchange for older implants should be considered a delicate procedure and patient should choose their plastic surgeon carefully. Dr. Seify is well experienced in this area as both a breast reconstructive surgeon as well as a cosmetic breast surgeon. Patients are encouraged to schedule a consultation with Dr. Seify to determine if breast implant exchange is the best recommendation for them.
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