BREAST REVISION SURGERY
There are many reasons why you may want to make a few corrections in your breasts, from asymmetry to change following a previous breast surgery that isn’t what you were expecting. At Prime Plastic Surgery, our surgeons have an extensive depth of knowledge and experience in revision breast surgery, allowing women in the San Diego area to obtain the figures they set out to achieve. If you’d like to explore your options in revision breast surgery, call the office or request a consultation using the online booking tool.
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TREATMENT AREAS
Even if your breast implants were expertly placed, giving you years of satisfaction, issues can crop up over time, undoing the effect you desired and making a breast implant revision necessary. Some of the most common problems that may benefit from a breast augmentation revision include:
Asymmetry
Adjustments can be made with the implants to try to achieve as much symmetry as possible after breast enhancement surgery. There are several ways to achieve breast symmetry; different types of implants may be used, different volumes may be used, or changes in the pocket dissection may be used to help achieve as much symmetry as possible.
Bottoming out
This happens when your implants begin to shift downward, leaving your nipple areola complex to appear too high on your breasts. As well, the distance from your areola to your inframammary fold increases. Bottoming out usually means that your implant was placed in an area with too little or no muscle coverage, which is what allows the implant to slip down. Another cause of bottoming out is when your implant pockets were over-dissected.
Breast implant downsizing
If you opted for a larger breast implant, only to find that you may have been overzealous in your choice, Prime Plastic Surgery offers breast implant downsizing.
Breast implant removal
Going a step further, if you’re having problems with your implants, or you’ve decided to have them removed for personal reasons, your surgeon can remove the implants.
Capsular contracture
If you develop too much scar tissue after your breast implant surgery, causing the implants to harden, your surgeon releases the implant by removing the hardened tissue. This is the most common reason why you may need breast implant revision, and there are different degrees of encapsulation, ranging from mild to severe.
Capsulorrhaphy
The capsulorrhaphy procedure, also known as pocket correction or use of internal sutures/bra, involves closing a portion of the breast pocket to correct displacement of the implant. This can also be necessary when breast implants fall toward the axilla (armpits) and therefore the pockets need to be internally sutured to keep the breast implant in the correct position on the chest wall.
Implant rippling
When a patient doesn’t have much breast tissue or body fat, they may experience palpability of the breast implants and possibly rippling of the breast implants. Although the breast implants are placed under the muscle (sub-muscular), the outer edge and cleavage areas are not covered by the muscle and these are the most common places where rippling is experienced. The rippling / palpability of the breast implant can be decreased by using silicone gel breast implants versus saline filled breast implants. Silicone gel breast implants are now FDA approved and give a softer, more natural feeling to the patient with little breast tissue.
Symmastia
This condition, which is also called “bread-loafing” or “uni-boob,” often develops when your chest wall anatomy was altered to encourage more cleavage, including cutting the horizontal muscle that connects to your sternum. This allows your implants to migrate together, without any definition between the two. Symmastia occurs more frequently in thin patients who opt for larger implants.
Superior Displacement (Riding High)
This is when breast implants are too high on the chest wall and there is too much fullness superiorly.This displacement may cause the nipple-areola complex to appear low or pointing downward. This can be corrected by removing the current implants and lowering the pocket. When the pocket is lowered, the implants will fall into the pockets and have a nicer placement on the chest wall and more natural look.
For correction of high riding implants, the procedure can take from 1-2 hours depending on how much work is involved. Our surgeons take their time in the operating room to make sure that they do what they can to achieve the patient’s results. The pocket is adjusted to that the implant placement on the chest is corrected.
Double Bubble
When implants are placed behind the pectoral muscle, rather than in front of it, women whose breasts have begun sagging naturally can experience a unique complication commonly referred to as double bubble. While the implant remains in place, breast tissue sags below it, creating the appearance of two separate breast creases.
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PROCEDURES
Our surgeons are experienced breast revision surgeons and turns to a number of innovative solutions to correct breast implant problems, most notably Strattice™. This surgical mesh is made from porcine skin, which is preserved in an aqueous solution that contains matrix stabilizers. With Strattice, which was approved by the FDA, your surgeon can use the biosynthetic mesh to reinforce your tissue, giving it time to correctly reform and rebuild on its own. The mesh is full absorbable and provides superior strength for six months and then starts to biodegrade, eventually disappearing altogether after three years.
Prime Plastic Surgery turns to this innovative solution to correct a host of issues, including:
- Bottoming out
- Capsular contracture
- Implant repositioning
- Breast asymmetry
- Lateral displacement
- Unnatural implant movement
In addition to Strattice, your doctor can correct implant issues using a technique called the internal bra, in which he closes a section of your breast pocket.
In-Office Breast Implant Deflation of Saline Implants
Sometimes with saline breast implants, patients desire to reduce the size of their breast implants or wish to gain greater symmetry after a period of time. Others wish to get closer to their original breast size without undergoing surgical procedures again.
Our team of doctors are skilled at saline implant deflation and is able to care for many cases from inside the office as opposed to patients going in for surgery. The implant(s) are deflated by needle aspiration through a series of saline removal steps. Patients are comfortable through the entire process.
RECOVERY
After your breast augmentation revision surgery, our staff make sure you have everything you need for a speedy and comfortable recovery. They supply you with a list of complete aftercare instructions, as well as the Thongbra®, which provides constant support to your cleavage area after your breast revision surgery.
If you’d like to learn more about revision breast surgery, call the experts at Prime Plastic Surgery or fill out the online form to request a consultation.
Post-Op Care Instructions
Revisionary Breast Surgery Post op Care Instructions
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Sleeping in an upright reclined position for 1-2 weeks after surgery.
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No heavy lifting for 1-3 months or longer. Do not strain your upper body muscles for 3 months or longer.
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No reaching out or above your shoulders for 1-3 months or longer.
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Keep your hands and elbows to your side for 2-12 weeks or longer.
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No driving for 1-6 weeks post Breast Revision surgery or until off narcotic pain medication completely and can respond to an emergency. When going back to driving please keep arms low and only drive short distances.
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Please take the medications as directed. Antibiotic medication (if prescribed) is taken for 3 days or until the drains are removed. Pain, nausea, and muscle relaxant medication are taken as needed. Never take medication on an empty stomach and always space out the medications by an hour.
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Constipation is very common due to the pain medication and anesthesia. Please use Colace (over the counter) or any stool softener that has worked with you in the past.
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If you develop a rash or think you are having an allergic reaction to the medication please call our office immediately. Sometimes Benadryl will help.
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No upper body exercises for 3 months post breast repair surgery. We will follow up with each patient at post-surgical visits to give them their workout restraints.
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Cant get the breast wet incision line wet for 3 weeks post surgery and not until the bolster dressing can come off.
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No ocean water, jacuzzi, or pool water for 8 weeks post surgery or until the incision is fully healed.
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No tanning or sun exposure to the incision until the incision has healed completely.
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Please do not put scar creams or ointments on the incision immediately after surgery, you may irritate the area or cause an allergic reaction.
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After surgery you will have dressings, surgical bra, Bolster dressing, and stockings provided to you. Please leave everything on until we see you, which is usually 3 days post surgery.
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If you do have supportive Bolster dressing, please leave on and do not remove for at least 2 months. If it needs to be reinforced you may apply and use more tape to keep it tight and supportive. The longer you can tolerate the bolster dressing is best for your results.
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You may expect to be swollen for a few weeks. This is why it will also take time for the breast to reach their final shape and size.
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For Scar treatment most patients will use scar ointment, which you may get from our office.
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Wear the surgical bra for a total of 4 weeks. You may wear a comfortable sports bra or regular non-underwire bras after you get rid of your surgical bra. You wear sports bras for 4 weeks.
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Nice under wire bras are okay once you have full sensation at the bottom of the breast and is no longer wearing the bolster dressing. This will be closer to 3 months post surgery.
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You may have some drainage from the incision lines and its normal and usually a light yellow discharge. Please keep the area as dry as possible. If there is significant drainage please contact our office as soon as possible.
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If there is redness on the incision line or it feels tender, please call our office and send photos.
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Incision lines and final results may take up to about a year.
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Please keep in touch via email, and send photos, then continue to send photos at your 3rd week, 1 month, 2nd month, 4th month, 6th month…etc. (wearing cute bras)
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Please call us with any concerns Mon-Friday 9:00am-5:30 pm at 858-285-4667.
FAQ
How long before I see the results of my breast implant removal?
It can take months for the breast tissue to relax and redrape. I recommend allowing 3-6 months before evaluating your final outcome.
Prime Plastic Surgery,
Telephone No.619-466-8851
CONTACT US
Telephone No.619-466-8851
