Breast augmentation at my Long Island and NYC practices includes using fat transfer or breast implants to change the size and shape of a patient’s breasts. For most patients, there are minimal complications, thanks to modern technology and advanced techniques. Capsular contracture is the most common complication, a condition that results in a breast feeling feel very stiff and hardened.
What Causes Capsular Contracture?
The body’s natural immune response to implants results in scar tissue forming around the capsule. Capsule formation generally takes place when a foreign object, breast implant in this case, is inserted into the body. For most of the patients, it may not be a worry at all. In a small percentage of patients, though, the scar tissue hardens over time and squeezes the implant. This can be aesthetically unappealing.
How Do You Identify A Capsular Contracture?
The most evident sign of a capsular contracture is the feeling of hardness near the implant region. This can either happen in both of your breasts, or just one of them. Also, it may affect you immediately after the surgery or after 5 years or so. A typical grading scale is used by surgeons to judge the implant condition as given below.
- Grade I: The breast is in perfect condition with the desired shape and size, as well as softness.
- Grade II: There is some sort of stiffness in the breast, although it looks normal.
- Grade III: There are abnormalities and a strange firmness in the breast.
- Grade IV: This is the worst condition of all, which can be painful at times. It requires immediate medical attention.
It is quite important for the patients to keep an eye on any disorder after getting breast implants. Checking out yourself for symmetry and firmness in the breasts should be your top priority after the surgery.
How To Avoid Capsular Contracture
Given the advancement in technology these days, it’s not quite as common to see such an abnormality in most of the patients. Modern techniques in plastic surgery include high quality implants and sub-muscular positioning of implants. The best plastic surgeons in New York understand how to prevent capsular contracture in virtually all breast augmentation procedures.
How To Treat Capsular Contracture
The biggest reason why most patients turn towards breast revision surgery is the formation of capsular contracture. Depending upon the grade of the situation and patient condition, there are various non-surgical options available. To determine the best solution, an expert consultation is required. In case the doctor suggests a breast revision surgery, both the contracture and implant are removed, and a new implant is inserted in the body.