Breast Implant Revision Surgery

If you are dissatisfied with the appearance of your breasts after breast augmentation, you may want to consider breast implant revision surgery. Revision surgery is most commonly used to improve the appearance of a previous breast augmentation surgery. In rare cases, it may also be used to address a complication related to your breast implants.

Most women who desire breast implant revision surgery have either long been happy with the results of their surgery, or over time a new reason develops that may have you desiring a second breast implant surgery, such as:

• Breast sagging or implant displacement
• Asymmetry
• Changing breast implant size
• Updating breast implants from saline to silicone gel

If you are considering breast implant revision surgery to improve or restore the results of a previous breast augmentation surgery, please schedule a consultation with Dr. Nick Slenkovich today to learn how he can help.

Get It Right the Second Time

The most common "adverse result" of breast implant surgery--and the main reason why you should choose your plastic surgeon with care--is an unsatisfactory cosmetic result. If you have had a prior breast implant surgery with another doctor and are unhappy with the results, we invite you to talk to Dr. Nick Slenkovich about the possibilities of revision surgery.

Breast Changes As Time Goes By

Like natural breast tissue, breast implants are affected by gravity and can begin to sag over time. Breast implants are a little more self-supporting than natural breast tissue, and you may be tempted to go without wearing a bra after your breast augmentation surgery, but if you wear a properly fitted and supportive bra, you will extend the lifetime of your results. Sagging of implants can also make an initially imperceptible asymmetry between breasts more pronounced.

Sometimes women decide they want to change the size of their breasts implants, going larger or smaller. Recently, the hollywood trend has been toward smaller, more natural implants. However, we frequently meet with breast implant replacement patients who desire larger implants than what were placed during their initial surgery.

Another reason women desire breast implant revision is to replace their implants with new breast implant options that are now available. The restriction on silicone implants was lifted by the FDA in 2006 after years of new developments and studies conducted to ensure that gel-filled implants are extremely safe. Women who had breast augmentation when saline implants were their only option may now desire the improved look and feel of silicone gel implants.

Breast Implant Complications

At Colorado Plastic Surgery Center, Dr. Slenkovich and the rest of his staff work hard to prevent complications, however there is no fool-proof way to ensure you will not get a complication. At every step in the process, we follow the best practices for minimizing the chances of a complication, but despite our best efforts there is still the chance you may have a complication that will require breast implant replacement or revision surgery. Some complications that require revision surgery are:

• Capsular contracture
• Deflation
• Implant rippling or visibility
• Implant Displacement

Deflation, rippling, and implant visibility tend to be more common with saline breast implants. Rippling and implant visibility can be corrected by replacing your saline implants with silicone gel implants during your revision surgery. 

Capsular contracture results when the natural scar tissue that forms around the implant becomes excessive causing the breast to become hard, tight or develop an unnatural appearance. A breast implant revision surgery is performed on the effected breast to remove the surrounding scar tissue providing a more natural appearance.

Deflation or a ruptured implant also requires a secondary breast surgery. The breast with the defective implant may be the only one that requires surgery.

Rarely, the breast implants may become displaced by "bottoming out". In this case the implants move downward on the chest causing the nipples to appear very high on the breasts. Another incredibly rare complication is synmastia, also known as "kissing implants", in which the implants touch each other as a result of over dissection of the pectorial muscle between the breasts. In either case a breast implant revision surgery is required to correct the appearance of the breasts.

If you are considering replacing your breast implants as a result of a complication or undergoing a revision surgery to correct aesthetic concerns, please view our breast implant revision and replacement photo gallery to view before and after photos of patients who have experienced similar concerns.

If you desire breast implant revision surgery in Colorado, please contact Dr. Nick Slenkovich to schedule a consultation today to learn about what options are available to you.