Recovery and pain to expect during Breast implant replacement?

Hi there- The recovery experience you should expect will depend a great deal on the details of the operation you and your surgeon decide on after review of your current situation, your goals for appearance, and the alternatives available. Generally speaking, if you had the existing implants removed and new... more

Butterfly, Your question may be more complicated than it sounds.  Since the implants are both leaking you will likely require total capsulectomies (removal of the entire scar capsule and implant) on both breasts.  This can be a technically demanding surgery, with extensive dissection and a rough... more

Generally, breast implant removal, even if ruptured, can be done with tolerable discomfort.  The real discomfort comes if you need to convert from above the muscle to below.  Even that discomfort however is only about the same as a first time under the muscle patient.   I generally use drains in... more

 In most cases, the breast implant exchange procedure is much less involved than your original surgery.  If your implants were placed under the muscle, then you may have had some discomfort after your original surgery from the muscle stretching.  Since the muscle is already stretched, then you... more

Recovery after Breast Implant replacement will vary significantly, depending on where the initial implant is (over or under the muscle) and the amount of spread of the silicone into the surrounding tissues. If the implant is under the muscle, the recovery will be longer, especially with a physical job. If over... more

Implant exchange is usually not a very uncomfortable procedure, but he leaking gel may make the surgery more involved, and cause more discomfort.  Some docs prefer to use drainage tubes as well, so ask about this possibility.  I agree with the other docs in that the implanty placement procedure... more

This is becoming a more prominent problem as a lot of the silicone implants placed earlier on are rupturing and patients are presenting for removal.  Usually the scar tissue that surrounds the ruptured implant remains intact, at this can be removed all en bloc.  On occasion I have had rupture of the... more

The replacement of your implants after rupture is a fairly common event.  This happens more comonly with older implants. It is usually not a big problem and can be done as an outpatient.  The pain is not usually as bad as the first procedure.

Your question about post-operative pain is difficult to answer because the amount of infiltration of the silicon into the surrounding muscle and/or breast tissue as well as the presence of granulomas needs to be considered.  It may be a very quick and easy replacement with mild pain, or more significant... more

Much of this depends on the extent of the rupture and whether the implants were placed under or over the muscle. Generally the pain of the first procedure tends to be associated with the stretching and surgical release of the muscle.