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How Can You Distinguish Between Rippling and Rupture?

asked 5 months ago by desperatewife
Latest answer by Mark D. Epstein, MD
Question viewed 160 times
Tags: comparison, rippling, rupture

How Can You Distinguish Between Rippling and Rupture?

7 answers to How Can You Distinguish Between Rippling and Rupture?

+1

How to distinguish riplling from ruptured implants

For saline, a ruptured implant will result in deflation and within a couple of days the breast will lose considerable volume, you won't require medical expertise to realize that something is wrong. With silicone implants, it is more difficult. If there is any question on the part of your plastic surgeon, an ultrasound is about 85% accurate in making the call for a ruptured implant, if not, then an MRI is quite useful.
Mark D. Epstein, MD

Stony Brook Plastic Surgeon

www.epsteinplasticsurgery.com

+1

Rippling of breast implants vs rupture

Rippling refers to a waviness that is sometimes visible after breast augmentation if the implant is underfilled or the tissue over the implant is thin. To some extent this is an exaggeration of a normal phenomenon that occurs in the breast as the breast moves and is due to the ligaments that holds the breast tissue in place. A rupture of a saline implant results in the breast losing volume and becoming small again. A rupture of a silicone implant cannot be seen or palpated. The only way to... more
Robert T. Buchanan, MD

Highlands Plastic Surgeon
+1

Rippling vs rupture

Rippling is the ridging that develops with an intact implants that is felt or seen through thin skin. A rupture is often seen as a deflation of change in shape of an implant. An MRI is definitive to detect a rupture for a silicone implant.
Steven Wallach, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon
+1

Rippling and Rupture of Breast Implants?

Thank you for the question. Rippling refers to the visible or palpable “waviness” of a breast implant. This may be seen with any type of breast implant but is more common with saline breast implants and more severe if an implant is deflating ( compared to a appropriately filled implant). Palpability and rippling of breast implants may be related to several factors. These include the amount of soft tissue and breast tissue coverage over the breast... more
Tom J. Pousti, MD

San Diego Plastic Surgeon
+1

Rippling and rupturing

Rippling is an obvious symptom which reflects a capsular contracture. If an implant were to rupture, in a salne implant, you would notice obvious flattening of the breast. WIth silicone, it can be more difficult to tell. That said, I have seen situations which appear to be ruptures which are not corroborated by MRI. The implant manufacturer will not honor its warranty if, upon analysis, the implant is not found to have ruptured so I now send patients who have health insurance for MRI so... more
Robert L. Kraft, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon
+1

Rippling or Ruptures

The best advice is to return to your plastic surgeon for an evaluation. If you have saline implants, the breast size would actually shrink as the saline is absorbed back into your body. If you have silicone implants the shape may change but the size would remain fairly stable. Rupture is a very rare occurrence but can easily be corrected with a much less extensive procedure than your original surgery. If you post before and after pictures, we may be able to give you... more
David Shafer, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon
+1

Ripple or a rupture can be hard to tell

Developing ripples in an implant can mean a leak or rupture. A saline implant will ripple excessively as it eventually goes flat. A gel implant may begin to ripple with a leak as the breast capsule tightens and creates folds in the gel implant. Of course over time your breast tissue may thin and the ripple within both a saline or gel may begin to 'show through'. The cause can be hard to tell and you might want your surgeon to have a look. Best of luck, peterejohnsonmd.com more
Peter E. Johnson, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

www.peterejohnsonmd.com

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